It’s funny to think that Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday and that the world tends to slow down during the next few days because we are on vacation.  This makes me think…why do we celebrate Thanksgiving and what are we so thankful for?

I did some research and thought that there was just one reason we celebrated Thanksgiving, but honestly I couldn’t put it all into words. So I thought that I would give examples of things I’ve seenrecently that really put the meaning of ‘thanks’ in Thanksgiving:

1.   This past week our 2nd year MBA students decided to cook their fellow classmates a traditional Thanksgiving day dinner.  They did all the shopping-even purchasing two turkeys!  They spent all day making the traditional fixings of mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing and pumpkin pie!  Many international student have not experienced a thanksgiving day dinner so for many of them the idea of having a huge feast was appealing.  After it was all said and done many of the students were very ‘thankful’ to have experienced this traditional American holiday.

2.  Recently the Graduate Management Association partnered with Compass House (a non-profit organization that provides emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth in the Buffalo area).  They put up a giving tree near the classrooms early last week with items that the organization was looking for.  After the first day all the 100 items on the tree were taken, after the second day all 60 new items were taken, and now after a week almost all of the new 85 added items have been taken!  This just shows that we have  very strong community here in the School of Management that enjoys giving back!

This Thursday I’m giving thanks to all the current MBA and MS students  here in the School of Managment, because every day they surprise me with their generosity.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Jennifer Tsutsui
Assistant Director of Admissions

Buffalo, NY has a few nicknames.  It is called The Queen City, originally termed in the 1800’s, referring to the city’s status as the second largest American city on the Great Lakes, as well as the second largest city in New York.  Buffalo has also been called The City of Light due to the plentiful hydroelectic power made possible by nearby Niagara Falls and because it was the first city in America to have electric street lights.  However, I believe the designation that fits our city best is The City of Good Neighbors.

Although this moniker is fitting any day of the week, it was very appropriate last week when “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” arrived in Buffalo, NY at the home of Delores Powell.  Although she worked on repairs for 5 1/2 years to remove her home from the city’s demolition list, Delores and her four children were occupying a house that was barely livable.  As an activist with the grassroots, non-profit community organization “PUSH Buffalo, ” she works to rebuild and improve the West Side.  The “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team, local builder David Homes and community volunteers rebuilt the Powells’ home while they vacationed at Walt Disney World.  More than 5,000 community volunteers gave their time and energy to the project and many side projects, including a community garden, food drive and concert.  “It’s more than they’ve ever had on any other show in the history of this show,” said Amanda Ramos, an AmeriCorps organizer.

The nation will be able to watch this show sometime in early 2010 (a release date has not been announced) and see that The City of Good Neighbors describes Buffalo.  The show merely represents an example of the spirit and action of our inhabitants on a daily basis.

Meghan Wood

Assistant Director of Admissions

As part of the Gerald S. Lippes Speaker Series, more than 200 guests gained insights from experts who visited the University at Buffalo to discuss U.S. health care reform on Oct. 29. 

“U.S. Health Care: In Search of a Cure” was the topic of the panel discussion, which was held at UB’s Center for the Arts.  The panel featured Michael W. Cropp, MD, president and CEO of Independent Health; Ann F. Monroe, president of the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York; and Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, senior associate dean for medical education and clinical professor in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and immediate past president of the American Medical Association (AMA).
Earlier in the day, the panel spoke before a small group of MBA and law students.  The discussion can be viewed via streaming server at: Health care panel

The evening panel discussion was moderated by Annemarie Franczyk, who covered health care for Business First for nearly 20 years before joining the faculty of Buffalo State College in 2008.  In regards to health care reform, all of the panelists agreed that there is an opportunity to do better.  They also advised that we can impact the quality of our long term health by making better lifestyle choices.  The formal discussion was followed by a spirited question-and-answer session with the audience.

Meghan Wood

Assistant Director of Admissions

Our first year MBAs have just come through what I am hearing was a rough week, with mid-term exams and projects due.  They’re getting well into the heart of the semester and understanding the rigor of our program.  Some may be questioning what-in-the-world they decided to put themselves through.  Well, the good news is that the UB MBA is recognized as a quality degree (and remember the ROI factor mentioned elsewhere in our sites.)

The proof of the product is in external testimonials.  We think we have a good program, and are constantly striving to make it better.  We are currently reviewing the MBA core, concentrations, and developing LeaderCORE, a groundbreaking program to certify graduates in the soft skills that companies are demanding today.

