FeaturesEller MBA Named to Top 25 in HISPANIC Trends Magazine
The Eller MBA program recently made its debut on the 2004 list of Top 25 MBA Programs for Hispanics.
The magazine cites Eller College’s leadership in faculty diversity as among the reasons for the program’s inclusion in the 2004 list as well as minority events, alumni outreach, and Hispanic-focused scholarships. Other top programs that made the list include Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Northwestern, and University of California, Berkeley.
Alumni Weekend a Big Success
Our annual two-day alumni weekend event held September 17 and 18 featured over 100 participants. During Friday’s professional sessions, Dr. Peter Likins, UA President, addressed alumni on the changing direction and future of the University.
Three executive education sessions were offered, ranging from global capital markets to ethics and the law to how successful executives develop.
Following a “State of the MBA” town hall lunch, alumni participated in sessions on preparing themselves for board membership and how to develop a personal career and marketing plan.
A dinner event showcased five outstanding Alumni Achievers: Cephas Bowles, Tamsin Campbell, Leamon Crooms, Larry Lesley, and Vicki Panhuise. [more]
Saturday was a day of networking and social activities, including the Eller Cup golf tournament, a tailgate party and a close football game between UA and Wisconsin. If you missed out, plan to attend next year!
MBA Office Suite Gets a Face Lift
If you haven’t walked though McClelland 210 recently, you might not recognize it. The office suite was redecorated over the summer and bears little resemblance to its former self.
In addition to new furniture, paint and carpet, a flat screen TV was added to the lobby along with a collection of black and white photography. Artists on display are Marshall Kappel, Heather Kirk, Princely Nesadurai, Tony Celentano, Robert Frost Walker, Daniel Parrott, and Rajan Lal. Read the student profile of Rajan Lal to learn more about our new public art.
Student Profile: Rajan Lal
Second-year MBA student and amateur photographer Rajan Lal was approached last spring to see if he would like to hang any of his personal black and white photography in the Eller MBA office suite. Rajan said he wouldn’t mind, but he had a business idea to pitch about public art.
Rajan’s idea was to identify emerging artists who wanted exposure and convince them to loan their work to the Eller MBA for one year.
As he puts it, “I believe that displaying artists’ work in high-traffic professional business environments is both beneficial to the artist and to the business owner. The artist gains exposure while the business enjoys the tangible and intangible benefits of a business space that is dynamic and appealing.”
This type of project wasn’t entirely new to Rajan. He had previously served as the director of a not-for-profit organization in California whose mission was to increase emerging artists’ exposure through an online gallery. He sees this type of work as an extension of his commitment to helping artists who don’t necessarily have the means and ability to promote their work. Rajan also sees a connection between his passion for art and his career goals: He hopes to work in commercial real estate where he can help both large and small businesses not only find space, but make sure the space is appealing to its employees and customers.
If the Eller MBA project is any indication, Rajan should be successful in his future endeavors.
Eller MBA Competes in Athens Olympics
Claire Febvay isn’t your run-of-the-mill MBA student. She is a two-time Olympian—specifically, a world-class diver. Representing France, Claire placed 33rd overall in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and 35th in the prelims at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Claire ended up in Tucson when she was recruited by the UA’s diving coach and has been here ever since. She still practices daily, and most days, twice—amazing when you consider the first-year course load, study groups, and professional development activities.
Claire has a long list of academic and athletic accomplishments, such as the 2003 Verizon Academic All-America At-Large Third Team, Verizon Academic All-District VIII At-Large First Team choice, and First Team,Academic All-Pac 10.
With her intellect and competitive nature, Claire is a great fit for the classroom rigors of the Eller MBA, and as expected, she dove right into her studies in the MBA program (after returning home from the Athens Olympics, of course). We are proud to call Claire an Eller MBA, 2006!
Speaker Series Launches with Dynamic Lineup
Last month, the Eller MBA unveiled its “Leadership Speaker Series” with the goal of creating opportunities for exposure to diverse leadership styles. The speaker series is part of an increased emphasis on professional and personal development activities that have been built into the curriculum.
