COM Newsletter, Spring 2014 - Metropolitan State University

A newsletter for students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the College of Management
FROM the Dean’s Office
IN this issue
A
From the Dean’s Office. . . . . . . . . . . 1
s we reach the
end of another
academic year, and
the end of my stint
as COM’s Interim
Interim Dean
Dean, it’s a logical
Roger Prestwich
time to review the
last twelve months
and look forward to the next twelve,
especially since the college will have a new
Dean. Numerous comments have been
made over the last year to the effect that we
seem to have been in a state of transition
for the last five years (with four Deans!),
but when are we not in transition? Even if
we achieve what most of us feel is stability,
we are probably just in a slower state of
transition than other years, and the pace
of change is highly variable. We have quite
a number of challenges facing us, perhaps
the most critical one of which should be in
our favor—the changing demographic of
the student body toward greater diversity
and a higher proportion of non-traditional
students (exactly the populations we
serve). However, for almost every
institution of higher education in
Minnesota and beyond, which has
been almost exclusively dependent on
high school graduates for its traditional
freshman intake, the essential need will
be to modify its recruitment plans and
aggressively enter the market where the
new recruitment demographic is highest—
major metropolitan areas.
Competition for students, undergraduate
and graduate, has never been greater—
witness the decline from an average
enrollment growth rate of 4 to 5% per
Continued on page 2
Scholarship Opportunities . . . . . . . 3
Academic Advising Updates. . . . . . 4
Congratulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
COM Develops Partnerships. . . . . . 6
Retiring Interim Dean Prestwich
named Professor Emeritus. . . . . . . 7
Faculty Achievements/Articles. . . 8
Faculty Announcements . . . . . . . . . 8
Alumni Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Doctoral Hooding Tradition . . . . 10
DBA Students Publish
Case Study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
By Roger Prestwich
he China Connection: Two years
ago President Sue Hammersmith
signed a Sister University Agreement with
Chongqing Jiaotong University (CQJU)
in Chongqing, China, which encouraged
student and faculty exchange as well as
allowing COM to recruit students on
campus for our MBA program. A number
of students are very interested in joining
us within the next year, but meanwhile
two professors at CQJU expressed great
interest in coming to Metropolitan State
as visiting scholars for a full calendar
International Program. . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Information Meeting
for Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
INTERNATIONAL Program
T
Spring 2014 • Vol. 15, No. 1
year—and Professors Xiohong Ren
(economics) and Xia Zhang (marketing
and management) arrived in February.
Mission Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Impressions of Xia and Xiohong after
three months: “The Twin Cities is a very
good place, with beautiful scenery and
friendly people. Although it’s a little cold
and snowy in winter, we feel very warm in
our hearts. There is a variety of activities
for students, especially international
students, which are really enjoyable at
Continued on page 3
College of Management
FROM the Dean’s Office continued
ATTENTION
Readers
If you have professional
news you would like to share
(for example, a promotion,
new job, advanced degree,
awards and so forth) please
send the information to
[email protected].
semester at Metropolitan State over the last
several years to less than 1% growth for Fall
and Spring semesters, 2013/14. However,
at least we are still in positive territory
compared with real declines in enrollment
for almost all our sister universities and
colleges in MnSCU, but this hardly means
that we can be complacent! Indeed, there
is absolutely no room for the latter
especially at the graduate level, with our
MBA facing stiff competition from more
than thirty universities (public, private and
for-profit) in the Twin Cities metropolitan
area. It should go without saying that COM
is not taking any of this ‘lying down’—we
fully recognize the need to adopt and
adapt to changing circumstances in order
to survive, serve our students and the
community, and prosper.
COM’s responses to the new higher
education environment are in transition
as we come to terms with our new
environment, with four primary areas of
action—taking new initiatives in meeting
student needs, enlarging our accessibility,
strengthening our academic support, and
adopting more vigorous marketing tactics
for all our programs.
•
New programs: Developments in
response to student needs that will open
employment opportunities include a
new MPNA graduate certificate in Arts
and Cultural Heritage Management;
a new Major in Supply Chain and
Operations Management; and new
courses in DSci, Finance, HRM
and MIS.
