Message from the Associate Dean

The rules of how business should operate are being rewritten by global trends, and while capitalism has evolved into a truly global business system, its philosophical underpinnings also have come under a lot of stress. Additionally, the global economic crisis is questioning how well business schools are preparing the new generation of business leaders to adapt to change and enhance performance in the “new normal” business environment. Responding to these changes requires careful and complete examination of our value proposition, our educational platform in terms of what (and how) we add value inside and outside the classroom. Increasingly, how we connect with the business community and society to create a vibrant educational experience that is relevant for the global world of the 21st century is a critical path to our success.

The Tippie School of Management is responding to these changes and challenges with transformational curricula to assure improved performance consistent with ethical business strategy. Our curricula are designed to put graduating students in positions to add immediate value to companies that hire them, while demonstrating genuine understanding of the importance of being socially responsible and ethical in their business conduct that would positively impact the business strategy of their respective companies. This is achieved through a carefully structured program of study that emphasizes our key learning goals of leadership, experiential learning, global perspectives, and social responsibility that permeate all our programs.

Moreover, in this era of evolution (or some will say revolution) increasingly driven by integration in global markets, our value proposition must make critical connections with key stakeholders to adapt and prosper in the marketplace for creative ideas. Hence, our global connectivity platform is an active partnership among students, faculty, staff, the business community, alumni, and global business leaders. Indeed, active participation by these stakeholders in our value chain is the only viable approach to ensuring that our students quickly become a relevant part of the revenue centers of the companies that hire them when they graduate, rather than perpetually remaining a part of the cost centers. In short, we are focused on producing global business managers that can compete and succeed in the global market place.

This maiden issue of Inside the Tippie MBA highlights key successes and accomplishments in the Tippie family of programs: (1) The Full-time MBA (FTMBA); (2) The MBA for Professionals and Managers (MBA-PM), which allows mid-level managers to take courses in the evenings and on weekends; (3) The Executive MBA (EMBA), which serves senior managers on a fast track; and (4) The International MBA programs in Hong Kong and Italy, designed to extend and expand our global footprints and perspectives. I should stress that we offer one MBA degree, the University of Iowa Master of Business Administration, in all the programs, united by common vision, goal, and value proposition.

The following highlights give you a glimpse of our initiatives, successes, and accomplishments:

• The recently launched Tippie Career Academies in the Full-time MBA Program are designed to provide students with academic and professional experiences tied to industry, and they have been tremendously successful. Through this curriculum transformation we have brought in top-notch business leaders as guest speakers, and our outreach and campus visits have developed stronger ties to the business community.
• Integrated experiential learning opportunities through our Business Solutions Center (BSC) have accelerated career readiness in our Full-time MBA students. They have had the opportunity to work with companies as diverse as Rockwell Collins, Eaton, Transamerica Capital Management, Deere, Best Buy, Zurich, and Hummer Trucking. Our newsletter features a major BSC project in which a team of students worked with the Chicago Lighthouse, a nonprofit organization, to outfit children who are blind or visually impaired with GPS devices. This project put our curriculum to the test in social responsibility.
• All three of our MBA-PM sites in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and the Quad Cities have moved to new locations with improved facilities and more advanced technology.
• Career services are now extended to students in our MBA-PM program, and they are encouraged to maintain an open dialogue with their supervisors and organizations in an effort to find ways to begin applying their new skills to relevant areas with their current employers. We also are responding to an increase in career services requests from students in our part-time MBA programs who have been impacted professionally by the economic downturn.
• During the last year, nearly 100 students participated in global learning opportunities (GLO) in Italy, Chile, Brazil, Germany, and China.
• Our Henry Fund endowed equity portfolio was named the Best Student Managed Stock Fund for the 5th straight year.
• 22 graduating MBAs from the Tippie program in Asolo, Italy—a truly international group of students—visited the UI campus in August to complete their capstone course and attend a special graduation ceremony.
• Last fall marked the 6th intake of students in the Tippie International MBA program in Hong Kong—the #1 U.S. MBA program in Greater China. Taught entirely by UI professors, this program is now on sound footing and continues to expand our global footprint.
• To crown it all, 95% of May 2010 graduates from the Full-time MBA Program accepted job offers within three months of graduating, with an average starting salary of $86K in positions at prestigious national companies such as Amazon, GE, Kraft, Johnson and Johnson, and Google.

We are pleased to provide to you the first edition of the Inside the Tippie MBA newsletter and invite you to read about our latest news, learn more about our programs, and check out what this spring in the Tippie School of Management has to offer. We want to stay connected with you—so feel free to get in touch with us and let us know what you think of our programs and share your ideas for continued growth and improvement.

Jay Sa-Aadu