In
Brief
Executive
MPA offered in the Quad Cities
In
less than two years, the first students enrolled in the CBPA's new Quad Cities'
Executive MPA Program will graduate
with 36 credit hours of coursework under their belts.
The program is being offered in cooperation with the Quad Cities Graduate Center.
And though that relationship made the coordination of the program easier, the
three-hour drive time from Drake posed a problem.
"We knew we couldn't send a faculty member to the Quad Cities, three hours
away, once a week. So we looked at it from a student perspective to envision what
was attractive to them and how we could support what they needed," explains
Danette Kenne, director of graduate programs.
As a result, the CBPA developed a program schedule in which classes are offered
at an accelerated pace. Each six- to eight-week course meets during two weekend
sessions, with the balance of the coursework completed on the Web. Students can
complete the program in less than two years.
The Quad Cities program is centered around a single specialized emphasis designed
to appeal to a broad audience with varied backgrounds, from private, public and
non-profit sectors alike. The mission for the Executive MPA is to develop within
the public and nonprofit manager the ability to transform, lead and direct organizations
in a dynamic environment.
The program began less than a year after its initial planning, but already has
18 students enrolled. "The fact that we were able to launch so quickly with
as many students as we have shows how much interest there is in the program,"
Kenne says. "And we've had many organizations say, 'This is something our
people could really use.'"
 |
| Jack Nicholson
in "About Schmidt." |
'About
Schmidt' does Drake grads proud
"Heck,
a business degree from Drake ought to be worth something!"
With that line, uttered by a young Drake graduate in the film "About Schmidt,"
movie-going Drake University alumni and students alike beam with pride.
"Since I live in Kentucky, I think I was the only one in the theatre to get
excited at the mention of Drake!" says Stephane Rogers, BN'86. "I wanted
to stand and tell the entire theatre audience that I, too, have a business degree
from Drake, but instead I remained in my seat and chuckled to myself!"
In the film, Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, a retiring actuary at the Omaha
insurance firm Woodmen of the World who doesn't quite know what to do with himself
after he leaves the company. When Schmidt visits the firm to see if his replacement
has any questions, he finds the new guy from Des Moines has mastered the job quickly.
Still, Schmidt can't help but voice his concern that the young guy may have missed
something important. And that's where the Drake line comes in.
Coincidentally, there really is a Drake graduate working as an actuary at the
insurance firm. Michael Batchelder, BN'93, is an assistant actuary there, and
he and his wife Shannon served as extras when the film crew came to Woodmen Tower
in May 2001 to shoot parts of the film. Though the Batchelders' scene got cut,
many Woodmen associates did appear in final edit.
CBPA
remembers Crowley and Muther
Last fall, the CBPA community mourned the loss of Ayn E. Crowley, professor of
market-ing, and Margaret B. Muther, associate professor emerita of retailing.
Crowley died of cancer on Oct. 20, 2002, at Hospice Kavanagh House in Des Moines.
She was 48. Muther died of a heart ailment at the age of 92 on Nov. 6, 2002, at
Park Regency Care Center in La Habra, Calif.
Crowley earned her bachelor's degree in business from Drake in 1977 and went on
to receive a master's degree from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. from the
University of Texas at Austin. She joined the Drake faculty in 1993.
Noted for her research on the effect of color and scent in retail environments,
Crowley's findings were published in scholarly journals as well as The Wall Street
Journal and The Washington Post. She also founded Sensory Design L.C. and launched
Office Scents, a product line. She was a member of Nexus Executive Women's Alliance
and the board of directors of the Iowa Environmental Council.
Muther, a native of College Point, NY, joined the Drake faculty in 1950 and retired
in 1979.
"Margaret was very student-oriented and very dedicated to the retailing program
in the College of Business," said LouAnn Simpson, executive assistant to
the president, secretary of the university and professor of business law. "She
was a forerunner of our present internship program in that she helped students
to get real-world experience in retailing."
Memorial contributions may be made to the Margaret B. Muther Scholarship Fund,
which will provide scholarships for women attending Drake.
Drake
adds human resources concentration
Drake University has added a human resources concentration as an interdisciplinary
program offered by the College of Business and Public Administration, the College
of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Education.
The concentration focuses on issues surrounding the management of people in organizations.
It is available to undergraduate students of any major who have an interest in
human resource management and want to prepare for a career in human resources
or related fields. The concentration is designed to provide students with the
core competencies to be competitive in today's job market.
Insurance
Center hosts $200 billion Wall Street manager
Ronald J. Ryan, founder of Ryan Labs and manager of Liability Index Fund (LIFE),
was the keynote speaker at the Kelley Insurance Center's 2003 Archie R. Boe Distinguished
Lecture Series at Drake on Feb. 27. The series addressed investment concerns of
the insurance and financial services industry, offering important insights for
the average investor.
Ryan is president of Ryan Labs in New York City, an asset management and research
firm specializing in custom index funds since 1988.
Other speakers featured in the series were Sean McShea, director of marketing
of Ryan Labs asset management, and Kathryn D. Beyer, CFA, managing director of
Investors Management Group.
Student
investors win Krause Challenge
For the second year in a row, Drake University took first place and beat Iowa's
three state public universities to win the Krause Challenge in the 2001-2002 school
year.
Initiated in 1998 as a competition among Drake, the University of Iowa, Iowa State
and the University of Northern Iowa, the Krause Challenge provides undergraduate
students with real-world portfolio management experience. Krause Gentle Corporation
president and CEO W.A. "Bill" Krause endowed each university with $100,000
to buy and sell shares of stock. The four universities compete to see which one
delivers the highest return. Drake's student investors produced a 9.92 percent
return rate in the 2002 Krause Challenge.
Drake
Historical Moment
Back in 1967, when tuition was only $600 a semester, 40 percent of a business
student's courses were required to be in areas other than business and economics.
Each student chose a specialization in fields such as accounting, retailing, marketing,
insurance, business education and secretarial science. |