•
New sites for degree completion: now
at Inver Hills, Normandale, North
Hennepin and Century.
•
Faculty and Advising positions: one
in International Business; two in
Management (one replacement, one
new); and one in Advising. In addition,
we will be searching for recently
approved positions in Economics,
Management and Advising in the
coming year as well as requesting several
new positions to further strengthen
our resident faculty and professional
advising capacities to start in the
2015/16 academic year.
•
Marketing: The budget for advertising
university and COM programs barely
existed two years ago, but is now
significant, and you should already have
heard on radio and/or seen on billboards
and the web new advertisements for our
degrees. However, advertising is only
one piece of marketing, and although
we expect good results from our current
efforts, we also need to explore and
exploit additional channels that will
enhance our prospects for higher,
sustainable recruitment. The latter
includes personal ‘selling’ of who and
what we are (to anyone who will listen)
by all resident and community faculty,
current students and alums, advisers
and support staff—we are all in sales
these days!
So, we have made some solid progress this
last year, and the groundwork for moving
forward confidently and competently has
been laid, but none of this could have been
achieved alone, so I am truly appreciative
of the support I have received during
my time as interim dean from President
Hammersmith, Provost Arthur and my
fellow deans, but especially, of course,
from my COM team­faculty, advisers and
staff—none of the above would have been
possible without them, so I really do owe
everyone a huge debt of gratitude. And now
for retirement…
“Be sure you have completed all prerequisites before you register for a course.”
2 • COMmunications • Spring 2014
INTERNATIONAL Program continued
Metropolitan State University. There are professional teachers
and diligent students in COM. We cherish and appreciate the
opportunity of visiting here. We think we will gain a lot this
year and it will be a memorable experience in our lives.”
Taiwan: The eighth
cohort of MBA
students from
China University
of Technology
(CUTe) and
Takming University
of Science and
Technology
Xia Zhang and Xiohong Ren
(TMUST) will
be graduating
this summer, shortly before the ninth cohort arrives in July.
Meanwhile, the first undergraduate cohort of students from
CUTe and TMUST, who will be coming here for the fourth
year of their BS in Business Administration dual degree in
2016/17, have already started their studies in Taiwan. This
new program results from Sister University and Dual Degree
Agreements signed between Metropolitan State University and
CUTe and TMUST between 2012 and 2014.
with CUTe and TMUST administrators, faculty and students,
including COM alums among the latter, in order to build closer
relationships between our institutions in the development of
future joint program opportunities for our students. Provost
Arthur has since been invited back to CUTe on May 30/31 to
be the keynote speaker at the “2014 International Conference
on Management, Business and Information” in Taipei.
International Program Director
Change: Professor Carol Bormann
Young, who will be taking over the reins
of COM’s international programs on
July 1, has been meeting with partnering
institutions from Kyoto, Japan, Dalian
and Chongqing, China, and Singapore,
where recruitment of students for our
MBA is already underway, and where
Carol Bormann
we are developing BS in business
Young
administration joint degrees with a view
to seeing students on campus in the Twin Cities in 2017/18.
Provost Ginny Arthur and Professor Carol Bormann Young
traveled with Dr. Prestwich to Taiwan in February to meet
Scholarship Opportunities
The project FinanceDegree.com/Scholarships is a database of
scholarships for anyone looking to help supplement the cost
of their education. The directory filters all the available finance
and business degree related scholarships that will ensure
students find ones that fit the needs.
College of Management
Undergraduate Student Outcomes
1. Knowledge of the common body fields of business
2.Ability to analyze impacts of internal and external
influences on organizations
3.Ability to solve problems and make decisions using
appropriate information and technology
4.Ability to work effectively with diverse groups of people
5.Ability to communicate effectively: written
6. Ability to communicate effectively: oral
7.Understands ethical considerations of decisions
and policies
“Prerequisites will be enforced.”
