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The Weekly Update – Professional & Online MBA: Nov. 12, 2015

Program News & Announcements

The Jenkins MBA program is excited to announce two scholarship opportunities for up to 6 professional and online MBA students for 2016 – please see below for details!

Professional & Online MBA Student Leadership Board – Scholarship Opportunity!

This spring, the Jenkins MBA Program will launch the Professional & Online MBA Student Leadership Board. The goal of this board is to provide an outlet and voice for professional and online student feedback in an effort to continually improve the quality of the student and academic experience. Four students will be selected to serve a one-year term (January – December), and in exchange, will receive a $500 scholarship in addition to other perks listed below. In order to qualify, students must have completed at least 6 credit hours in either the Professional Evening or the Online MBA program, and must be able to serve for a one-year term (i.e. cannot be planning to graduate in May 2016). Students must be in good academic standing (cumulative MBA GPA of a 3.0 or higher).

Description: 

  • Time commitment:  Approximately 10 hours per month
  • Work with the MBA Student Association Leadership Board to provide input on student clubs and professional/social networking events
  • Meet on a monthly basis to discuss student ideas and concerns, suggest program improvements, and provide feedback to administration
  • Manage a budget dedicated to  professional development opportunities for professional/online MBA students and determine how to allocate funding to best support the student experience
  • Serve as an advocate for prospective and incoming students by participating in at least one recruiting event with the admissions team per semester

Benefits/Perks:

  • $500 scholarship applied toward MBA tuition
  • Leadership experience
  • Opportunity to directly impact and shape the student experience
  • Special swag throughout the year, priority invitations to VIP events, and a dinner with the dean

Interested students should apply online by December 1st, 2015 in order to be considered. Applicants will be notified by December 8th, 2015 whether or not they have been selected.

MBA Student Speaker Scholarship for Jenkins Professional & Online Students – Another Scholarship Opportunity!

The Jenkins MBA program is looking for one Professional Evening and one Professional Online MBA student to attend prospective student recruiting events with the Admissions Team and speak about their experiences in the program and as a student.  This opportunity comes with a $500 scholarship, and will be awarded on a semester basis.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Current student enrolled in the Jenkins Professional Evening or Online MBA program
  • Completed 9 or more NCSU MBA course credit hours
  • Student in good academic standing (cumulative MBA GPA of a 3.0 or higher)
  • Comfortable speaking in public and has reliable transportation

For more information and to apply, please go to the Jenkins MBA Assistantships and Scholarships page.

Summer Study Abroad Course in Munich – Registration Deadline is December 1st

The deadline for Innovation and Marketing Systems in Munich is December 1st. Dr. Jon Bohlmann is leading this trip and is faculty instructor for this 3-credit course. More information about Munich can be found on the MBA website and the NCSU study abroad website.

Academic Advising

Late Registration Begins Tuesday, Nov. 17 – LATE FEE WILL BE APPLIED!

If you have not yet registered for Spring 2016 classes, please do so as soon as possible.  Students who register on or after Tuesday, November 17 will be assessed a $100 non-refundable late enrollment fee.  Please review this page for important details on Spring 2016 registration.

Before registering, all full-time students must review the academic advising syllabus and, after reading it,  sign the Academic Advising Contract Form confirming that you have read and understand expectations. Your advising hold for spring will not be lifted, and you will not be able to register for Spring 2016 courses, until you have completed and submitted this form.

For information on advising holds,  individual appointment availability, drop-in advising hours, course schedules, and registration information, please visit the Spring 2016 Advising and Registration page on our website.

