Bake sale brings community together

Just recently I received and email from Amy Matikosh, International Admissions Advisor, and friend.   The goal of the email was to engage various offices on campus to help with a bake sale.  The goal was to use  ProjectConnect as a tool to connect the incoming international students to each other, UB and to their home communities (wherever in the world that may be), and to inspire a service mentality in the incoming students.  The students and staff  held a bake sale, with the goal of raising $1500 to then donate to Share our Strength, a non-profit organization that helps curb childhood hunger in America.  I of course offered to bake something, but then realized I don’t bake,  so I graciously donated money to the  cause.

Two weeks went by and I received the following email:

Hello Friends!

I am pleased to announce that our ProjectConnect Bake Sale to help end childhood hunger was a great success!  Thanks to your contributions of time, energy, baked goods, online donations and moral support, we have EXCEEDED our fundraising goal of $1,500 and raised $1,579.70 thus far for the national non-profit organization Share Our Strength!

I want to thank all of you for your support in making our project a success.  I especially would like to thank our office staff, who gave of their time and energy planning for the event, providing baked goods and working at the bake sale we held at the North Tonawanda Farmers Market last Saturday (in the rain!).  Thank you Marie, Sherene, Ellen, Carolyn, Jess, Suet Ling, Moon, Gordon, Beth and Joe for all of your hard work!  Also thanks to Jennifer Gammell from IA, Kathy Curtis, Keith Otto and Katie Sam of ELI, Diane Hardy of ISSS, Katie Beczak of Graduate Enrollment Management, Phyllis Floro of the Intercultural & Diversity Center, and Cathy Engelhardt-Ellis of Student Medical Insurance for donating baked goods.  Thank you to UBelong Club faculty contributor, Dr. Gregory Beehler, who helped in planning, donated baked goods and worked at the bake sale.  And we can’t forget Hilda Loucks, Store Manager of Starbucks in the UB Commons, who donated more than 750 cups of freshly brewed coffee (and supplies) that we were able to offer free to our bake sale customers when they donated to our cause!  Thank you, Hilda!

As I write this, our incoming students are to be engaged in community service projects of their choosing all over the world during this ProjectConnect Week.  In planning this program and our own ProjectConnect Bake Sale, I’ve experienced first-hand the generosity of my colleagues and friends, and I feel so lucky to know each of you and to have witnessed that generosity in action.  I think we all believe that our incoming students are joining a community of great people when they join UB, and I know it for sure!

THANK YOU!-Signed Amy Matikosh

As I was reading this I thought ‘Wow’ even in these tough economic times, a simple thing as a bake sale brought together so many people and organizations for a great cause!  I was also thrilled to learn that Gordon Tan, one of our second year MBA students who works in the International Admissions Office was personally thanked for his efforts.

I  have to echo Amy’s thoughts in saying that I believe that UB and Buffalo are great places to be!   I look forward to working with all our new students in the coming weeks on hopefully their own student run community service projects!

Project Connect Bake Sale

Respectfully submitted,

Jen Tsutsui
Assistant Director of Admission

MBA Students Help Develop “Entrepreneurial Pipeline” in Western New York

There are so many facets to the School of Management at the University at Buffalo that it is sometimes hard to capture all of what is going on and the breadth of opportunity for student involvement.  I received the email below from the director of our Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.  I thought readers would find this an interesting example that says a lot about our involvement with local development efforts and collaborative work across the university.

David:

Seven MBA students participated in the Pre-Seed Workshop at the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences on June 8, 9, and 16.  The Pre-Seed Workshop is part of the grant that we worked on jointly with the COE and is vital piece of “the entrepreneurial pipeline” that we are trying to build in WNY.  Each student was a member of a team that consisted of idea champions, technical champions, tech transfer representatives, legal experts, business advisors, MBA students, and a coach.  The spent approx. 20 hours in sessions with these teams and gave their input on advancing the “idea champions” to their next level of business development.  Many of them spent additional time working on the projects outside of the classroom setting for several more hours than the 20 mentioned.  They were all very helpful and the feedback on their participation was outstanding.  They contributed greatly to the teams and added value to the entire event.  Thank you for loaning us some of your students.  I’m hoping that this “real world” experience will be helpful in their professional development going forward.

“Idea Champions” were:

Dr. Khushi Matta – Roswell Park

Dr. Ashwani Sood – Roswell Park

MMC Lipid Bioservices – Niagara University

Terra Specter – 2009 second place Panasci team

Universal Coherence Imaging – UB Technology

Dr. Julian Ambrus – UB

NanoAxis – 2008 first place Panasci team

Si-Revolution Solar Ltd – UB Technology

Dr. Ranjit – UB Technology

Participating students were:

Ali Zeeshan

Matt Bertrand

Christopher Bodkin

Swapnil Kachare

Amy Monin

Manish Sabnis

Javier Sullivan

Many thanks!