COMmunications • Spring 2014 • 3
ACADEMIC Advising Updates
By Paul Hesterman, Director of COM Advising
Economics “Sunset”
Policy Change
The Economics faculty has announced
a change in their policy for accepting
Paul Hesterman
transferred Economics courses. In the
past, an Economics course taken more
than ten years before a student’s admission to Metropolitan
State was not accepted as equivalent to any Metropolitan State
Economics course. Now that limitation, referred to as a course
“sunset” policy, has been eliminated. This change applies to
students previously admitted to Metropolitan State as well as
new students.
If you previously were told that your transferred Economics
courses would not meet College of Management (COM)
requirements because of the sunset policy or because they
were “too old,” and you have not yet taken Economics courses
at Metropolitan State or passed a waiver exam to satisfy the
requirement, contact your academic advisor to have your
older transfer course reviewed for possible equivalence. You
may need to provide a syllabus or other information about the
course. If the content of your course matches the Metropolitan
State course, your course may be accepted as equivalent to the
Metropolitan State course.
If you had an Economics course previously not accepted
because of the sunset policy and you have taken an Economics
course at Metropolitan State to meet the requirement, you will
continue to receive credit for both the previous course and the
Metropolitan State course.
With this change, Management Information Systems is the
only field in the COM with a sunset policy for transfer courses.
Please contact your academic advisor if you have any questions.
BAS Programs Suspended
Sales and Sales Management, and Advertising and Business
Management Bachelor of Applied Science programs:
Because of low enrollment, the COM (BAS) majors in Sales
and Sales Management, and in Advertising and Business
Management will no longer admit new majors after the end
of summer semester, 2014.
Students who have already declared and been approved for
these majors will be able to complete their approved major
program. Students in this situation should work closely with
their academic advisor to plan completion of the program.
Students who have not officially declared the majors but who
will have met all the prerequisites by the end of summer
semester, 2014, must submit a Program Declaration Form
for the major to their academic advisor no later than
Aug. 16, 2014.
Other students interested in these programs should work with
their academic advisor to identify an alternative program.
Bachelor of Science (BS) majors are open to any student who
meets the requirements for the major, and any student with an
Associate of Applied Sciences (AAS) degree from a MnSCU
college may consider the BAS degree with an Organizational
Administration major.
Hospitality Management BAS: In addition, the COM has
requested approval to end admission to the Hospitality
Management BAS major. Students who have been pursuing
this program but have not officially been admitted to the major
should contact their academic advisor as soon as possible.
Note that BAS programs are only available to students who
have successfully completed an AAS degree from a Minnesota
community or technical college with an active articulation
agreement for the appropriate BAS.
Finished with your College of Management
Foundation courses? Declare your major!
The COM Foundation courses, MIS 100, ACCT 210, MATH
115, ECON 201 and 202 and STAT 201, must be completed
(with grades of C- or better, or S) early in your program
and before you can apply for admission to a COM major.
Completing these courses provides a foundation for your
success in more advanced courses. The Foundation courses
are also prerequisites for many other courses, and so you must
complete them to make progress in your major program. (Note
that the Economics and MIS majors have slightly different
prerequisites for admission to the major—check the catalog or
major checklist online for more information.) Contact your
advisor if you have questions.
“Be sure you have completed all prerequisites before you register for a course.”
4 • COMmunications • Spring 2014
Continued on page 5
If you have completed the Foundation courses for your
COM major, now is the time to submit your major program
declaration form in order to have your major approved!
Declaring your major as soon as possible locks in your major
requirements so that you can plan effectively and will not be
disadvantaged if major requirements change in the future.
Students who have declared their major are often assigned to
faculty in their major area for advising, making it easier to
establish relationships with faculty.
College of Management strictly enforces
course prerequisites!
COM has been piloting using the registration system to
enforce prerequisites for selected courses. However, some
students have been blocked from registration even though
they have actually met the prerequisites through transfer
courses. If you are blocked from registration and see a message
that prerequisites have not been met, contact your academic
advisor or the Gateway Center for assistance. Advisors and
Gateway staff can allow registration if the prerequisites have
actually been satisfied.
