The Weekly Update – Professional & Online MBA: September 10, 2015

Program News & Announcements

Deadline is Monday! – Penn State Smeal MBA Sustainability Case Competition

The Smeal College of Business has personally invited Jenkins MBA students to participate in its second annual 2015 MBA Sustainability Case Competition. Six major corporations are sponsors, and the prizes for first, second, and third place are substantial ($10,000, $5,000, and $2,500). Two teams from NC State are eligible to compete, and teams must have at least three members who are current MBA students. The Poole College Business Sustainability Collaborative will cover the $100 registration fee. Deadline to register is September 14th. For more information, please visit the case competition website, and email Jessica Thomas, Director of Poole College’s Business Sustainability Collaborative, at jothomas@ncsu.edu if you are interested in participating.

Town Halls with Dean Allen

Town Halls with Dean Allen happen once a semester, and are a great opportunity to give the Dean direct feedback on all aspects of the program. We encourage all students to attend these if possible, as it’s important for us to hear your concerns and make adjustments as needed to continually improve the student experience. This is also a chance for Dean Allen to share important big-picture program news and updates. These are casual events, and food will be provided.

Save the dates below! 
October 9 – Online MBA, 4 to 5:30 pm
October 12 – Professional RTP MBA, 5 to 6 pm
October 13 – Professional Main Campus MBA, 5 to 6 pm

Join us for the Business Sustainability Collaborative Launch!

Join us on Monday, 9/21 when the Poole College Sustainability Initiative will re-launch as the Business Sustainability Collaborative (BSC). Come learn about the new BSC’s
vision, programs and meet the people who will be 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 in the Poole College of Management.

Tickets are going quickly! RSVP: bsclaunch.eventbrite.com

Student Ambassadors Needed

The most frequent request we receive from prospective MBA students is the opportunity to interact with current students, and our Ambassadors enable us to give them a perspective only an NC State MBA student can provide. The time commitment involved is minimal (typically 10 hours/semester) but the impact you have on our program is significant. Some Ambassador tasks might involve hosting a prospective student in one of your classes, answering prospective student questions via email, and taking prospective students on a campus tour. Interested in learning more? You can read more about what’s involved and fill out the Student Ambassador form here on our website.

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

RSVP for Monday’s “Crack the Case” Workshop – Take Your Case Interviews to the Next Level!

We are excited to announce that David Ohrvall, author of “Crack the Case,” is coming to our campus this Monday, 9/14.  Please RSVP on JobLink if you’d like to attend this exciting presentation. Seating is limited to 65 students.

David presents each year at top business schools like Harvard, Stanford, Darden, Fuqua, Carnegie Mellon, Cambridge, to name a few. “Crack the Case” Level 1 for MBAs is for those new to case interviews – a thorough overview of case interview types and techniques, along with opportunities to practice several mini-cases. We’re fortunate to have David on our campus to present an outstanding learning experience that will enhance your problem-solving skills, logical communication, and personal presentation skills.

Time: 1:00pm-4:30pm
Location: Nelson 2405
Audience: First- and Second-Year MBAs
Lunch and desserts will be provided
RSVP via Joblink. Limited seating!

After you RSVP, click here to log on to our personalized NCSU Jenkins website to view the program and pre-reading material.

McLauchlan Leadership Series

Don’t miss this amazing new opportunity for all Jenkins MBA students!

The McLauchlan Leadership Series is a leadership development program designed to support professional, graduate-level leadership education through experiential learning. McLauchlan Fellows have unique access to corporate executives and community leaders throughout the series. Fellows build their network and experience unique coaching and professional development to further career growth. Applications are due October 16, and the Series will be delivered during the spring 2016 semester. Click here to learn more!

Fall Career & Internship Fair

The Poole College of Management Career & Internship Fair will be held on Friday, October 2 from 10 – 3 at the McKimmon Center on NC State’s Main Campus. Over 100 employers will be in attendance and MBA students are invited to attend. To view a list of participants, click here.

Upcoming CMC Events:

September 11 – Mock Interviews with the CMC. Please sign up for a time in JobLink. Business professional dress please.
September 14 – Crack the Case Interviewing Workshop

Meet a Jenkins MBA: The Weekly Spotlight

Name:  Dena Simkus
Employer & Job Title: Operations Supervisor, American Institute for Certified Public Accountant
Hometown: Durham, NC
Previous:  B.A.in International and Area Relations from UNC-Chapel Hill

Q: Tell us something about you that we might be surprised to find out.
A: I was a Junior Curator for the NC Museum of Natural Sciences for 4 years, meaning that I used to regularly handle alligators, snakes, lizards, and all kinds of other critters native to North Carolina! Part of my responsibilities included bringing the animals out to schools and other public events to teach people about the importance of wildlife conservation. It was an incredibly fun and rewarding experience!

Q: What’s the most fun and enlightening experience you’ve had in the MBA program so far? 
A: Granted I’m only about 2 weeks into my first semester of the program, but we just had our first case discussion in Marketing and I loved it! Prepping for the discussion was challenging, but getting the chance to contribute to an intelligent debate on different approaches was very enlightening.

Q: If you could have any superpower you wanted, what would it be?
A: Teleportation, of course! Think of all the time and money you’d save if you didn’t have to worry about how you were going to get from place to place!

Q: If you had 5 minutes to teach someone something new, what would you teach?
A: How to become an instant technical guru in your department through effective use of Google. People at work think I’m an Excel genius, but I swear everything I know is something I learned by Googling someone else’s question!

Q: What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?
A: For about 4 weeks in one of my last jobs, I was pretty much paid to internet-stalk people. We got down to a list of customers in one of our outreach campaigns where we didn’t have any valid contact info, so I got scarily good at hunting down people’s information on the internet. Don’t put things out there unless you want the world to know, people!

Q: What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
A: My dad has always told me to never say no to an adventure. This one piece of advice has given me the motivation to pursue all kinds of opportunities, and I feel like I’m a happier person for it!

Q: What’s your dream job / career goal? How is the MBA helping you get there?
A: I’m coming into this program open to just about anything, but right now I’m thinking about moving into the world of business process consulting. I love the idea of the fast pace and the ever-changing series of projects. My MBA will help me build the skills I need to be a credible and well-rounded source of potential solutions.

Q: If you could meet a famous person (living or dead) for coffee or a beer, who would you want to meet? What would you want to ask about?
A: I’d love to meet Ellen DeGeneres; I really admire how positive and genuine she is in an industry where it’s so easy to become jaded, and I feel like she would be fun to hang out with. I might ask for the inside scoop on Finding Dory; I love me some Pixar movies!

Dates to Remember/Upcoming Events

September 10-11 – Mock Interviews with the CMC
September 14 – “Crack the Case” Interviewing Workshop
September 16 – Supply Chain Club Meeting
September 17 – Raleigh YPN Event at PNC Arena
September 19 – Service Saturday at Unleashed
October 8 – Fall Break begins
October 12 – Second Year Full-Time MBA Town Hall with Dean Allen
October 14 – First Year Full-Time MBA Town Hall with Dean Allen
October 16 – Last day to withdraw or drop a class
October 20 – Registration for Spring 2016 begins
November 13 – Innovative Women Conference
November 25 – Thanksgiving Vacation begins
December 4 – Last day of classes