1399 MBA book 2 - Stephen M. Ross School of Business - University ...

MAP client site. Or you may have an interview set up. You could
spend your lunch hour discussing the latest business trends with
an executive from Citibank or Intel or Procter & Gamble. You
might want to take in an afternoon
As part of my decision
presentation by a visiting executive
process, I made
unannounced, unob- on the topic of managing and impletrusive
visits to Ann Arbor menting diversity. Or you might
and other campuses.
prefer to attend a panel discussion
Michigan offered everything
I was looking for: a change on business opportunities in the
of pace, a supportive
Pacific Rim.
environment, a strong
placement record in
Later, you might spend an hour
marketing and consulting, or two linked to the School’s wire-
and the ability to provide
less network. Meet some friends at
me with solid analytical and
financial skills. Really, it the Student Lounge or a nearby
turned out to be the best of
café. Or decide to put in some prac-
all possible worlds.
tice time with one of the School’s
intramural soccer or basketball
teams.
Monica Phillips-Sanders
M.B.A., 1997;
B.A., Sociology,
Harvard University, 1990.
Director of Marketing,
Insors Integrated
Communications, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois.
A High-Involvement
Community
Students are part of Michigan’s
cherished process of innovation.
The School encourages student
involvement, reflecting Michigan’s
philosophy that MBAs must be
activists and take initiative in orga-
nizations. MBAs frequently create new student-run programs
that become a permanent part of the landscape. At the same
time, students bring new ideas to the Deans, faculty and staff.
Michigan’s culture is such that an e-mail to a senior staff
member could prompt a new School initiative. There is a
highly active Student Government Association (SGA), whose
representatives – along with student club presidents – form a
Dean’s Council that regularly exchanges ideas and State-of-the-
School assessments regularly with the Dean.
The School’s 75th Anniversary Challenge and the M-Trek
program are supreme examples of community initiatives that
have woven their way into Michigan’s fabric. In 1999-2000,
the School celebrated its 75th anniversary with a School-wide
26
Legacy Gift Challenge. The Challenge created an environment
where students, faculty, staff, alumni and corporate partners
harnessed ideas to improve the across-the-board excellence of
the School. In this highly energized environment, members of
the Business School community pledged themselves to implementing
more than 50 substantial improvements, initiatives or
new ways of thinking. The effort gave birth to physical plant
improvements such as classroom renovations, a new exterior
courtyard and Wyly Hall; curriculum initiatives such as evaluating
the core curriculum and enriching the depth and breadth
of electives; technology expansions such as hardwiring more
classrooms and expanding our wireless network; community
enhancements such as new scholarship and internship funds;
and mentorship programs that connect students with elementary
kids in the community. The bottom line: together, we make
a positive impact on the School for many years to come.
M-Trek, another community initiative, is a unique program
that helps you begin building community even before you
arrive on campus. Completely student-organized and led,
these outdoor challenge trips for incoming MBA students
range from hiking to canoeing to white water rafting to extreme
sports such as desert biking. The trips allow students of all
interests and skill levels to begin working as teams, getting to
know one another and experiencing the personality that is
uniquely Michigan.
And, there are other institutionalized student input and
feedback loops. For example, the Deans participate in SGA’s
town hall-style stakeholder meetings with students several
times a year. An ongoing series of Dean’s luncheons produce
student input in a more intimate setting. And Michigan
measures MBA satisfaction with its programs and services
using a sophisticated methodology developed at the School’s
National Quality Research Center (NQRC) – a version of
NQRC’s highly praised methodology for measuring citizens’
satisfaction with economic output in the U.S. and in several
other countries.
Student Organizations
Whether it’s arranging a case skills workshop with McKinsey
& Company or bringing a Samsung executive to campus to
hold forth on strategy or bringing Latino music to the student