MBAA CMHS Fundraiser Huge Success

This semester the MBA Association wanted to organize a philanthropic event that would help out the local community and raise awareness for a worthy cause. The Central Missouri Humane Society has an open-door policy which means they do not turn away any animals. On average they take in over 170 pets a week. They have recently proposed a larger budget to the Columbia City Council to help them continue operating, and they have had to cut back hours. A few students in our MBA program are working on a consulting project with the Central Missouri Humane Society for consulting class. After being informed of how much help they needed, the MBA Association decided to put together an event to raise some funds for the Humane Society and also raise awareness about their situation.



November 10th through the 15th we had several events going on to support the Humane Society. To make this event bigger, we paired up with Orscheln’s Farm and Home. Our big event was at Orscheln’s on Saturday, November 15th. Orscheln’s was able to contact several of their vendors and get them to make donations per each bag of dog food that was sold on Saturday. We got 5 pet crates donated that were set up at Orscheln’s. We marked various Humane Society “wish list items” around the store for people to buy and put the purchased items in the crates.

We set up a raffle and had the drawing on Saturday the 15th. Several of Orscheln’s vendors and local Columbia stores donated items for our raffle. MBA students sold raffle tickets all week at Orscheln’s and at Cornell Hall, where the College of Business is located. We put fliers around campus and also around town. We advertised on local news programs and in local newspapers about our event. Monday, November 10th, we got a local pizza place downtown Columbia, called Shakespeare’s, to donate 15% of sales made Monday to the Humane Society.

The morning of Thursday, November 13th, we picked up two dogs from the Central Missouri Humane Society and took them to campus. Various MBA students stood in the middle of campus with the two dogs and collected donations for the Humane Society. On Thursday alone, outside with the dogs, we were able to raise $690!

On Saturday the 15th, we set up tables at Orscheln’s with all of our raffle prizes displayed and sold more tickets. The Central Missouri Humane Society also came and set up a table next to us at Orscheln’s. They were able to bring three different pets that needed adopted out with them. A lot of people did not know about their situation so this was great for raising community awareness. With the money made per bag of dog food sold Saturday, raffle ticket sale, and Shakespeare’s donation we were able to raise $2710.14 for the Central MO Humane Society.

KOMU, the local news channel, came out to Orscheln’s to report on our Humane Society Fundraiser. Several of us in the MBA Association were able to come together and plan this event in a little over four weeks, and in one week we were able to raise just over $2,700 for a local business in need!!!

Sara Coe
MBAA Vice President of Philanthropy

Help Central MO Humane Society by Enjoying Shakespeare's Pizza

The MBA Association is working on a project to help the Central Missouri Humane Society. One way for you to participate is by eating Shakespeare's Pizza on Monday, November 10, 2008.

Dine in, take it to go, or order delivery, no matter how you like to enjoy your pizza, Shakespeare's will donate 15 percent of their sales to the Humane Society if you present the Humane Society flier. Everything on the menu counts: any pizza, salad, gift card, or drink. So get your entire fall and winter's supply of Shakespeare's Pizza on Monday and help the Humane Society.

For more information or to obtain copies of the fliers, please contact Sarah Ransom at smr5gd@mizzou.edu.

National Association of Women MBA Conference 2008: Discovering Your Potential

The NAWMBA National Conference held from October 23rd to October 25th had many wonderful speakers and seminars to compliment a small, but successful career fair. The workshops were the highlight and the most beneficial part of the conference as they were informative and instructive, ranging in topics from finding a job in the current market to developing your story. The speakers were a diverse set of men and women who shared their work experience and wisdom with the women at the conference. The panel encouraged the conference attendees to discover their potential.

One of the more informative sessions was on marketing, featuring three speakers from corporations present at the career fair. Rather than preparing a presentation, the group briefly explained the marketing jobs typically available in the market then opened the session up to any questions. This was exceptional as many participants asked the questions they had always wanted answered. Students were able to find out what the marketing jobs were really like and what talents they required besides what was learned in the classroom. The presenters imparted their wisdom on how to excel in the marketing field and also how to creatively challenge your marketing team.

During the “Get Ahead by Going Abroad” session, Stacy Berdan discussed the potential women have when working in other countries. Her studies found that women do better than men in cross-cultural situations. This ability to work across cultures has helped many women fast tracks their careers. While many women feel that they must be young and unmarried to go abroad, Mrs. Berdan’s research found that there is no right time to go. She found that 40 percent of women that went abroad to work were married and their husbands followed them. Experience abroad helps women succeed because it differentiates them; it gives them opportunities for networking and growing. It is now easier than ever for women to get management experience abroad. By far, Mrs. Berdan was the most inspiring of the short seminar speakers.

Overall, the NAWMBA conference in Stamford, Connecticut was a very educational and rewarding experience. Between the networking events, keynote speakers, a career fair, and development workshop, the conference had a lot to offer and was very worthwhile. If you are interested in attending next year’s conference, please contact Gina Mauller at maullerg@missouri.edu.

