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The week of Monday, Aug. 20, 2007,
Reinhardt College will welcome graduate students – a first for
the almost 125-year-old institution. Reinhardt will launch a
Master of Business Administration, or MBA, at its North Fulton
Center in Alpharetta, Ga., this fall semester. This entry into
graduate education comes 13 years after the College added
bachelor’s degrees. Until the mid-1990s, Reinhardt only offered
two-year, or associate, degrees.
Reinhardt’s President, Dr. J. Thomas
Isherwood, said College faculty has taken the time to build an
MBA program at Reinhardt that is “consistent with our values of
personal attention for every student.”
“This graduate program, which I hope is the
first of many, emphasizes one-on-one interaction with faculty in
a quality program that is targeted to develop each individual’s
strengths,” Isherwood said. “Because we expect our graduates to
immediately put their learning into practice, the program places
emphasis on practical leadership. Students will come from
different undergraduate degree programs and have different life
experiences, but they will all discover the challenge and
support that are hallmarks of a Reinhardt College experience.”
Isherwood also said the timing was
appropriate. “Adding the MBA now is good for Reinhardt because
we have the faculty to offer a truly distinctive program with
depth and quality. It is also good for the area because it will
meet community needs,” he said. “Expanding into graduate
education is part of the College’s strategic plan, and our
students and alumni, especially those in the North Fulton area,
have been asking for such a program.”
Reinhardt’s business faculty has spent two
years designing and fine-tuning the program approved by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools at its summer 2007
meeting. Isherwood received official notification of SACS’
approval on Tuesday, July 10.
Isherwood said the MBA approval will open
the door for other graduate programs. “We’re looking at
education and music, with others to follow. We are eager to
explore master’s programs that respond to educational needs of
working adults and that can have the unique personal touch and
quality inherent in a Reinhardt degree,” Isherwood said. “We are
also eager to explore offering our MBA in additional locations.
Student interest will be a critical factor in making those
decisions.”
The MBA students who enroll this August
will be part of the program’s inaugural class and will pay the
reduced tuition of $300 per semester hour for the entire
program, a savings of $3,600. Isherwood anticipates that many in
this first class will be Reinhardt alumni. “Many of our former
students have been waiting for the program, and we wanted to
reduce the tuition for this important group as a way of saying
‘thank you’ for their loyalty,” he said. Those who enroll after
August 2007 will pay the tuition rate of $400 per semester hour.
College administrators and faculty are busy
recruiting students for the inaugural class. Informational
sessions are planned at Reinhardt’s North Fulton Center for
Thursday, July 19 and Tuesday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m. They are
also encouraging those interested to see more details on the
College Web site,
www.reinhardt.edu/mba, or to call (770) 720-9191 or e-mail
mba@reinhardt.edu.
Reinhardt’s Dean of the McCamish School of
Business, Dr. David W. Chown, said classes will meet one night a
week in the 36-semester hour program. Students will study human
resources, communication, quantitative methods, marketing,
management, law and ethics, finance, quality assurance, global
business, and strategic management. Each will fine-tune his or
her experience by selecting an existing or hypothetical company
upon which to focus assignments. For five consecutive semesters,
students will take one seven-week course, a second seven-week
course, and then a practicum session.
Chown said the program is very similar to
others in terms of the 10 basic courses, “but almost
unprecedented in terms of the faculty cohort advisor-led
practicums, the ongoing threads throughout the courses, and
interwoven assessments, including the portfolio and development
plan.”
Each group of students will stay together
as a group throughout the program and will work with one faculty
cohort advisor. After each set of courses, students will meet
with this advisor and industry leaders to present projects that
apply what they have learned to their selected businesses.
During the presentation, question and answer and discussion,
students will hone their consultative, persuasive,
entrepreneurial, and critical thinking/problem solving skills.
The advisor will also present each self-assessment phase.
By graduation, students will compile their
five projects – a strategic human resources plan, a
communication plan, an ethics handbook, a balanced scorecard,
and an online simulation in strategic management – into a
portfolio. They will also assemble their self-assessments into a
five-year personal and professional development plan.
Isherwood said these outcomes will be
exceptionally useful for graduates. “These exercises, and their
end results – the portfolio, the personal and professional
development plan, and all the lessons they have learned and
demonstrated – will leave our MBA graduates well prepared to
take the next step in their business or organization. They will
be able to use their knowledge in innovative, creative and
persuasive ways.”
Chown also cites faculty quality and
experience as a strength. “All five hold terminal degrees, and
together, they have more than 100 years of private sector
business and consulting experience,” he said. “They will bring
extensive practical business knowledge and a genuine concern for
students and the learning process to the classroom. They know
that if their students can’t use what they have learned in their
careers, they haven’t truly learned it. We will focus on
practical, hands-on experience and pragmatic projects and
assignments.” |