I recently heard two ringing endorsements of our graduates from external parties.  Saturday mornings I play basketball with some of the guys at my church.  A passing conversation this last weekend clued me into the fact that one of the other guys works for Rich Products Company, a well-known Buffalo company with global operations.  I mentioned that we have a number of UB MBA grads working at Rich and the Rich’s manager responded that of all the MBAs they hire, the UB MBAs are flat-out the best prepared.

I related that conversation in senior staff meeting this morning and Courtney Walsh, our executive education director, mentioned that she was at a presentation last week where the president of Rich’s was the keynote.  Someone in the audience raised the question of talent acquisition – how does Rich’s ensure they have the management talent they need in their pipeline.  The president reportedly said “well, to tell you the truth, we hire graduates from the University at Buffalo.”

Those are the kind of comments I like to hear about our UB MBAs!  Kudos to Rich’s and to all our grads contributing to the success of the company.

Dave Frasier, Assistant Dean

Don’t ask me why The Princeton Review settled at 301 – but we’re happy to be on the list – which is unranked.  This is further confirmation that the UB MBA is a great program and when you look at our price you’ll realize that we are a great VALUE – as confirmed by our rankings in BusinessWeek and Forbes.  According to the Graduate Management Admissions Council (purveyors of the GMAT) there are approximately 4,500 graduate management programs in more than 1,900 business schools around the world.  So, to make Princeton Review’s list is impressive.  We think you’ll find that the quality and value of the program lives up to, and probably surpasses, the reputation.  Give us a look, give us a visit, and I know you’ll like what you see.

Dave Frasier, Assistant Dean

Forbes magazine has once again ranked the UB School of Management as one of the best business schools in the world based on the “return on investment” it provides MBA graduates. The ranking  is a function of salary progression over 5 years vs. the cost of tuition and forgone salary places the School of Management at No. 48, putting us solidly in the top 10 percent of the more than 500 accredited business programs.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/05/best-business-schools-09-leadership-careers_land.html

Lately the economy has really started to take a toll on my spending capacity!  As most of my family knows, I am an avid shopper and I love to spend.  So since I have to be a little more thrifty with my money, I thought that I would highlight some really great bargains  that I have found over the last few weeks of saving money!

Airlines: Many of you are looking to book your international flights to Buffalo.  The airlines are now finding new and creative ways to charge you money for things that should be FREE!!!  I’ve located a great website to help off-set those travel costs that you can use when traveling to Buffalo:

www.sidestep.com

The website will get you the best possible deal on airline and hotel.  It gives you the prices of almost EVERY airline out there (excluding a few private carriers).  This might save you some upfront costs.

Technology: If you are looking for a great deal on a hands free headset or a GPS (to find your way in your new city!) check this site out: http://wireless.1saleaday.com/ A $200.00 GPS is running for only $49.99!!!  A $80.00 handsfree headset is running for only $4.99.

Food: There are a few different websites that will offer 1/2 off dining deals in Buffalo.  Most of the radio stations will announce these 1/2 of deals, but if you can’t wait for your favorite restaurant to go on sale check out this website:

http://www.halfoffdeals.com/search-deals-results.php

Lodging: Many of you are coming to Buffalo for the first time!  I thought I would send this link to you:

www.cwsbuffaloamherst.com

The Candlewood Suites is a brand new hotel that will cater to families and long term stay.  If you are having issues finding housing and need a place to stay for a week, this is the place to be!  It is located just minutes from UB (actually walking distance to north campus).  They offer full equipped kitchens, with microwaves, refrigerators and dishwashers among other great ammenities.

I hope that some of these tips will save you money in the coming months!!

Happy Shopping!!

Jen
Assistant Director of Admissions

Buffalo has a long tradition as a great music scene – going back into the 19th century as I recall, with some great jazz and other traditions.  Ani DiFranco, the GooGoo Dolls and others have roots here, Ani having restored a downtown church, turning it into her Babeville studio and an art and performance venue. The Buffalo Philharmonic, on another end of the musical scale, is a prominent part of the Buffalo culture and provides outstanding performances throughout the year. 

The musical scene in the Buffalo region is probably at its height during the summer months when there is an incredible number of free concerts in addition to the paid admissions scenes.  Last week my wife and I, and one of the largest venue crowds in Artpark’s history, enjoyed an great concert by the Guess Who.  This week we had to choose between Chubby Checker at the Hamburg Fairgrounds and Grand Funk Railroad at Artpark – Chubby Checker won that contest.

I haven’t actually sat down and mapped it out but I suspect that among regular scenes like the Fairgrounds and Artpark, a host of festivals and town concert series, Thursday at the Square and the like, a person could attend a free concert every day of the week from mid-June through the end of August.  Check out an extensive list of free concerts that someone took the time to compile.

Buffalo rocks!

Dave Frasier, Assistant Dean

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

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