The Weekly Update – Full-Time MBA: April 7, 2016

Program News & Announcements 

Excel Level 2 Training: One Slot Available for Tomorrow, April 8th

Due to a last minute cancellation, there is one slot available for tomorrow’s Excel Level 2 Training at the McKimmon Center. If you are interested in attending, please email Claire Jefferies at csjeffer@ncsu.edu. The space will be given to the first student to respond.

Town Halls Scheduled for Next Week

Next week, Dean Allen will hold town halls with first and second year MBA students. These meetings will be in the MBA Lounge on the following days and times:

• 2nd Year Town Hall – Tuesday, April 12th from 11 am – 12 pm (RSVP)
• 1st Year Town Hall – Thursday, April 14th from 12 pm – 1 pm (RSVP)

A pizza lunch will be provided. Please RSVP if you plan to attend by clicking on the corresponding links above.

Economist Survey

Each year, the Economist publishes a ranking of the top global 100 MBA programs. We would very much like for NC State to be on this list and have submitted information to the publication for review. One component of the ranking is a student/alumni survey. We would appreciate it if you took a few minutes (it’s a short survey) to complete the questionnaire, which you can find here. Once you do, please stop by Christine Ferrell’s office in the MBA Office Suite to select a Jenkins MBA branded item to show your school pride!

Triangle AMA Marketing Scholarship Competition

The Triangle AMA is excited to announce the Call for Submissions for their 2016 Fill Your Bucket List Foundation Marketing Scholarship. A total of $2500 will be awarded in scholarship money. Information about the task, deadlines, and eligibility is available on the AMA website. The deadline for proposals is midnight, April 29th, 2016.

Send Us Your Pictures for the Graduation Reception!

Please send us pictures from your time in the MBA program for a slideshow we’re putting together for the graduation reception. These could be from class, events, clubs, volunteering, study abroad. Email your photos to Ritika Bhatnagar at rbhatna2@ncsu.edu by Monday, April 18th.

Potential Compliance Practicum for Fall 2016: Your Response Needed

This practicum course allows students to leverage their experience, education, and training to provide program development and marketing consultation services to NC State University’s Office of General Counsel (the client); specifically, advising and advancing the Compliance and Integrity Program. Students will use marketing and public relations techniques to advance the Program’s presence in order to promote and develop a culture of compliance and ethics at NC State. Students will meet with the client regularly to identify challenges and provide solutions in the form of a comprehensive marketing plan. A team of 4 – 6 MBA students will prepare and present a marketing campaign to the client, including detailed recommendations for advancing the client’s efforts. The course allows students to engage the NC State community and influence the university culture in a meaningful way.

Upon completion of the practicum, students will be able to:

• Articulate and describe the culture code at NCSU
• Analyze and evaluate client needs
• Develop a marketing plan that satisfies a client’s goals and constraints
• Develop innovative solutions to complex problems
• Demonstrate team-based, deadline driven, organizational skills necessary to complete projects in a real setting

This course will be graded on an S/U basis. Eileen Taylor, the faculty advisor, is seeking students with an interest in marketing, ethics, compliance, project management, and NC State. At this point in time we are trying to determine the level of MBA student interest. If you are interested in working on this project, please email Eileen Taylor directly at Eileen_Taylor@ncsu.edu.

Campus & Student Club Events

MBASA End of Semester Party: April 22

The MBASA End of Semester Party is almost here! The event will be held at Goodnight’s Comedy Club in downtown Raleigh on Friday, April 22nd from 6 – 9 p.m. The MBASA will have its own private comic from 7 – 8 p.m., appetizers will be served, and a cash bar will be available. Dues-paying MBASA members are welcome to attend. Be sure to sign up via Eventbrite by Monday, April 18th. Questions? Email Jenn Majka at jkmajka@ncsu.edu.

Poole College Business Sustainability Collaborative

BSC Conversation: How Will the B Corporation Movement Transform Global Business?: April 12

Join the Business Sustainability Collaborative at HQ Raleigh on Tuesday, April 12th from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. for the next BSC Conversation featuring Dr. Joel Gehman, University of Alberta’s Assistant Professor of Strategic Management and Organization and Dr. Rosanna Garcia, Associate Professor in the Department of Business Management in the Poole College of Management and Faculty Director of the BSC. Dr. Gehman and Dr. Garcia, both leading academic experts on sustainable business and B Corps, will discuss the potential of the B Corporation or “for benefit” movement to transform global businesses. Join the BSC early for breakfast starting at 8:30 a.m. or stay after to continue the conversation with representatives from local B Corporations. RSVP requested.

NC State Net Impact Lunch n Learn with Joel Gehman, B Corporations: April 12

Join the Net Impact Chapter and the Business Sustainability Collaborative on Tuesday, April 12th from noon – 1 p.m. in Nelson Hall 3220 for an intimate roundtable lunch for students, faculty, and staff with esteemed expert guest from University of Alberta, Dr. Joel Gehman. Dr. Gehman, University of Alberta’s Assistant Professor of Strategic Management and Organization, will be leading a discussion of B Corporations and organizational strategy: How do concerns related to sustainability and values affect organizational strategies, technology innovation, and institutional arrangements? And reciprocally, how do organizations, innovation and institutions affect the emergence and trajectories of cultural concerns? Lunch provided; RSVP requested.