Satisfying prerequisites is critical to succeeding in courses. Do
not take a risk that you could be dropped from a course, or
that you will fail because you are not prepared to succeed in
a course. Do not register for a course if you have not met the
prerequisites—it is that simple! The major course sequence is a
great tool for mapping out the order to take your courses. Note
that you can be dropped from a course at any point before or
during a term if you are discovered to be registered without the
necessary prerequisite.
Summer Academic Advising:
Because of the nature of their positions, many faculty are
“off contract” and not available during the summer. If your
assigned academic advisor is a faculty member, it is important
to work with him or her during spring semester to plan ahead
for summer and fall registration and other academic advising
issues that can be anticipated.
However, if you need academic advising help but your faculty
advisor is not available during the summer, academic advising
help is still available! Undergraduate students can contact
the COM Advising Center for help. An Advisor on Duty is
available Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and
Fridays 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Assistance is also available for graduate
students. Students can contact:
Undergraduate students:
612-659-7269 or [email protected]
Graduate students:
612-659-7258
Transferology
Have you ever wondered what courses at other colleges or
universities would be equivalent to a particular Metropolitan
State course? You can check online to find information about
courses Metropolitan State has previously evaluated. In the
past, the website used for this was called u.select, and many
students found it awkward to use. u.select has now been
replaced by “Transferology,” with a completed redesigned look
and feel to be more useful for students. Transferology can be
found at: https://www.transferology.com/state/mn.
Plan now, and if you need assistance, contact your advisor
before registration gets started to get the quickest response.
Congratulations
Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor: Barbara
Beltrand (Accounting)
Tenure and Promotion to Full Professor: Vadhindran
Rao (Finance)
Promotion to Full Professor: Jennifer Dosch (Accounting);
Frank Schweigert (MPNA)
Barbara Beltrand
Vadhindran Rao
“Prerequisites will be enforced.”
COMmunications • Spring 2014 • 5
Jennifer Dosch
Frank Schweigert
Doctor of Business
Administration
(DBA) Application
Deadlines
Applications are reviewed three
times per year. Deadlines are as
follows for classes beginning
August 2015:
Nov. 15, 2014
March 15, 2015
July 1, 2015
For Application Requirements,
please visit http://www.
metrostate.edu/msweb/
explore/gradstudies/doctoral/
dba/applying.html
COM Develops Partnerships to Deliver Popular
HR MGMT Certificate Program
By Tim Delmont and Roger Israel
In response to a growing demand, COM
faculty members Roger Israel and Tim
Delmont have developed and delivered a
36 hour “Public Sector Human Resource
Management Certificate Program.” Offered
in 2009, 2011 and 2014, the program has
attracted HR managers from counties
throughout the state of Minnesota. Positive
word of mouth about the program has
contributed to an increase in attendance
from about 25 participants in the first two
years to 36 this year, with a waiting list.
all administrative services: marketing,
registration, materials preparation, the
training facility, technology support and
food and refreshments. Commenting
on the partnership, Robyn Sykes, MCIT
executive director, said “We are very pleased
to partner with Metropolitan State on the
delivery of the HR Management Certificate
Program for the third time. The program
is a high quality one that is meeting an
increasing training need throughout our
counties.”
The six day program, which carries CEU
credits, focuses on key HR management
topics, such as HR strategy, labor relations,
collective bargaining, benefits management,
compensation, recruitment and retention
and conflict/change management.
Instructors are prominent HR professionals,
consultants and Metropolitan State faculty
members. Evaluations, which have been
highly positive, are completed on all sessions
and shared with participants, instructors
and program administrators.
In 2014 the Institute for Professional
Development (IPD), the university’s new
continuing education and training office,
became a second partner in program
delivery. While Israel and Delmont
continued working with instructors to
develop and update program curriculum,
IPD and MCIT shared administrative
support responsibilities. In particular,
IPD handled registration procedures and
MCIT all on-site duties. Bruce Lindberg,
IPD acting director, said “This was a very
good trial run for us. Our staff learned
how to work effectively with COM faculty
and MCIT as an outside service provider.
We hope for additional partnerships in the
future with the college and perhaps others.”
