OCR Text |
Show INITIATIVE U TAKES FOR FEMALE STUDENTS BY KYLEE EHMANN /STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY DANE GOODWIN T he U's Executive MBA program was ranked 30th nationally and 95th globally by the Financial Times. The David Eccles School of Business is the only school in Utah ranked on the Financial Times top 100 Executive MBA programs.The ranking is calculated using two scores. More than half of the score comes from alumni surveys and the other 45 percent comes from data gathered by participating schools. Thousands of alumni are approached three years after graduation to complete this survey. Brad Vierig, associate dean of executive programs for the business school, said he thinks the ranking is well earned. "[It's] due to the hard work of many individuals in creating what I call a collaborative learning environment," Vierig said. "I think that it's a reflection of the hiring of really good faculty, the faculty research, the putting together of a really high-performing team that works on the Executive MBA program and the support of our dean and rest of the faculty" Liu Xinyi, a senior in business administration, said this collaborative learning environment is present in the undergraduate level. "My classmates are very friendly, and I think the study atmosphere is better than other buildings and majors," Liu said. "I don't know about others, but my professors are all really good." Vierig said the twenty-one month program attracts people who work full-time, and the average age of students is around 38 years. The career paths of applicants range from the banking sector to non-profits. Some are sponsored by their employers while others enter the program on their own. EMBA participants are typically looking to change or move up in their company or create a new business. "It's a wonderful opportunity to re-tool," Vierig. "It's a life-changing event, and it'll make a big difference in your personal and professional lives:' Vierig said while he encourages people to participate, admission is rigorous. The school receives around 120 to 150 applicants a year and the class size is usually around 60 students.The program attracts students from all over the country and the world. "One of the other differences and one of the reasons that we're ranked is our high-quality students','Vierig said. "We pride ourselves on our diverse class. We've got just a great community in Utah and we're able to attract and retain and train and educate very successful students." Vierig said he'd like students to know they have a globally ranked program in the Salt Lake Valley, and that they don't need to go out of state to attend a high quality Executive MBA program. He said the rankings are an easy way for people to see the return on investments to students and the difference it makes in their lives. "Rankings are a quick way for students who are looking into a program to access the quality of the program'," he said. "They're a real reflection of the faculty quality, the staffing quality, the facility quality and the impact that it's had on students?' The Executive program is one of four MBA programs that the business school offers. The full-time MBA program is the traditional program, the professional MBA meets two nights a week, and this fall the program opened online. The Executive MBA offers classes that meet every other week for two nights a week. The U's EMBA program costs around $78,000, which is the global average. Graduates tend to increase their salaries by 41 percent three years after graduation. k.ehmann@chronicle.utah.edu @Ehmannky {THECHRONY I OPINION I ARTS SPORTS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 2014 BY MARY ROYAL /STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY DANE GOODWIN T he last decade has seen a steady decline in the number of women enrolled in higher education programs across the country. Matching this trend, Utah has witnessed lower numbers of females enrolling in all areas of study. However, a plan has been set in place at the U to aid in the turnaround of those trends.The Women Enrollment Initiative was established to meet the needs of girls and women in various stages of education from high school to seniors in college. This will include looking at the recruitment process, working to address retention issues and barriers to graduation. Currently, conversations are being held across campus to determine what is available for female students, how to assure that resources are accessible and if resources are available to support families with child care needs. The leaders of the Enrollment Initiative recognize the big endeavor before them. The success of the initiative will depend on working across campus and with the local community to research the opportunities that are presently available to female students. Debra Daniels, director of the Women's Resource Center and assistant vice president of the Initiative, said helping women fulfill their educational goals is important. "Educating women impacts how their children and future generations view education?' she said. "The wage gap for women is significant, and there are a number of things that need to be done to change that, but I know that education will place women in the position to earn higher salaries and move towards building a career?' Emily Van Allen, a senior in urban ecology, said the Enrollment Initiative is a "great" step for the U. "Women should feel empowered to do and achieve any- thing they want?' she said. Although the number of women graduating from the U is about equal to men, women's enrollment and retention rates still fall behind men's. These trends continue in the workforce where Utah women earn 30 percent less than their male counterparts, and Utah has the fourth largest wage gap in the country. Daniels said these are some of the concerns that led to the development of the Women's Enrollment Initiative. "We are concerned about women here at the U," she said. "We want to examine how we can assist women in succeeding during their college years. It is important that we find a way to address the many needs and concerns our female students face:' m.royal@chronicle.utah.edu @mary royal 5 |