NC State Net Impact Lunch n Learn with Lyle Estill, Piedmont Biofuels: April 20

Join the Net Impact Chapter and the Business Sustainability Collaborative Wednesday, April 20th from noon – 1 p.m. in Nelson Hall 3220 for a roundtable discussion with Lyle Estill, president and co-founder of Piedmont Biofuels, a community-scale biodiesel project in Pittsboro, NC. He has been on the vanguard of social change for the past decade, which has placed him at the heart of the sustainability movement. Lyle is a prolific speaker and writer, and the author of Industrial Evolution, Small is Possible and Small Stories, Big Changes. He has won numerous awards for his commitment to resilience, community development, outreach, and leadership. Lunch provided; RSVP requested.

Professional Events & Networking

SPEIA Basketball Analytics Summit: April 15 – 16

The SPEIA Basketball Analytics Summit is held on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill and its mission is to engage with and explore the best practices of the leading basketball experts (professionals, students, and scholars) who love, research, and work in the discipline of performance (individual or team) and business analytics. Past sessions included: Fan Experience & Engagement, Individual Performance/APBRmetrics, Marketing/Ticketing, Sport Science, and Entrepreneurship in Analytics. It’s $50 for students to attend and you can find more information and register here!

Raleigh Chamber’s Young Professionals Network – Do What You Do Best: Leading With Strengths: May 19

At this unique YPN program, you’ll have the opportunity to take the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment to determine your top five strengths. Doug Bacon of Throwing Words will then explore how to develop your strengths for amazing breakthroughs and leverage the individual strengths of a team for maximum results. RSVP to Sarah Pickel at sjpickel@ncsu.edu by May 12th if you are interested in attending. YPN events are held at the PNC arena from 7:30 am – 9:30 am.

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

April 8: Excel Level 2 Training
April 8 – 9: MBA Service Corps Volunteer Event at Umstead Park
April 9: MBASA Durham Bulls vs. Charlotte Knights Event
April 10: MBA Service Corps Volunteer Event: Rock N Roll Marathon
April 11: Environmental Tech Summit
April 12: 2nd Year MBA Town Hall
April 14: 1st Year MBA Town Hall
April 12: BSC Conversation: Transforming Global Business
April 12: Net Impact Lunch n Learn with Joel Gehman
April 15 – 16: Basketball Analytics Conference
April 20: Net Impact Lunch n Learn with Lyle Estill
April 21 – 22: SwitchPoint Conference
April 21: 8th Annual Student Leadership and Innovation Showcase
April 22: MBASA End of Semester Party
April 26: Reading Day – no classes
April 27 – May 5: Final Exams
May 5: Jenkins MBA Graduation Reception
May 7: Spring Commencement

Meet a Jenkins MBA: The Weekly Spotlight 

Name: Stephanie Lockwood, Jenkins Online MBA
Employer & Job Title: Digital Media Specialist, American Board of Pediatrics
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Previous Degrees & Institutions: Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication, UNC Charlotte

Q: Tell us something about you we might be surprised to find out.
A: I’m a citizen of the world with three passports. I was born in Toronto, Ontario (Canadian passport). My mother is an Italian citizen, and I inherited citizenship from her (Italian passport). In the mid-90s when my father’s company, Nortel, migrated south, I gained my U.S. citizenship (American passport).

Q: What’s the most fun or enlightening experience you’ve had in the MBA program so far? 
A: A very enlightening and humbling experience was Dr. Henard’s “Marketing Management” class my first semester. I remember getting back graded papers that had so much red ink all over them, you would have thought they were bleeding. However, my dim outlook was quickly altered by Dr. Henard’s always-entertaining lectures, which provided an eye-opening experience where I learned how to think critically, analyze objectively, and disseminate information effectively. Dr. Henard’s hands-on teaching style provided me with perhaps the most valuable lesson of my MBA career.

Q: What’s your favorite song to cheer you up, get you pumped up, or ready to face the day? 
A: I’m a nerd at heart who loves a good bassline. My go-to song is “Geekin” by will.i.am.

Q: If you had 5 minutes to teach someone something new, what would you teach?
A: How to tell if someone is trying to pull one over on you. Having spent many years observing the daily interactions of others, and understanding the underlying psychology of their actions and decisions, has helped me to become a good judge of the intentions of others. Observing body language and interpreting even the slightest change in tempo or pace of speech can make a world of difference in discovering someone’s true motivation. Being able to “hear” what isn’t being said has proven to be an invaluable asset.

Q: What’s your dream job/career goal? How is the Jenkins MBA helping you get there?
A: I’ve always been fascinated with the human element of marketing and how the psychology of the decision-making process works. Pair this with data for me to analyze and identify patterns within, and I’m in heaven. While the ultimate dream is to become an entrepreneur (whose isn’t?), I’d be over-the-moon to work with a company that is innovative and evolving. The position? Well, if my MBA has taught me anything, it would be that a commodity needs to grow and evolve with the demand of the marketplace in order to survive.