In the first two years of the program,
Professors Israel and Delmont
partnered with the Minnesota Counties
Intergovernmental Trust (MCIT) to
deliver the program. Israel, professor and
director of the Master of Public and Non
Profit Administration (MPNA) Program,
and Delmont, former director, Doctor of
Business Administration (DBA) Program,
developed the curriculum, recruited the
instructors and prepared the evaluation
tools. MCIT, which offers risk management
services and insurance coverage to 81
of Minnesota’s 87 counties, provided
Israel and Delmont said that discussions
are continuing about other future
training programs that could be offered
by these partners. They emphasized that
developing this training program has been
professionally invigorating for them while
helping to raise the visibility of COM in
local and state communities.
“Be sure you have completed all prerequisites before you register for a course.”
6 • COMmunications • Spring 2014
RETIRING Interim Dean Prestwich named Professor Emeritus
By Carol Bormann Young
Roger Prestwich earned his BA in geography and economics
and a Graduate Diploma in education from the University of
Sheffield, England; an MA and PhD in geography, economics
and mineral economics from the University of Minnesota
where he was a Fulbright Scholar; and a Masters degree in
international relations from the University of Cambridge,
England. He has been a Metropolitan State University full-time
faculty member since 2001 in the College of Management where
he has held the positions of International Business Curriculum
coordinator, COM Department chair, director of International
Programs and most recently interim dean. Prior to coming to
Metropolitan State, he was director of the Minnesota Trade
Office (MTO) Education Program and World Trade Conference
Center for 12 years. He built MTO’s education division into a
nationally recognized provider of quality international business
education by doubling the number of educational offerings
and tripling their attendance to more than 5,000 individuals,
training managers from over 500 companies including 3M,
Arthur Anderson, Land O’Lakes and Toro.
Roger shares his vast knowledge of various international topics
as an advisor and consultant to entities such as Business Week,
CityBusiness, Finance & Commerce, Minneapolis Star & Tribune,
Minnesota Public Radio, MinnPost, St. Paul Pioneer Press
and Twin Cities Business. In addition, he has consulted with
various organizations in Minnesota on topics such as manager
relocation to UK operations, the role of cross-cultural literacy
in international business success, and exporting and marketing
to facilitate international sales growth. He currently chairs the
Saint Paul–Minneapolis Committee on Foreign Relations, and
is a member of the District Export Council, U.S. Commercial
Services, and of the Academy of International Business. Past
board positions included the American Committees on Foreign
Relations, British-American Business Council of Minnesota,
Midwest Global Trade Association and the Minnesota
International Center.
Without question, his rich professional experience as an
international advisor and consultant brought considerable
value to his students in the classroom. Over the course of a long
career, Roger has taught a variety of courses such as Economic
and Industrial Geography, Global Resource Management,
International Political Economy, Doing Business Internationally
and Global Issues in Business at the undergraduate, graduate
and doctoral level. In the classroom he is known as an
intelligent, knowledgeable and rigorous instructor. In addition,
he has been the COM director of International Programs
since 2002. Roger has been instrumental in COM’s continued
partnerships with Taiwanese institutions by negotiating
new MBA partnership programs with China University of
Technology and Takming University of Science and Technology.
He is responsible for the maintenance and direction of COM’s
international programs, and has made numerous trips to
Taiwan, China and Singapore to foster and build relationships
with these and other universities. He is a consummate
professional representative in the international arena for
Metropolitan State University.
While many might decide to ease into retirement during their
last year, Roger “stepped up to the plate” and accepted the
position of interim COM dean. When Roger interviewed for the
position, he indicated that he would not accept this challenge
as a “lame duck” candidate. He has held true to his word in that
he has made great strides in helping COM chart a course for
the future that has, at times, meant making difficult decisions.
He has been a leader who understands the need to value both a
faculty and administrative perspective and to balance the two.
Roger is respected by the faculty and staff of COM, and is seen
as a valued and supportive colleague and dean. He is committed
to the students and programs of COM and Metropolitan State
University. Based on his record of achievements, the COM
faculty recommended that he be granted emeritus status upon
his retirement, which was subsequently conferred by President
Sue Hammersmith.
