A Message from the MBAA President

The MBA Association Executive Committee decided during our retreat late last semester to incorporate a blog into our website to keep what the MBAA is doing more visible and to alert people of different opportunities. We have some great ideas for the upcoming semester but are also open to new opportunities. One of our main goals as the newly appointed Exec was grow recognition or ‘brand value’ of our MBA degrees from Iowa State. We believe that focusing on getting individuals job placement should be a part of the MBAA, but building up what it means to have an MBA from ISU should be the main focus of the Association. In that light, we thought of various professional, service learning, and social activities that could most improve the value of our MBA degree; while keeping an eye towards revenue generation because our goals and activities will take money to achieve.

A quick highlight of some of the ideas already on the table are:

· Warren Buffet Trip

· Joint-ventures with surrounding university’s MBA programs

· Grant writing committee to assist non-profits

· Improving our Pinstripe ranking (environmental ranking of business school)

· Sales of ISU MBA Professional portfolios

· Business etiquette dinner

If anyone has other ideas, we welcome any idea that would benefit MBA students. We are also planning some other REALLY COOL events that I won’t post just yet, because I’d hate to get everyone’s hopes up. You will just have to trust me.

On a final, more serious note I wanted to paraphrase the speech I gave during our Exec meeting for everyone. The MBA Association is our group to do with it what we want. If you believe we should allocate our time or resources somewhere else, speak up. My simple goal is I want us to be in the Daily, on the television, and on ISU’s homepage. We are a bunch of hard-working, driven, and clever people so there should be nothing stopping us.

Please remember we have a general meeting next Wednesday, January 20^th in Room 3164 in Gerdin. We will have 7 feet of sub sandwich and possibly a guest speaker so I hope everyone can attend. More details about the guest speaker will come out later, but if there is not one we will still meet and brainstorm more ideas for the upcoming year.

Sincerely,

Michael Brower