Sarah Ransom

MBA Shows Support for India Nite

The Mizzou MBAA showed up for the annual India Nite function put on at the University of Missouri. Not only did this promote the diverse nature of the MBA program, but it also exposed students to a culture that will become increasingly important for our generation! Indian food and comedy were presented to students.

Afterwards, festivities continued to Field House, where students were treated to traditional Indian dance music. There was no shortage of moves on the dance floor! As usual, the MBAA was well represented at this social function, and we look forward to an array of great events the rest of this week.

International Week kicked off in style last Friday as students were treated to some traditional dishes for lunch. There will be opportunities to learn more about your fellow students this week, as presentations continue through all five days. Please try to come out and support your fellow MBA students as they share their native culture!

NSHMBA Conference

“Chris Susanto, University of Missouri. Pleased to meet you,” I introduced myself as I shook hands with yet another recruiter at this year’s National Society of Hispanic MBA (NSHMBA) Conference last week. I must have introduced myself to more than 200 people during the three-day conference, held in Atlanta from October 9 to 11, 2008. With over 8400 professionals, MBA grads, and current MBA students attending, the Georgia World Congress halls were filled with talent, excitement, and over 300 companies recruiting for the ideal candidates. The atmosphere was competitive and cordial; the speakers and panels were diverse and insightful; the luncheons and receptions were heavily sponsored and exciting. During those three long days, we were all there ultimately for one common goal: to get connected.

The career fair venue was huge. Waste Management brought in a Harley as the ultimate raffle ticket prize. Other companies were giving away iPods. GM, Ford, Nissan and Toyota brought in cars for display, none of which were up for grabs unfortunately. More importantly, there were over 300 companies from Accenture to Wyndham recruiting MBAs for full-time and internship positions. It was interesting to note how the nation’s financial crisis was not only a topic of discussion; it also played an important role in the career fair. Some booths, such as ones for Google and Johnson and Johnson, were continuously busy. While others like Fannie Mae and AIG seemed to be abandoned by MBAs.

The seminars and workshops were just as interesting. During the opening session, a panel of industry leaders discussed the generational challenges in the workplace. The discussion also touched on how different generations react to the market calamity. The ‘boomers’ are likely to postpone retirement, making it more difficult for ‘gen x-ers’ to move up the career ladder. Meanwhile, ‘millennials’ are facing more competition not only to get in an organization, but also to move up. The key for our generation is to move along the horizontal path, to create a greater affiliation with our chosen profession, and to capitalize on our willingness to learn new competencies. The marketing workshop talks about branding yourself, creating career distinction, and creating a positive online presence. The management workshop touched on the link between emotional intelligence and diversity and how to incorporate that in our professional life.

Overall, the NSHMBA Conference was a great opportunity to meet professionals and other MBA students from top business schools in the US. It was also a great venue to introduce our MBA program to professionals and other b-schools. I made it a point to mingle with a different group for each function that I attended. Was it overwhelming? Of course (sigh). But was I intimidated? No. The on-campus career workshops, etiquette dinners, professional development seminars have prepared me for exactly this type of event. After all, I am a Tiger.

Throughout the trip I kept thinking, “I wish I could share this experience with another Crosby MBA student.”I hope that more Crosby MBA students will be interested in attending the diversity MBA events. Perhaps, the biggest misconception is that one has to be a member of each diversity group to participate in the conference. So technically, guys can participate in the National Association of Women MBA Conference. If you’re interested in these opportunities, please contact Gina Mauller (maullerg@missouri.edu) for Fall 2009 Conferences.

Chris Susanto. October 17, 2008.

2008 Pictures

Hey gang,

Here are some pictures from a couple of the events that the MBAA has hosted so far this year. First, we have the MBAA luau, which kicked off the year in style. Activities ranging from appetizers and refreshments to dancing with cardboard cutouts were enjoyed by all. Next on the ticket was the initiation of football season which has included some great tailgating in the Cornell parking lot. The year has already been one for making memories, and we expect the good times to continue through the fall!

MBAA Gets the Semester Started

Hello readers,

Fall 2008 has started in style, with events ranging from happy hours and tailgates, to economic seminars and panel discussions. As always, the MBAA has been in the middle of it all, providing students with potential opportunities to network and learn.

Most recently, MBAAers were found networking with alumni and enjoying the sun before the Oklahoma State game. Although the game didn't go as well as planned, the festivities before and after went as smoothly as they could!

In other sporting news, the MBAA remains an active member of the athletic community. The soccer team has made the playoffs and football will be starting just next week. If anyone is interested in signing up for any of the upcoming sports, please contact Jeremy Heuermann at jkh2b7@mizzou.edu.

Finally, the LinkedIn alumni group is becoming more active, so Alumni please join at:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=27410&trk=hb_side_g

Until next time,

Clayton Reeves