“Prerequisites will be enforced.”
COMmunications • Spring 2014 • 7
Graduate Program
Application
Deadlines
Fall Semester: July 1
Spring Semester: Nov. 15
Summer Term: March 15
For Program Information, please
visit http://www.metrostate.
edu/msweb/explore/com/
programs_graduate.html
FACULTY Achievements/Articles
On March 22,
Professor Allen
Bellas presented
“Technical Change
in Cooling Systems
at U.S. Power
Allen Bellas
Plants: Effects on
Total Flows?” at the Midwest Economic
Association conference in Evanston, Ill.
investor can reduce risk and perhaps profit
from investing in IPOs after the first day
of trading. Results from the model did
not point to a perfect time to buy, but
there was enough evidence to conclude
that, assuming ceteris paribus, investors
reduce risk by avoiding offerings with the
highest variance between the offer price and
opening price on day one.
The paper examines the performance of
cooling water systems at power plants
to determine whether newer systems
use less water than did equivalent older
systems and, from this, to determine the
impact of the Clean Water Act (CWA) on
technological progress. Results suggest that
the technological approach that was not
favored by the CWA advanced while the
technological approach that was favored by
the CWA stagnated.
Vadhi Rao served as the chair of one of the
presentation sessions at the conference.
On April 14, Joseph Wittwer presented
“Post-Offering IPO Investing: Can the Little
Guy Profit in an Insider’s Game?” at the 3rd
annual Minnesota Undergraduate Scholars
Conference in Moorhead.
The paper examined the factors that
contribute to the five-month returns of
initial public offerings (IPOs) of common
stock to determine how an average retail
Congratulations
to Joel R. Wilson,
associate professor
of accounting,
for having been
re-elected to the
Minnesota Society
of Certified Public
Accountants
Joel R. Wilson
(MNCPA) board
for the 2014–15 term. Wilson has taught
at Metropolitan State full time since 2006.
He received a bachelor’s degree in business
administration and accounting from the
University of St. Thomas. A certified public
accountant, he obtained his MBA from the
University
of Minnesota.
Announcements
Extension of fixed term: Mark Misukanis (MPNA), Dan Segersin (Accounting)
Returning from Sabbatical: Frank Schweigert (MPNA), Michael Wilson (Accounting)
Going on Sabbatical: Katryna Johnson (Marketing), Roger Israel (MPNA)
“Be sure you have completed all prerequisites before you register for a course.”
8 • COMmunications • Spring 2014
Alumni Corner
Outstanding Fall 2013
Graduate Student:
Mark Downey
MPNA graduate Mark Downey was
the fall 2013 Outstanding College of
Mark Downey
Management Graduate Student. Mark
came to Metropolitan State University
25 years after dropping out of the University of Minnesota
as an architecture student to finish first a BA in Nonprofit
Leadership and now a Master of Public and Nonprofit
Administration degree.
He has had an eclectic career that ranged from being manager
of one of Minnesota’s best known bands ever, the Gear Daddies,
to being (currently) the chief operating officer of Baby’s Space, a
children’s center in the Phillips Neighborhood of Minneapolis
across the street from the Little Earth Housing Development
and an elementary school in the Como Neighborhood. Both
locations serve a 95% Native American population. Mark’s
commitment to his work and to the people he serves
is extraordinary.
Mark earned a 4.0 GPA in our program. Besides his
exceptional academic achievement, he thoroughly enjoyed the
opportunity to be part of a real learning community. In his own
words, “I think that a more valid measure of academic success
(than the GPA) is the value one brings to the entire learning
community, especially in class discussions, because that’s where
I feel the learning happens most.” Mark says that he made
a conscientious effort to learn from others and to challenge
others to do the same. Because his actions in the classroom
were always consistent with this standard, he contributed
tremendously to the learning experience of his classmates,
and his faculty.
We are very proud of Mark Downey’s academic
accomplishment in our program and delighted that he was
selected to be the overall Outstanding College of Management
Graduate Student for Fall, 2013.