Two Thursdays a month, senior leaders share their stories, provide insight into their leadership style and how it was developed, and offer advice to our future business leaders. Following the presentation, smaller groups of students are invited to attend a reception with the speaker. Seven speakers are scheduled to talk to students this semester, including:
- Robert Sarver, CEO, Torrey Pines Bank; Owner, Phoenix Suns NBA team
- Ginger Kent, Former CEO, Reflect.com, a customizable cosmetics firm
- Slivey Cotton, Owner and Senior Managing Director, the Edmonds Group, a private investment and merchant banking firm
- Sal Cambria, Brigadier General, U.S. Army
- Barry Holt, Former Director of Investor Relations, Whirlpool Corp.
- Dr. Keith Joiner, Dean, University of Arizona College of Medicine
- Marcia Tal, Executive VP Global Marketing, Citigroup
What's Your (B) IQ?
First-year MBAs this fall are working to increase their BIQ—Business Intelligence Quotient. Recognizing that Eller MBAs enter the program with varying levels of business experience, the BIQ program was created to ensure that all students develop an understanding of the macro view of an enterprise.
Through the BIQ, students enhance their understanding of stock valuation, business strategy and other corporate activities by following one major company throughout their first year. Students “become” this company in multiple classroom situations and, by year’s end, will have prepared a CFO binder and delivered a 15-minute CEO presentation.
Alumni working with the following companies who want to get involved with this project can email Rich Boulger, Director of Business Development, at rboulger@eller.arizona.edu.
- America West
- Coca Cola
- Conoco Phillips
- Dial
- Eli Lilly
- GE
- Hewlett Packard
- Honeywell
- IBM
- Intel
- Microsoft
- P&G
- Raytheon
- Toyota
- United Healthcare
- Wal-Mart
- Wells Fargo
Outstanding Faculty Honored at August Graduation
Two evening and weekend faculty members were honored as part of the Part-Time MBA Program graduation ceremony on August 21. Dr. Bob Tindall, from the Department of Management and Policy, received his fifth award from the Evening MBA 2004. Dr. Barry Goldman, also from the Department of Management and Policy, was named the distinguished faculty honoree by the Weekend MBA 2004, his third award in just five years of teaching in the MBA programs.
These faculty awards are voted on by graduating students and recognize the faculty members they feel have contributed most to their academic experience.
Alumni News
Leamon Crooms, Vicki Panhuise, Tamsin Campbell, and Larry Lesley are outstanding alumni. Cephas Bowles not shown in photo.Eller Honors Five Outstanding Alumni
As part of the annual MBA Alumni Weekend festivities, five distinguished alumni were recognized at an achievement dinner in McClelland Hall. Alumni are honored for their distinguished career success exemplifying innovation, business acumen, and leadership.
