of experience A world - Central Michigan University

“ I believe that most people will agree that the renewal
of Michigan’s economy is going to be accomplished
through small and medium-sized businesses, and we
are going to be an important player in that effort.”
– CBA Dean Mike Fields
Two big st
Dean unveils CBA initiatives
The College of Business Administration is adding value
to Michigan businesses with two initiatives that will
increase consulting and training opportunities for faculty.
“My intent is to do this on a very large scale,” said
CBA Dean Mike Fields. “A number of faculty members
will be involved. My goal is to funnel proceeds from
these initiatives back into the hands of the faculty as a
retention and recruiting tool.”
Partnership for Competitive
Advantage: Universitywide expertise
for business consulting
CBA will work in conjunction with the CMU Research
Corporation (CMURC) to provide top-notch business
consulting. CMURC will extend its expertise to businesses
in Michigan that have at least $500 million in sales, and
CBA will work with the small and mid-sized businesses.
Partnership for Competitive Advantage (PCA) will
dramatically increase the amount of CMU expertise
influencing the direction of Michigan businesses,
complementing other ongoing initiatives such as Labelle
Entrepreneurial Center, Institute for Management
Consulting, and Center for Supply Chain Management.
PCA is designed to enable CMU faculty to use their
expertise efficiently in a consulting environment both to
earn money and generate new skills. By being exposed
to real-world problem solving with outside organizations,
faculty will have opportunities for unique experiences
resulting in new knowledge and wisdom.
“I’m very excited about this initiative because it will
draw on other colleges across campus, not just CBA,”
Fields said. “Each project will have a team leader with
consulting savvy and will work on a business timetable
rather than an academic timetable.”
Consulting began this fall, and Director Charles Burke has
plans to grow the program quickly, which is sure to have
an immediate positive impact on the reputation of CMU
faculty and staff and benefit Michigan businesses.
“Success in this program is all about working
successfully with creative and enthusiastic people,”
said Burke. “These people are independent, intelligent,
fast paced, and often over extended, and allowing them
to see that teams are more efficient than individuals is
important. Quality, enthusiasm, innovation, and integrity
are our guidelines.”
Training and Development Institute:
No-nonsense custom solutions for
Michigan businesses
As the training arm of CBA, the Training and Development
Institute is tailored to each client’s training needs and
covers a wide range of areas. TDI is targeting small and
mid-sized businesses.
The strength of TDI lies in its ability to deliver
no-nonsense training and solutions to businesses for
whatever they need, said Claudette Shaffer, institute
director. TDI can deliver four hours of sales force training
or two-week intensive training, depending on the need.