Professor Roger Israel, acting director,
MPNA Program
Outstanding Spring 2014
Graduate Student:
Yasir Muhammad
Yasir Muhammad, MBA, was selected
as Outstanding College of Management
Yasir Muhammad
graduate student for the spring 2014
graduating class. His GPA of 3.95
demonstrates his commitment to his studies, honed while
developing skills that would prepare him to become a successful
leader. His professors have commended him on numerous
occasions for his academic excellence and his contribution to
the program through active engagement in class discussions.
Yasir holds the position of principal engineer, a technical
manager role, at St. Jude Medical (SJM). Yasir’s professional
accomplishments prior to working for SJM include working as
a co-op at Visteon Corporation during his graduate studies in
mechanical engineering at University of Detroit Mercy (UDM)
in the early 2000s, working at Ford Motor Company for five
years in different functional organizations and four years with
Boston Scientific (BSC) as a senior quality engineer, where he
led various projects from inception to commercialization as a
quality core team leader.
Some of the tasks that Yasir has led or is leading over the course
of his career include training cross functional personnel on
a new product development Quality System, leading vendor
audits and performing supervisory and project management
roles on highly critical and complex projects. Recently, he was
asked by the director of his company to lead a Design for Six
Sigma (DFSS) deployment project.
In addition to work, Yasir derives tremendous satisfaction
from being a leader, participant and supporter of community
service activities, including serving on the board of a non-profit
organization called North West Islamic Community Center. He
also volunteers and supports a number of other organizations,
including until recently the university’s Student Parent Center.
Yasir contributes his success in education to his wife’s utmost
support. His wife is a dentist from an international school and is
preparing for her national board examination. Yasir has made a
commitment to fully support her in every aspect to achieve her
goal. They have two children.
Yasir’s long-term career goal is to be in a high leadership
position in finance at St. Jude Medical. To achieve this goal,
Yasir and his manager are working with their finance director
for a part­time finance internship that will give him an
opportunity to apply his MBA knowledge in the field and will
enable a smooth transition in a finance role.
“Prerequisites will be enforced.”
COMmunications • Spring 2014 • 9
THE Doctoral Hooding Tradition
By Marcia Hagen
T
he hooding of newly minted doctors
is a tradition that dates back to the
Middle Ages. During the 12th and 13th
Centuries, newly created Universities
worked to prepare clerics, who were
hooded as a sign of that they were part of
a larger, educated force seeking truth. This
tradition carried forward into the U.S. with
hoods and gowns being used in earnest at
King’s College (now known as Columbia
University); at the time, university officials
also required students to wear the gowns
to final examinations, in addition to
graduation ceremonies. In 1887, a national
committee was formed to review and make
recommendations as to the use of regalia.
The result was a set of formalized standards
for academic regalia; types of hat, styles of
sleeve and hood fabrics and colors were
selected based upon a graduate’s area of
study and institution; many of the standards
set in 1887 are still in effect today.
Metropolitan State graduation ceremony
on May 5. Steve successfully defended his
dissertation in March. His dissertation,
entitled Medication Adherence Following
a Major Benefit Change, was defended
on Tuesday, March 11. He was guided
by dissertation advisor Nancy Nentl,
PhD, and committee members Patrick
Gleason and Peter Dehnel. Brian Winrow
successfully defended his dissertation,
entitled A Quantitative Study of the
Relationship between Students’ Perceptions
as to the Utility of Ethical Behavior in
the Workplace and Academic Cheating,
on Monday, April 7. He was guided by
dissertation advisor Marcia Hagen, PhD
and committee members Mussie Tessema,
PhD from Winona State University, and
Kevin Johnson, J.D., of Emporia State
University in Emporia, Kan. We are pleased
to congratulate Steve and Brian on their
accomplishments.
Metropolitan State had two doctoral
students go through the hooding ceremony
in May. Cohort 2 members Steve Ritter
and Brian Winrow took part in the
Wolgast, S.L. (2009). King’s crowns: A
history of academic dress at King’s College
and Columbia University. Transactions of
the Burgeoning Society, 9, 80-137.
