The Weekly Update: August 27, 2015
Program News & Announcements
Poole College Launches Business Sustainability Collaborative
Join students, faculty and staff at Talley Student Union on September 21st when the Poole College of Management Initiative will re-launch as the Business Sustainability Collaborative (BSC). Come learn about the new BSC’s vision, programs, and meet the people making it all happen. The event will feature sustainability thought leader Andrew Winston, co-author of Green to Gold, in conversation with Dr. Rosanna Garcia, Associate Professor of Marketing and Innovation. Tickets are going fast; RSVP here to save your space.
Academic Advising
Academic Advising Syllabus
This is a reminder to all full-time, professional evening, and online students to view your academic advising syllabus and, after reading it, to sign the Academic Advising Contract Form confirming that you have read and understand expectations. Please note that your advising hold for spring will not be lifted until you complete and submit this form.
Career Management Center
Virtual Career Management Center for Professional Evening and Online MBAs Now Open
The Virtual Career Management Center is home to career management activities, events, announcements, and instructions for Jenkins Professional MBAs. There you will also find the availability of our career coaches and a process to engage with them, along with a career management podcast series. Content will continue to be added throughout the academic year. You can find the site by logging into WolfWare; under projects, select the Moodle site labeled “Virtual Career Management Center for Professional MBAs”. Questions? Contact John Hutchings, Associate Director of Career Management, at jrhutch2@ncsu.edu.
Student Clubs & Events
MBA Service Corps
The first Service Saturday of the year is coming up on September 19th. The MBA Service Corps will be volunteering for the Second Chance Pet Adoptions Dog Wash at Unleashed in Raleigh. Join your fellow MBA classmates for a morning of fun, puppies, and giving back. To learn more and to sign up, email Dave Knospe at dknospe@ncsu.edu – space is limited!
Supply Chain Club
All students are invited to join the Supply Chain Club for their meeting from 12 – 1 on Wednesday, September 16th in the Nelson Board Room on Main Campus. Lunch will be provided, and the club will be introducing officers and members. This will be a great time to meet others in the group and hear about their experiences. For our professional and online students who are unable to attend this session but are interested in getting involved, email Lauren McGuire, Supply Chain Club President, at lcmcguir@ncsu.edu.
Innovative Women Conference (IWC) Coordinating Team Seeks Volunteers
The IWC coordinating team is looking for volunteers interested in gaining hands-on marketing, PR, and event management experience, as well as networking opportunities and exposure to top female executives in the Triangle. Some of the different ways to get involved include serving as a moderator in one of the conference’s panels, assisting the conference coordinators with specific event-related tasks, being a host in the networking event/conference or during the registration process, just to name a few. The coordinating team is looking for a diverse group of volunteers that include full-time, professional, and online students with a genuine interest in giving back to the community. Tasks for volunteers typically require between 2 – 10 hours, depending on the nature of the task, and not all volunteers need to be present for all conference events. This year’s conference will be hosted at the Talley Student Union on NC State’s Main Campus on November 13th. A networking event will be held the evening of November 12th at HQ Raleigh to kick off the conference. Volunteers will be able to attend both the networking event and conference free of charge. There are limited volunteer spots available, so you are encouraged to express your interest soon by contacting Jen Wiles (jrwiles@ncsu.edu) as soon as possible.
Meet a Jenkins MBA: The Weekly Spotlight
Name: Hussain Umer, First Year Full-Time MBA
Concentration: Marketing
Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan
Previous: B.B.A., Sales & Marketing, Institute of Business Administration IBA) – Karachi; (IBA is the oldest business school outside of North America)
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
A: Back when I was getting my B.B.A, one of my management professors told our class that even if you are confident in your opinion – and even if you believe you are 100% right – you should still always open yourself up to the opportunity to listen to others and hear their opinions. Because sometimes perhaps you were missing something, a unique perspective that you might have missed out on if you hadn’t taken the time to hear opinions that are different from yours.
Q: If you had 5 minutes to teach someone something new, what would you teach?
A: I would teach them to play table tennis. I represented my undergraduate university in table tennis and competed throughout the state. It’s one of those sports that’s easy to learn – you don’t have to be extremely athletic to play and anyone can do it. The first time I played table tennis, I was in college, so you can learn and master it really quickly and can excel in a short period of time.
Q: How is the Jenkins MBA program helping you reach your career goals?
A: I have experience in brand management – I was with Engro Foods in Karachi -and would like to continue working in this field. What I hope to gain from the MBA program is a more global perspective than what I could gain in Pakistan, where I worked for a large company, but with a limited brand focus. At NC State, we have people coming from diverse industries and backgrounds, converging together and sharing our experiences. The academics are actually teaching us how to adapt brands and businesses to a global community. I’m hoping that my approach to business and brand becomes greater and more expansive during my time in the program.
Q: You’ve been in Raleigh for three weeks. What are your impressions so far?
A: My entire life, I’ve lived in large metropolitan cities – Karachi has a population of 20 million. Here in Raleigh, apart from the downtown area, the dynamics are completely different and definitely doesn’t feel like a city that I’m used to. There are not many markets that are accessible at all hours and it feels like suburban life – but there is also no pollution, no people honking horns…people are happier here, less frustrated, they smile at you when they pass by, people give you space to walk on the sidewalk. In a city, the dynamics are so different, everyone is in a rush and just rarely think of anyone other than themselves. That’s been my biggest adjustment so far.
Dates to Remember
August 28 – Creative Mornings networking event
August 29 – Job Search Bootcamp for Professional and Online MBAs
September 1 – Census Day
September 7 – Labor Day – university closed
October 8 – Fall Break begins
October 8 – 10 – Raleigh Residency for Online and Professional MBAs
October 16 – Last day to withdraw or drop a class
October 20 – Registration for Spring 2016 begins
November 25 – Thanksgiving Vacation begins
December 4 – Last day of classes