Tom

Thomas R. Ulbrich

Executive Director

University at Buffalo

School of Management

Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership

672 Delaware Avenue

Buffalo, NY 14209

Tel: (716) 885-5715    Fax: (716)885-5718

E-mail: tulbrich@buffalo.edu

Website: http://mgt.buffalo.edu/entrepreneurship/cel

Where in the world is Buffalo…and how do I get there?!

When I travel to various vacation spots around the country (and around the world) I usually always receive this common question-Where are you from? and Where is Buffalo?  My usual response is, Upstate NY, or near Niagara Fall Canada, or One hour South of Toronto.  Well for many of you reading this you already know where Buffalo is, I don’t have to tell you that…but you might not know how to get here.  So I’ve pulled some resources off the University’s International Student Services website to help you get here safely in the August! 

How to get to the University at Buffalo by air:
Fly into the Buffalo Niagara International Airport:  http://www.buffaloairport.com/ located in Cheektowaga NY.  

After you retrieve your luggage on the bottom level, look for the Airport Taxi Service (Tel. 716-633-8294) outside the airport terminal. You can take the taxi to campus.  This is going to cost you approximately $20.00 USD, so be prepared with cash upon arrival. 

Buffalo Niagara International Airport is about 10 km away from the University at Buffalo’s North and South Campuses.  It should take from 15-20 minutes to reach UB from the airport.  If you are planning on checking into a hotel there are three located within walking distance of the classroom buildings.  They are:

Hotel Indigo:  www.hotelindigo.com
Buffalo Marriott:  http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bufny-buffalo-marriott-niagara/
Red Roof Inn: http://www.redroof.com/reservations/property-detail.aspx?pid=104

Once you have settled in, it will be time to explore what the city has to offer. While many people associate Buffalo with lots of snow(and don’t worry you will see it!!), it offers a rich cultural scene and wide array of activities. There is so much to experience in Buffalo: museums, theater, music, festivals, food, sporting events, shopping, etc. It is also a great location for many sports activities, including skiing, ice-skating, snow tubing, hiking, golf, boating and many more.  Here is a great link to some activities when you get here: http://www.iloveny.com/home.aspx

So GOOD LUCK! We will see you in August!

MBAs get ‘Smart’

David Schembri, president and CEO of Smart USA, joined about 20 Smart Car owners at UB on Monday to hear some creative strategies from UB MBA students for marketing the Smart Car.

Several other executives from Smart USA, faculty, staff and MBA students also were at the event, which was hosted by the School of Management and Smart USA as the culmination of a semester-long project for the school’s MBA marketing management course.

At the beginning of the semester, Arun Jain, Samuel P. Capen Professor of Marketing Research, charged 18 teams of first-year MBAs with developing a hypothetical marketing plan for the U.S. launch of the Smart Car.

To prepare them for their research, Jain hosted a Smart Car visit in January where students test drove the Smart Car on the North Campus and learned about its creative customization options, outstanding safety ratings and other features that differentiate it from other vehicles.

Smart Car representatives were impressed with the initiative, and Schembri offered to visit at the end of the semester, combining the MBA event with the company’s annual celebration for Smart Car owners.

Monday’s activities began with a rally in a UB parking lot where Smart Car owners parked their micro-compact vehicles in a row and joined MBA students and Smart Car executives in creating a “smart art” poster with painted handprints to honor the collaboration with a “lend a hand” theme.

After a buffet dinner, two of the MBA teams presented their marketing proposals. Both teams conducted an in-depth analysis of the micro-car market and customer base to develop their strategies for how they would launch the Smart Car in the U.S.

One team’s campaign focused on making the Smart Car a “member of the family.” Present at vacations, parties and milestone events, the Smart Car was as ubiquitous as a beloved pet.

Another team’s strategy emphasized how the Smart Car could adapt to any personality. Attractive photographs of the cars with their owners were accompanied by catchy phrases such as “Be Smart, Be Sporty,” “Be Smart, Be Romantic,” and “Be Smart, Be Sleek.” The team highlighted the customizable features of the vehicle and even suggested a few that haven’t been invented yet.

The proposals were well received by the audience, getting favorable reviews from Smart owners and executives alike.

“I was impressed with the caliber of students and their presentations,” said Smart Car owner Alice Spies.

“They were just amazing,” added Brooke Arber, brand manager of Smart Center Buffalo, who was instrumental in making the Smart Car collaboration with the School of Management a success.

The highlight of the evening was a talk by Schembri, who shared with the audience how Smart Car came to the U.S. and why it has been so wildly successful. He also lauded the student presentations, saying that Smart Car came to many of the same conclusions in its real plan.

