Real Life. Real Business.
November 2009
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Happy Thanksgiving! As we reflect upon our many blessings during
this time of year, I would like to thank you for your support of
the College of Business. The college wouldn't be making the
progress that it is today without your support, interest and
dedication.
We have many new programs and initiatives in the COB that I'd
like to highlight for you. But first, I have some wonderful news to
share.
The Butler
MBA has been named one of the nation's best by
BusinessWeek magazine, claiming the 8th spot in the
Midwest and 36th in the nation for part-time MBA programs. This
makes the Butler MBA the only nationally-ranked Indianapolis-based
program. (Yes, the ONLY ranked program in Indy!) Our MBA program
also ranks 17th in academic quality, 34th in student satisfaction,
53rd in post-MBA outcomes (out of the 69 AACSB accredited
institutions who made the short list) and we were also rated a
"best" for career switchers. Read more about the
rankings.
We are thrilled with this news but not surprised. Our graduates,
as well as the Central Indiana business community, have long known
that the Butler MBA provides a superior educational experience for
working professionals. The rankings, however, publicly validate
what we already knew and will give us an edge in recruiting top
students for future classes. Everyone involved with the MBA
program, from faculty to staff to alumni, should be very proud. But
we shouldn't get overconfident since we received B's on several
components of the rankings. With the MBA Fellows and MBA Leadership
Development programs (see below) starting in January, we're hard at
work on additional improvements.
MBA Board Fellows Program
In January, we will kick off the MBA Board Fellows Program. In this year-long
program, MBA students are paired with the Executive Director and
Board Chair of a non-profit organization and will work with them on
special projects that will enhance the functioning of the board and
the organization. Students will take two related classes and
also be mentored by an alumnus or friend of the COB who has
experience working with non-profits.
We have an impressive lineup of non-profit partners who will be
working with our students: the 2012 Super Bowl Committee, Central
Indiana Corporate Partnership, Goodwill Industries of Central
Indiana, the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, United Way of
Central Indiana, the Indiana Repertory Theatre, the Indianapolis
Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Urban League. This is an
amazing opportunity for our students and a great way for us to
partner with the local non-profit community.
MBA Leadership Development
One of the most important aims of any MBA program is to grow the
leadership capabilities of its students. After all, three to five
years after completing their programs, MBA graduates are typically
leading others within their organizations. Ironically though, most
MBA programs take few, if any, systematic steps beyond a class in
Organizational Behavior to develop their students into leaders. I'm
pleased to announce that the Butler MBA will offer a formal
leadership development program for each of its students beginning
January 2010.
The program starts with a revised MBA 510 Leadership class in which
students will participate in 360-degree assessments of their
leadership strengths, weaknesses and tendencies. Each student is
assigned a coach who works with them throughout this course and
continues to be available to them throughout their entire MBA
experience. Coaches will work with students to interpret initial
assessments and help formalize personal action plans to guide their
future development as leaders. Before completing the MBA program,
students and coaches complete a final assessment and develop
another personal action plan in their final course, the MBA
Capstone.
This program provides our students with an incredible platform
for leadership and career development. Only the best full-time MBA
programs offer such programs. We know of no other part-time MBA
program in the nation that currently offers leadership development
to its students. This is yet another outstanding example of real
life, real businessTM curriculum innovation within the
COB.
Corporate Partners Program
I'm pleased to announce our new Corporate Partners Program. The CP
program offers businesses and organizations the opportunity to
partner with the COB in order to receive visibility within the
college and to gain access to our best and brightest students. The
program is customized for each partner organization in order to
meet the company's recruiting, marketing and giving goals. Giving
levels range from $10,000 to $50,000 per year and provide
customized student and faculty interactions, special recruiting and
promotional events, and visibility within the COB and Butler
University. I am delighted to announce that Derrickson Financial is
our first Corporate Partner in the program. For more information
about the options available to our Corporate Partners, please
contact Lori Norris at (317) 940-9883.
Website and Branding
We continue to rollout our real life, real business brand and a
new COB website has been developed with our new brand messages.
Please visit the website at www.ButlerRealBusiness.com. On the new
site, you will find expanded content and features such as blogs and
videos. While you're on the site, please check out the new
undergraduate brochure and its interactive features. Please forward
this brochure to any potential students and parents you know.
I will be interviewed by Gerry Dick on Inside Indiana
Business on Nov. 27 and will discuss the branding effort and
the new MBA rankings, as well as these new initiatives in the COB.
Please tune in.
As I said above, we have a lot for which to be thankful. Have a
wonderful holiday with your friends and family.