Career Management Center

 Conversation with Steve Zelnak – Q&A and Networking Opportunity

When: Thursday, November 19, 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: Carol Johnson Poole Club House, 1509 Main Campus Drive,
NC State University Centennial Campus
Register: Click here to RSVP via JobLink
D
eadline to RSVP is 11:59 p.m. on November 17
Dress code is Business Casual

The Poole College of Management Development Office and the Jenkins CMC present “A Conversation with Steve Zelnak,” featuring Ira R. Weiss, Dean and Stephen P. Zelnak Jr., Chair, Poole College of Management, interviewing Steve Zelnak, retired CEO and Chairman of Martin Marietta Materials. After a brief conversation with Dean Weiss, Steve Zelnak will open the floor for questions and discussion with students.

At this event, mingle with fellow MBA’s over wine and cheese, and learn from a former chairman and chief executive officer and current entrepreneur. Meet one of North Carolina’s most successful business leaders, Steve Zelnak, Jr. and hear directly from Steve about his career path, his experience managing and growing a multi-million dollar global company through significant changes and challenges, and his newest role as a serial entrepreneur, growing new businesses in different sectors of industry. Bring your questions – he is excited to talk with you!

About Steve Zelnak, Jr. – Steve Zelnak is non-executive Chairman and former CEO (retired) of Martin Marietta Materials, a leading producer of construction aggregates, dolomitic lime, and magnesia chemicals. Mr. Zelnak served as CEO of the company from 1993 to 2010 and was responsible for taking the company public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1994.

Career Management Webinars for Professional MBAs

There are nearly five dozen recorded webinars and upcoming live webinars on the Virtual Career Management Center for Professional MBAs project Moodle site.  Last week, the career management consulting firm SixFigure Start had a terrific tele-seminar on best practices for using LinkedIn.  Click HERE to listen to a sample (42:11).

If you like what you hear, you can find other webinars in the Career Management Podcast portion of the project moodle site.  To access the Moodle site:

1)  Go to MyWolfware
2)  Click “Projects” in upper tab
3)  Click “‘Virtual Career Management Center for Jenkins Professional MBAs”

Professional Events & Networking

 Join the Business Sustainability Collaborative for Sustainable Spirits Raleigh!

When: Tuesday, November 17, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Where: Circa 1888, 412 W Davie St, Raleigh, NC
Register: Click here for details and RSVP

Sustainable Spirits is a monthly gathering for professionals interested in sustainable business. Join the Poole College Business Sustainability Collaborative, the NC Composting Council, Swinerton Builders, the NC Triangle Chapter of US Green Building Council and Circa 1888 for the last Sustainable Spirits event of 2015!  Free appetizers will be provided by LoveFoodRaleigh (founded by a Poole College alum) and there will be a cash bar, with 10% of the sales going to the NCSU Compost Training Facility. See the link above for details and to RSVP.

Women in Business Meet-Up with Red Hat

When: Friday, November 20, 4 to 5:30 pm
Where: The Annex, 190 East Davie Street Raleigh, NC
Register: Click here to register via EventBrite

Associates from Red Hat will host the first Women in Business Meet-Up at NC State University. This will be the first of a series of events held on a quarterly basis as a way to connect business students with mentors in the industry. A variety of different topics will be discussed at these meet-ups with a variety of activities to help students develop skills necessary to succeed in the workplace. The first event will feature a panel of students and professionals who will discuss the current state of women in business, the importance of increasing the number of women who work in this field, and tips for finding the job of your dreams. For more information, please contact Morgan Goettge, NC State alumna and Red Hat associate, at mkgoettg@ncsu.edu or Jasleen Kaur, MBA student, at jaslee@ncsu.edu. Please register using the EventBrite link above.

Student Clubs & Events

 Volunteers needed!  Help the Supply Chain Club support Habitat for Humanity

When: Saturday November 14th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m
Where: Habitat for Humanity Donation Center
Register: Click here to register

Volunteers are still needed to help the Supply Chain Club volunteer at Habitat for Humanity’s Donation Center on Saturday, 11/14 .  Students can help with a variety of tasks, including helping customers,  unloading items from trucks, and prepare the sales floor.  Click the link above to sign up.  Volunteers must be over 18.   For further details, e-mail Lauren McGuire, Supply Chain Club President, at lcmcguir@ncsu.edu.