Eller MBA Alumni Achievement Awards were presented to:
Cephas Bowles, MBA 1992, General Manager, WBGO-FM Jazz Radio, Newark, NJ
- Runs one of the most listened to classic jazz radio stations in the United States
- Member of National Public Radio (NPR) Board of Directors
- Chairman of the Investment Committee overseeing $300 million portfolio
- Co-founder of Blacks in Public Broadcasting
- Worked for UA’s public radio and television stations for 15 years
- Named one of New Jersey’s most influential arts leaders
- Undergraduate degree in radio-television broadcasting from Syracuse University
Tamsin Campbell, MBA 1992, President, Decagon Devices, Pullman, WA
- Entrepreneurship Program graduate in charge of family-founded company that develops and manufactures soil measurement instruments
- Led company growth from $1.3 million to $4 million in sales and from 15 to 45 employees over a 10-year period
- Member of McGuire Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame for Outstanding Product Development and Distribution
- Undergraduate degree in agricultural economics from Washington State University
Leamon Crooms, MBA 1997, President, Strategic Growth Advisors, Tucson, AZ
- Founder of firm providing business advisory services to mid-sized companies
- Formerly worked for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and KPMG providing strategy and customer relationship management (CRM) consulting, and Wells Fargo Bank
- Serves on Eller MBA Advisory Council and National Association of Youth Service Consultants
- Received Centennial Award as outstanding graduate student
- Undergraduate degree in English from University of California, Davis
Larry Lesley, MBA 1979, Senior Vice President, Consumer Imaging and Printing, Hewlett-Packard Company, Vancouver, WA
- Joined Hewlett-Packard in 1980 and has been with the company for 24 years in various management positions, including stints in the Telecommunications Division, Optoelectronics Division and Inkjet Imaging Solutions, among others
- Serves on both the University of Michigan Business School Corporate Advisory Council and the Clark County High Tech Council
- Undergraduate degree in business from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Vicki Panhuise, MBA 1999, Vice President of Program Management, Honeywell, Inc., Phoenix, AZ
- Runs program management for Honeywell’s Aerospace Electronic Systems business, serving the space, military and commercial aviation markets
- Career includes 24 years with Honeywell in various engineering management and leadership positions
- Attended Eller Weekend MBA Program while serving as site general manager for Honeywell’s Tucson operation
- Recipient of numerous company honors for technical development
- Board service has included Eller MBA Advisory Council and the Greater Tucson Economic Council
- Undergraduate degree in mathematics from Wells College, masters and doctorate degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia
Call for 2005 Award Recipients
Do you know of someone who exemplifies the idea of success? Then nominate that person for our 2005 Eller MBA Alumni Achievement Awards to be recognized at Alumni Weekend 2005.
Send a letter with the nominee’s name and your reasons for making the nomination. Please include your name and contact information and send to: Eller MBA Alumni Relations, PO Box 210108, McClelland Hall 210, Tucson, AZ 85721-0108 or azeller@eller.arizona.edu. Self-nominations are welcome.
CareerLeader® Launches New Version—Available for Alumni
We introduced you to CareerLeader® in our summer issue and now want you to know that it has several new features. CareerLeader® re-launched its website in late August and career matches have been automatically updated based on their latest research.
If you have taken CareerLeader® self-assessment tests before, we recommend that you look again to make sure you know your best career options; some career matches may have changed since you last looked with the addition of updated research and two new career paths as well—Retail Management and Management of New Product Development. CareerLeader® also released a new, shorter version of the MPAP—the test of your abilities.
Eller alumni get a special $20 discount on these services. Recent graduates who used CareerLeader® while at school have ongoing access to look up their final results at no cost. To explore these services, visit our CareerLeader® alumni homepage and take the online “guided tour.”
Get InvolvedAlumni Admissions Referrals
You know exactly what it takes to succeed at Eller. So help us by identifying strong, potential Eller MBA candidates.
Anyone referred by an Eller MBA alumni will receive priority consideration during the admissions process and have the $50 application fee waived. Please make sure the applicant refers to Eller MBA Referral Code #1101 in the application. Interested candidates can apply at Eller MBA Application.
Intel Case Competition
Interested alumni are invited to attend the Intel Case Competition on November 19, 2004. Teams of first-year students from the full-time program will test their business acumen and presentation abilities as they compete against one another.
The winning team will receive a $2,000 cash prize and professional mentoring from Intel executives. The competition runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with a reception immediately following the competition. For more information, contact Tanisha Price at (520) 621-6227 or price@eller.arizona.edu.
Eller 2004 Placement Rate Tops 86%
In part due to an outstanding commitment from college leadership, alumni, and friends of the Eller College, the MBA Class of 2004 finished with 86.8 percent of the graduates having accepted full-time positions within three months after graduation.
Fifty-three percent of the class had accepted positions at graduation. Comparable rates for 2003 graduates were 84.4% and 62.2%, respectively.
Help us to continue this strong trend of high placement rates in a time of relatively flat hiring. If your firm has positions which might fit an Eller MBA or you know of other companies that are hiring, please contact Simone Pollard at spollard@eller.arizona.edu.
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