Dean’s Update Newsletter – MARCH 2014
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MICHAEL WILLIAMS
Changing the World…
In my first year as Associate Dean I saw we had a problem. Alisa Lopez, who at the time was Director of Global Programs, informed me that although we had over 35 partners around the world, we did not have any educational partners in the largest English speaking educational market in the world… India.
That fall we formed a focus group with many of the Indian students who were in our Full-time MBA program. Over several conversations and a delightful dinner, they shared with us their perceptions of the various business schools in India that might make good partners. There were religious institutions like Xavier Institute (XIME); highly regarded private business schools like Indian School of Business (ISB); and at the top of the pyramid… the very exclusive Indian Institutes of Management (IIM).
IIM is one of the most exclusive educational institutions in the world. It is easier to be admitted to MIT or Harvard than to IIM.
In the spring of 2011 Alisa and I visited with IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta to explore possible partnerships. We were honored simply to have an audience with their respective deans, and our Indian students were so impressed when we returned with a partnership with IIM Calcutta.
But the biggest success of Spring 2011 was not the new partnership with one of the elite business schools in the world. Rather, it was the evening I met with Santhosh Paramesh in a conference room at the hotel in Bangalore. Santhosh is an articulate and dynamic individual with 10-years IT experience at Honeywell in Bangalore. Though he had a solid track record at Honeywell, he was ready for the next challenge. His goal was to find a job in management in the US after earning his MBA at a top US institution.
Samuel Seaman, who chaired the Admission Committee that year, admitted Santhosh to our 15-month MBA program and before long Santhosh and his wife and young daughter were enjoying life in Malibu.
A few weeks ago I received an email from Santhosh with the subject line, “Thank you”. Santhosh graduated in December, and had just accepted a job in Redmond, WA at Microsoft. In his email, he said “I greatly appreciate [your support] and [will be] grateful to you throughout my life.”
This is the heart of our enterprise at Graziadio. While the challenges of teaching, research, and serving others can sometimes be intense… these human interactions of helping others achieve their hopes and dreams is what drives us forward. Together, we are changing the world one student at a time.
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 20, 2014
Global Village/PepperJam
March 21-22, 2014
6th Annual Nonprofit Leadership Institute
March 22, 2014
Pepperdine Business Plan Competition
March 26, 2014
Rob Moore, Paramount Pictures
Dean's Executive Leadership Series
April 2, 2014
6th Annual George Awards
April 12, 2014
Graduation
April 25, 2014
Talent Management Symposium
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IN THIS ISSUE:
· Program Updates
· EMBA Next Generation
· Faculty Honors/Awards
· Chinese New Year
· Dinner With an Alum
· Staff Announcements
· Fun Fact
· PKE’s $100K Gift
· Living The MSOD Legacy
ENRICH STUDENT LEARNING
Enrich students with innovative and personal learning experiences and services.
FULL-TIME PROGRAMS UPDATE:
[INSERT ALISA PHOTO LEFT ALIGNED] Full-Time programs offered spring enrollment in January 2014 for the second consecutive year. Thanks to the hard work and creativity of the FT Recruitment staff, we were able to exceed our enrollment targets and hit the stretch goal of 50-new students. It was a successful offering and 50 students began classes on January 6, which exceeded the target enrollment of 30 students. The spring class is composed of MSAF, MSGB, 5-yr BS/MBA and JD/MBA cohorts. The students are a diverse group from the USA, Kuwait, China, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Taiwan.
CAREER MANAGEMENT CENTER UPDATE:
[INSERT DIANE SINGEL PHOTO LEFT ALIGNED] The annual Pepperdine University Career Week hosted 25 events across all Schools during the first week of February. The five-day program was designed to help students transition from the classroom to career and offer future graduates a competitive advantage in the workplace. The Graziadio School participated in the student/alumni networking event SoCal Social and hosted the Spring Employer Roundtable, an employer roundtable hosted at the WLA Campus.
The Annual MBA Internship Fair was also a signature event of the week. On February 7, the Career Management Center hosted 18 companies on the Drescher Campus. These hiring companies from various industries networked with students regarding opportunities available at their organizations.
GLOBAL PROGRAMS UPDATE:
The annual important survey has gone out to assess the interests of Full-Time and Fully-Employed students to gather their interests in future One-Week Abroad destinations and programs is underway. The survey results will be used to frame the study abroad offerings during the upcoming 2015 academic year. Please encourage your students to complete the survey.