 MBA Finance Club Service Event: Combat Invasive Plants!

When: Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m. to noon
Where: Fallon Park, 2406 Oxford Drive Raleigh, NC 27608
(Please park along the road.)
Register: Click here to sign up

Come save the world from invasive plants and get a workout doing it! The MBA Finance Club is hosting its service event on Saturday, November 21 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. We will be helping the City of Raleigh with an invasive plant project at Fallon Park. Invasive plants are a serious issue. They replace native plants in their natural environment and can lower the quality of wildlife habitat if left unchecked.  We will meet as a group at the picnic shelter.  

Important:  All volunteers must wear closed-toed shoes (such as work boots or tennis shoes) and long-sleeved shirts and pants. Also, each participant will need to complete a release form before beginning work on the 21st.

Meet a Jenkins MBA:  The Weekly Spotlight

Kierstead, Andrew

NAME:   Andrew Kierstead
TITLE:   First-year full-time Jenkins MBA
HOMETOWN:   Newtown, PA (“30 minutes outside that place that’s always sunny”)
PREVIOUS DEGREES: University of South Carolina, M.S. in Biological Sciences; College of New Jersey, B.S. in Biological Sciences

Q: Tell us something about you that we might be surprised to find out.
A: One time at the beach when I was really young, I took a huge bite out of a washed-up jellyfish.

Q: What’s the most fun and enlightening experience you’ve had in the MBA program so far?
A: Dr. Gilroy Zuckerman! He’s a very wise man with lots of good advice. He goes through an ample number of problems in class that have practical applications. I have saved $5 on my electricity bill because of him. He’s also hilarious. A Survey of Accounting course couldn’t be fun and informative at the same time with anyone else.

Q: If you could have any superpower you wanted, which one would it be?
A: Force Lightning.  I think tooth decay is an unfortunate side effect, though.
(Editor’s Note:  If you never watched the original Star Wars trilogy, do a Google Image search for “Emperor Palpatine lightning” and you’ll see what he’s talking about.)

Q: If you had 5 minutes to teach someone something new, what would you teach?
A:
How light works. When you look into the sky (or anywhere), you look into the past. The moon you see is really the moon from about 1 second ago; the sun, from about 8 minutes ago; and the closest possible star around four years ago.

Q: What’s your dream job / career goal? How is the MBA helping you get there?
A: I see an MBA as a means to achieving medium-term goals. I would like to get into capital budgeting and asset management for a biotech company. It would be a really fun way to use my science experience with what I am learning studying finance. In the long term, I want to retire young and open a Christmas tree farm and pizza parlor. It’d be especially cool to have a huge tree that I could make a tree house around and make the pizza parlor in the tree house. Our first semester-classes certainly provide good background knowledge needed to maintain a small business.

Dates to Remember/Upcoming Events

November 13 – Innovative Women’s Conference
November 14 – Supply Chain Club service event
November 17 – Late Registration begins ($100 fee)
November 17 – Global Entrepreneurship Speed Networking Event
November 19 – Lessons from a CEO with Steve Zelnak (RSVP on JobLink by Nov. 17)
November 19 – YPN: Analytics, Big Data, and the Internet of Things
November 19 – BSC Conversations: Can Luxury Brands Be Sustainable?
November 20 – Women in Business Meet-Up with Red Hat
November 21 – MBA Finance Club service event
November 21 – MBA Marketing Club Q&A with Janelle Tracy ’15
November 25 – Thanksgiving Vacation begins
December 1 – Deadline to register for Summer Study Abroad in Munich
December 4 – Last day of classes
December 7-8 – Supply Chain Resource Cooperative Semi-Annual Partners Meeting
December 17 – MBA Graduation Celebration, 5:30 – 7 pm, 1887 Bistro, Talley Student Center
December 18 – Fall 2015 Graduation