“Your analysis was well thought out, well presented and you really captured the essence of our brand,” Schembri told the student teams. “And your recommendations were ‘spot on.’”

He also said the teams had a few ideas that Smart Car might use down the road. “Don’t worry, though; we’ll be sure to work with you if we do,” he assured the teams.

David Frasier, assistant dean and director of the MBA program, said that ultra-low emissions, high fuel efficiency and the high priority that Smart Car gives environmental friendliness gave this event a nice tie-in with UB’s green mission.

“And our MBA students gained an understanding of the sustainability issues that managers face today,” said Frasier.

Jain teaches marketing theory by grounding it with real-world practices. MBA students were immersed in a number of activities, including a visit to Fisher-Price in February to learn about new product marketing, presentations in March from executives at Merck and Kimberly Clark about their product marketing strategies and a trip in April to an advertising agency.

“Real-world contact with these high profile companies and executives gives students exposure to the depth and breadth of what it takes to create a comprehensive marketing strategy, Jain said. “This is not the kind of information you can get from a textbook.”

The Wall Street Journal has ranked the UB School of Management No. 9 in the nation among schools with strong regional recruiting bases. In addition, BusinessWeek has ranked the school as one of the country’s top 5 business schools for the fastest return on MBA investment, and Forbes cited it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

Release date
Apr-28-2009

Contact
Jacqueline Ghosen
716-645-2833
ghosen@buffalo.edu

CAUTION! Strange dogs, old men and eavesdroppers

I recently took a trip and had a couple of interesting incidents that we can all learn lessons from.  The first was in the airport before I even left Buffalo.  My wife and I were headed for France for a week – she’s a French teacher at an area highschool so loves to get back to France every few years for a language and culture “innoculation.”  Since it was an international trip we arrived at the airport a bit early and had time to eat at the new Anchor Bar (birthplace of the famous “Buffalo wings”) branch recently opened there.  As we were waiting for our food a professionally dressed young woman came in and the waiter engaged her in light conversation that revealed she had been in town from Boston to interview with a major regional bank for the day and it went “very well!”  She then sat down, pulled out her cell phone, and conducted a very nasty conversation with a guy she had recently dated.  The tone and conduct of this young woman’s conversation would have immediately dropped her from my personal list of employee candidates – I wouldn’t want her dealing with my customers if she treats her acquaintances like that!

I have a number of acquaintances in the human resources department at the particular bank she was interviewing with and it was very tempting to tip them off to the character, or lack thereof, that I observed in this young woman.  I didn’t do it, but it could very easily have been a bank employee sitting in the next booth, who would have tipped off HR.  Buffalo, particularly, is a small town kind of place where everybody knows somebody who works at…  So, in Buffalo, and everywhere, be aware that the person eavesdropping on your conversation or conduct could cost you, or get you, that job.  Conduct yourself professionally and respectfully all the time.

Another observation on the trip was in an old mountain town in the Verdon gorges area of Provence, France.  Wandering through town we came across an old man and his dog sitting in an out-of-the-way “shop” and stopped to talk.  If you take a close look at the picture you will notice that the old dog has a pacifer, or “binky” as some people call it, in his mouth.  And the old guy is a bit hunched over and and pretty harmless looking.  Well, among the strange mix of things available in the old man’s “shop” such as dried lavendar, antiques, lavendar distillate, and cow horns from Africa, was wild boar pate, that he made and canned himself.  It turns out that the old pacifer-sucking dog and the old man go out in the mountains and hunt down  wild boar, cook it, make it into pate and put the boar in a can – not the expectation that comes to mind when you first see this pair.  Just goes to show that first impressions are not necessarily valid.  (And, no, I didn’t buy any of the wild boar pate.)

We should always show respect to the people, and animals, we come across.  Looking for that next job or business deal you never know when you might need a good hunting companion!  Or you might just get a fascinating story.  (Dave Frasier, Assistant Dean)

UB and Buffalo Housing Options

We look forward to many of you joining us soon! If you are not familiar with UB or the Buffalo communities, you may have questions about neighborhoods and affordable housing.

Many of our first year MBA students choose to live near campus. The UB MBA blocks a group of townhouses in Creekside Village. These townhouses feature 2 bedrooms and 1.5 are available on a first come, first serve basis. There is also on-campus graduate and professional housing in Flint Village, South Lake Village and Flicklinger Court. Please learn more at http://www.ub-housing.buffalo.edu/.  Our UB MBA Ambassadors may be helpful in providing information on their current living situation.  You can find a list of ambassadors at http://mgt.buffalo.edu/programs/mba/ambassadors.  You can always connect with future roommates on the accepted student discussion forum.