FULLY EMPLOYED PROGRAMS UPDATE:
[INSERT PAGLIA PHOTO LEFT ALIGNED] Interim Associate Dean John Paglia is pleased to report that applications Applications for summer are more than tripled the level for the same period last year, Interim Associate Dean John Paglia is pleased to report. In short, focused efforts across, and coordination among, departments have proved an effective solution to a problem that is important to us all; namely Kim Weiss’ on-boarding and team development (Recruitment), sending out targeted email blasts and the new digital campaign (Marketing), streamlining the application process and providing application fee waivers (Admission), scholarships (Financial Aid) and FEGP Committee’s GMAT waivers (Faculty); timely work evaluation application and providing automatic acceptance criteria (FE Admission Committees) and “Build your Brand” faculty and alumni engagement initiative (Recruitment, in collaboration with John Buckingham and other faculty, and Alumni).
EXECUTIVE PROGRAMS UPDATE: Executive Programs is moving forward with securing a permanent campus location in the South Bay Bay Area/Silicon Valley for EMBA North, following the recent move from our facilities at Techmart. In the meantime, Stephanie Rodgers is continuing to see success in recruiting in the market and we remain firmly committed to delivering an Executive MBA that serves the San Jose/Bay Area
FINANCIAL AID UPDATE: [INSERT NATASHA PHOTO LEFT ALIGNED] The Admission Office has made substantial progress toward simplifying the admission application process and enhancing applicants’ experience. With the strong support of the faculty on the Admission Committees, and all of the Graziadio Recruitment offices, the new GMAT waiver requirements policies are being were successfully piloted and implemented. By the end of February, the Admission Office will complete standardization of the admission requirements for the Fully Employed programs. The new procedure streamlines internal application processing and reduces the application turnaround time.
The Office of Student Financial Services collaborated with Graziadio Fully Employed Recruitment to implement a new scholarship strategy supporting our recruitment campaign. The new scholarship initiatives will be evaluated on continuous basis to assure scholarship effectiveness as a recruitment tool and operational efficiency.
ENHANCE THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Enhance capacity for thought leadership that shapes business practice.
[INSERT TOMPKINS PHOTO RIGHT ALIGNED] EMBA NEXT GENERATION: One of six Waves of Innovation finalists, Teri Tompkins has been awarded a $83,000 grant from President Benton and the University for a proposal to study how the Graziadio School can create a next-generation Executive MBA program. Among the considerations are technologies and curriculum design that can allow students from other parts of the country (and outside of the U.S.A.) to attend Pepperdine EMBA classes. Professor Tompkins will also examine greater opportunities for traditional EMBA students to take emphasis courses. Click on the image to watch Tompkins present her award-winning proposal.
FACULTY HONORS/AWARDS
Applied Behavioral Sciences professor Darren Good will accept the Ascendant Scholar Award for his extensive research in paradox and adaptability from the Western Academy of Management, a non-profit regional division of the National Academy of Management, at the Academy's annual meeting in March.
Entrepreneurship program director Larry Cox will be this year’s recipient of the faculty George Awards. He will be recognized for his commitment to teaching that personifies personal leadership, excellence, and generosity of spirit on April 2.
Economics professor Paul Gift is demonstrating the power and versatility of sports econometrics in the mix martial arts arena as a commentator for the website BloodyElbow.com. He previously shared his expertise in statistical forecasting and analysis authoring match prediction commentary for Fox Sports.
CULTIVATE COMMUNITY
Cultivate an engaged and vibrant learning community.
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CHINESE NEW YEAR
The Chinese year 4712 began begins on Jan. 31, 2014. This year, Malibu Graduate Business Society (MGBS), the Chinese Student Scholars Association (CSSA) and the Asian Business Club celebrated the Chinese New Year with a variety show highlighting the many talents of our full time Chinese students. Pepperdine President Andrew Benton offered opening remarks. The festivities began with a sampling of traditional Chinese New Year food dishes. Then students regaled attendees with a series of songs, dance numbers, and comedy skits.
DINNER WITH AN ALUM
[INSERT LABOWITZ PHOTO RIGHT ALIGNED] Zev Technologies COO and alumnus Dave Labowitz (MBA ’06) returned to campus as the guest speaker for the Career Management Center continuing series “Dinner with an Alum.” This dinner series invites graduates back to speak to a small group of approximately eight students regarding their industry, career path, and navigating the job/internship search. Dave offered his student dinner companions advice and insights on how to build their career, leverage opportunities and become leaders of tomorrow.
STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS
Representing Pepperdine among his peers on an international scale, Edwin Cahill, Assistant Director of Global Programs, is now serving on the leadership development team for the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education, NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The association was founded as the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers to promote the professional development of U.S. college and university officials responsible for assisting and advising foreign students studying in the United States. Today, it is a community of 10,000 educators with representatives from all corners of the world who are changing the world one student at a time.
Marc Davies joined Alumni Relations as assistant director at the West Los Angeles Campus. Prior to coming to Pepperdine, Mark worked in customer service and project management roles in the automotive and entertainment industries, at companies such as Toyota and Pure Flix Entertainment. He also served as a director of Youth Ministry at a church in Northern California. Marc holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He lives in Pacific Palisades with his wife, Julie and their two girls, Keilah (3) and Lily (1).
LaVada Drew, Career Development & Employer Relations Manager, Full-time Programs, accepted an appointment to the board of the National Black MBA Association as the Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) Coordinator and chair for the San Fernando Valley. LOT exposes high school students to the world of business, helping to shape them into contributing professionals. She will have the opportunity to work under the leadership of respected Pepperdine EMBA alumnae Britta Wilson, formerly VP of HR, Paramount Pictures, and 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
Abbey Fernández joined Fully Employed Programs as recruitment manager for at the West LA Graduate Campus with primary responsibility for the Los Angeles Region. She will coordinate outreach events; develop strategic relationships with companies and professional organizations within the business community to generate lead referrals. Abbey previously held the position of Graduate Admissions Counselor and Recruiter for the University of Tampa, where she recruited MBA and MS candidates to the Sykes College of Business.
Seram Lee serves Full-time Programs as assistant to the Associate Dean Williams and supports the work of full-time students and staff in Alumni Relations, Career Management Center, Full-time Programs, Full-time Programs Recruitment, Global Programs, and Graziadio Technology Services. He is a 2013 graduate of Seaver College with a double-major in International Studies and German, with an emphasis in Political Science. Prior to joining Graziadio he held a variety of staff and intern positions at Pepperdine, and served in the Obama White House in the Correspondence Office.
Kandace Phyall joined Full-time Recruitment Programs as administrative coordinator, responsible for office reception, office management and events coordination for the Full-Time Recruitment Office. She brings invaluable experience guiding students on their educational journeys as the international marketing representative, as well as director of student Life, at Florence University of Arts (Italy). Her passion for International studies and travel have led her to currently pursue a Master of Science in Recreation and Tourism.
BUILD PARTNERSHIPS
Build dedicated corporate and community partnerships.
FUN FACT: Did you know the Graziadio School has 39 partnerships with graduate business schools around the world on 5 continents.
ADVANCE REPUTATION
To achieve global distinction for advancing knowledge and developing leaders who create value for business and society.
[INSERT EARL CUMMINGS PHOTO LEFT ALIGNED] PKE’s $100K GIFT: 2009 Presidents and Key Executives MBA graduate Earl Cummings graciously contributed a gift of $100,000 to the PKE Excellence Fund. The donation will support initiatives within PKE that foster alumni relations and contribute to branding and marketing, curriculum development, scholarships and the possible establishment of an executive doctoral program.
Mr. Cummings serves as chairman of the Board at The BTS Team, the parent company of BestAssets, Inc., BA Urban Solutions, and SIRVIST, LLC. Originally created as an information technology and staffing company in 1995, the BTS Team now invests financial resources in various industries to create real value for its shareholders and stakeholders. From 1995 to 2010, he was the firm’s chief executive officer.
LIVING THE MSOD LEGACY:
[INSERT MSOD PHOTO RIGHT ALIGNED] The Master of Science in Organization Development celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2015. In honor of this remarkable milestone the MSOD Alumni Council’s Continuity Committee is launching Minds in Motion: Living the MSOD Legacy, its 2013-2015 continuing education program. “We are passionate about this robust program because it brings together distinguished leaders of organization development and alumni through a collection of programs that honor our past, hone our current skills and practice, and help us to define our future,” commented John Ledwith (MSOD ’99), Continuity Committee Co-Chair.
Jeb Bates, Continuity Committee member added, “We hope that in addition to helping our alumni grow vibrant practices through these robust programs we can also help our fellow MSOD Alumni Council members reach an endowment goal of $1,000,000 for the Founders’ Scholarship Fund.”