From left to right: Marcia Hagen, Brian Winrow, Nancy Nentl, Steve Ritter.
“Be sure you have completed all prerequisites before you register for a course.”
10 • COMmunications • Spring 2014
INFORMATION meeting
for Students:
The new SAP ERP “experience” certificate
offered by COM
By David Bahn
The university has been a member of the SAP University
Alliances Program (UAP) for several years and has been using
SAP ERP software in several of its upper division business
courses. As of April 2014, the College of Management (COM)
has received permission from the SAP UAP to begin issuing a
student recognition award certificate to undergraduate students
who have taken 3 business courses enhanced with SAP content.
There are 4 courses in the College that can currently can be
used to earn this certificate (MIS 320 or ACCT 340, along with
MIS 456 and MIS 459); More courses from several business
disciplines are expected to qualify over time.
The purpose of the Student Recognition Award is to recognize
students at University Alliance member schools that have spent
notable time using the SAP product suite within their degree
program. This quasi-professional certificate can be earned as
part of a COM degree program and signals to employers that
award recipients have the equivalent of one year’s experience
with SAP software. Since SAP is the leading Enterprise
Resource Planning software and is significantly used in major
twin cities firms such as Cargill, 3M and Target, skills with
SAP software are in great demand in both the local and
national job market.
Facebook—Search—College of
Management, Metropolitan State University
Like our page on Facebook to follow posts on latest
news and updates about COM events, discussions,
jobs and volunteer opportunities.
LinkedIn—Search—Metropolitan State
University College of Management
Join the COM group on LinkedIn to leverage your
professional network of colleagues, classmates,
employers and employees.
DBA Students
Publish Case Study
DBA Cohort 1 graduates Steven
Johnson, Minnesota State University,
Mankato, and Brian Wilson, Ridgewater
College, were recently published in the
International Journal of Management
Steven Johnson
Cases. Their article, entitled Take me
out to the Ballgame: Different Teams,
Different Strategies, is based upon a case written during their
doctoral Advanced Strategic Management course. The article
is a case study analyzing the strategy of the Minnesota
Twins organization.
Center for Academic Excellence
Minneapolis Campus
Management Education Center
Room 4070
651-793-1460
Minneapolis hours beginning May 19
Math Center Appointment Hours:
• Thursday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–6 p.m.
Writing Center Appointment Hours Writing Center:
• Tuesday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–5:30 p.m.
• Wednesday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–5:30 p.m.
• Thursday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–5:30 p.m.
Testing Center Minneapolis Hours:
•Tuesday Minneapolis MEC 4th Floor,
Room 4070 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 2–5:30 p.m.
•Wednesday Minneapolis MEC 4th,
Floor Room 4070 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 2–5:30 p.m.
•Thursday Minneapolis MEC 4th Floor,
Room 4070 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 2–5:30 p.m.
“Prerequisites will be enforced.”
COMmunications • Spring 2014 • 11
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 4591
College of Management
700 East Seventh Street
Saint Paul, Minnesota
55106-5000
COLLEGE of
Management
Mission Statement
Metropolitan State University’s
Minneapolis Campus
1501 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403-1897
tel: 612-659-7250
Web site: www.metrostate.edu
College of Management (COM)
offers student-centered
undergraduate, graduate and
continuing education programs
in the Twin Cities metropolitan
Editor: Mark Newfield
Editorial advisor: Matthew Spillum
Designer: Michelle Frantzen
This information is available in alternative
formats to individuals with disabilities by
calling Disability Services at 651-793-1549.
College of Management offices are
located in the Management Education
Center on the Minneapolis Campus
1300 Harmon Place
Minneapolis, MN 55403
are designed to serve a diverse
student population with an
applied, globally-oriented
curriculum empowering them
to achieve career goals as ethical
and strategic leaders and managers
A member of the Minnesota State Colleges
and Universities system. An equal opportunity
educator and employer.
© Metropolitan State University 2014
printed on recycled paper 5/2014 3.2M
area and beyond. These programs
in business, government and
nonprofit organizations.
12 • COMmunications • Spring 2014