Please visit http://subboard.com/och/ for off-campus student housing options.  There are many options located near UB’s North Campus, where the School of Management is located and your classes will be held.  There are also options near UB’s South Campus, which offers a great shuttle system to the North Campus.

If you haven’t completed your application, our domestic applicant deadline is May 11, 2009.  Please visit mgt.buffalo.edu or contact the Graduate Programs Office at som-apps@buffalo.edu or 716-645-3204 for more details.  We look forward to hearing from you!

International Admissions I-20 processing!

I can’t believe that our admissions cycle is coming to an end in a few months!  It seems like we just started!  I wanted to sharewith our international students, some valuable information regarding the international I-20 Visa process. 

Once a prospective student has confirmed with the UB MBA, and completed the confirmation card with the 250.00 deposit, then it is Meghan’s and mine role to start the I-20.  We gather your transcripts, official TOEFL scores and bank statements and create your I-20 information packet.  Once we have all your official documents then our office sends your admissions application and packet to our International Education office. 

After it leaves our office we unfortunately have to play a waiting game. Once it reaches the International Education office the packet must go through a rigourous process of validation.  (I’m not so sure of all the steps that it takes to process the I-20, but I can tell you it takes between 6-8 weeks to do so). 

International Admissions will then mail or courier the university’s official Acceptance Packet (including the Certificate of Visa Eligibility (I-20 form), Orientation Information, Housing Brochure and Application and Health Background From) to qualified accepted international students.

Once you receive the packet from International Education you may schedule your SEVIS appointment.  This process can take up to three months to complete, so as we say in our office-patience is your best virtue! 

I hope that this helps and we can’t wait to meet you in August! 

Sincerely,

Jen Tsutsui

Marketing – Beyond the Textbook

One of the things MBA students are looking for in programs is real world exposure. Textbooks are great for conveying theory and historical practice but there’s nothing like finding out what is going on in real time in the real world.  Our Marketing Management core course has been providing many opportunities this semester – see the SMART blog item below.  Last Friday was another opportunity when we hosted Andrew Meurer from Kimberly-Clark and Margie McGlynn from Merck Vaccines.  Each of them are in charge of their corporate segments and steeped in marketing experience.

Andrew shared marketing strategy and future plans from Kimberly-Clark’s perspective.  Margie took students through the development and marketing history of Gardasil.  She was recently on the cover of Pharmaceutical Executive, the business magazine of pharma.  Students got insights and a look into the future that just can’t be found in any textbook – that’s what an MBA is all about.  Stay tuned for more on real-world MBA education.

The Graduate Programs Office hosted a reception for students following the marketing presentations.

Admissions Interviews

This week and next we will be spending a lot of my time getting to know MBA applicants.  I must say this is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.  It is an opportunity to not just look at an essay or resume but to really learn more personally about our applicants.

This is the time of year when I get excited about the shape the UB MBA class is taking.  As I talk to applicants I hear a theme of altruism.  Some individuals can’t help but talk about how they are looking forward to helping others in their future careers.  I also hear the theme of entrepreneurship; these young people are excited for the hope of starting and owning their own businesses.  Another key theme is loyalty, loyalty to family owned businesses and the goals of making those businesses stronger after learning from the UB MBA program.

It may be too early to see what shape the UB MBA class of 2011 is going to take but I can say this, I am excited.  I am excited to meet everyone in August (if not sooner), I am excited to see these individuals meet one another and build relationships, to become many little teams and one larger UB MBA team and I am excited to watch this UB MBA class go back out into their careers and make a difference.

In like a lion?

As the old proverb goes, “in like a lion, out like a lamb”, the month of March usually begins with cold, unpleasant weather.  I’m happy to report that on March 6, it is currently 56 degrees in Buffalo.  The snow is gone and I’m hopeful that we’ll see daffodils soon.

In addition to the great weather, our UB MBAs are experiencing busy days.  Today, our students are networking with two brilliant executives from Kimberly-Clark and Merck & Co., Inc. who have come to the Alfiero Center to share their insight and experiences.

We have 17 students leaving for an alternative Spring Break in New Orleans, Louisiana tomorrow.  They will assist in the ongoing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.  Learn more about their endeavors in future posts.

Many of our students are analyzing cases and preparing presentations for upcoming competitions.  Four of our second year MBA students will be competing in the George Washington University/KMPG International Case Competition at GWU on March 20 and 21.  First year MBA student finalists will compete in the Steven C. Verney MBA Case Competition on March 27 .

We also look forward to our upcoming UB MBA Sneak Preview Weekend on March 27 and 28.  We have a variety of events planned for the accepted students of our fall 2009 incoming class including a welcome reception, a variety of interactive panels and professional development.  We are excited to host our accepted students on campus soon.

For information on upcoming events, please check the events calendar on our Web site.  We hope to see you soon!