EMBA’s First Endowed Scholarship

• August 23rd, 2016
• in UA EMBA Latest News/Events

Brian Rankin, EMBA 2004, has generously donated and established the very first endowed scholarship for The University of Alabama Executive MBA Program. The Brian A. Rankin Executive MBA Endowed Scholarship will be used to assist students with necessary supplemental funds to aid them in funding their tuition and obtaining their degree.

Rankin is the Vice President, Deputy General Counsel of Comcast Corporation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been in this position for almost 11 years, but has been in the telecommunications industry since 1989. He graduated from Illinois State University in 1983 with a degree in Political Science and History, before attending DePaul University College of Law. Rankin graduated from The University of Alabama Executive MBA Program in 2004 where he graduated with honors.

He is a veteran of the US Army and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service.Rankin works for a number of community organizations, including as a pro bono volunteer for Philadelphia Law Works. He also works as pro bono legal counsel for Sojourners, which is a national anti-poverty organization; and serves on the Vestry of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia. He and his wife, Soozung Sa Rankin, are a host family for Curtis Institute of Music international students.

The scholarship will be given priority to students who are unconditionally accepted into the Executive MBA Program.
“We would like to thank Brian Rankin for his generous donation and are profoundly honored by his choice to support the Executive MBA Program,” said Donna Blackburn, Director of EMBA.

For more information on the UA EMBA Program, contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or call 205.348.4501.

EMBA Program Welcomes Ninth Huntsville Class

• August 19th, 2016
• in EMBA Program Information, EMBA Uncategorized

With summer winding down and fall just around the corner, many students are getting ready to go back to school. The EMBA Program is no exception and has begun another academic year by welcoming the ninth Huntsville cohort at the UA campus in Tuscaloosa for orientation and their first day of classes.

On Wednesday, August 10, the new class got to know their classmates and teammates better, were instructed on university logistics and participated in a campus-wide team-building scavenger hunt. The full day was capped off with a dinner at the Hotel Capstone where the class mingled with professors, staff and alumni. Benjamin Paulk (TEMBA 2012) and Russell Shamburger (TEMBA 2004) represented the EMBA Alumni Network Board.

Following orientation, the students began their first semester classes on Thursday and Friday with Accounting, Statistics, Marketing and Project Management.

This year’s Huntsville class is composed of seasoned professionals from a variety of industries, including defense, healthcare, and manufacturing. Some other industries represented in this year’s cohort are services, telecom and construction. The average age for the Huntsville class is 41, and the average work experience is 19 years, with 12 years being management experience. Sixty-seven percent of the class are managers in their jobs and 20% are C-level/VP/Owners. Twenty-seven percent of the class has military experience, ranging from current active duty to retired service members.

“Although students take classes one weekend a month in Huntsville for twenty-one months beginning in September, it is great to get them on the UA campus to meet faculty and alumni at orientation,” said Director Donna Blackburn. Some HEMBA students in the past haven’t been able to visit the campus, so this is an excellent way to help them fully acquaint themselves with The University of Alabama.

Everyone is excited and ready to get started. The alumni were especially eager to welcome this new class into the program and see them thrive over the next twenty-one months.

The 2018 H-EMBA class are:

Colton Campbell, Otis Elevator Company

Chemeka Dabney, LP Building Products

Daryl Evans, TotalPrint

Lacey Hyche, Oral Arts Dental Laboratories

Eric Janssen, SportMed

Pete Kerr, ADTRAN, Inc

Nancy Laster, Piedmont Healthcare

Brian Lee, Sentry Insulation

Andy Maguire, Tennessee National Guard

Mario McKinnon, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company

John Meshensky, ManTech International

Rachel Smith, WOW! Business

Carl Vasilko, PAE

Tory Wiles, SAIC

Tyler Williams, Parker Hannifin Corporation

For more information on the UA EMBA Program, contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or call 205-348-4501.

2017 UA EMBA International Trip Is Set For Vietnam and Singapore

• August 8th, 2016
• in International Trip

The University of Alabama Executive MBA revealed this weekend that the Class of 2017 will be visiting Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and Singapore February 24-March 4. The trip is a requirement of the IBA 550 International Business course the EMBAs take in their final semester. In addition to students the trip is also open to EMBA alumni and spouses.

During the trip the students will visit a wide cross-section of industries, participate in case studies with companies, as well as conduct two consulting projects focusing on social enterprise in Ho Chi Minh. Participants will also take in the sights of Ho Chi Minh, explore the Mekong Delta to learn more about the locals’ way of life: their homes, transportation, work and traditions; and they will also tour Singapore’s colorful districts of Little India and Chinatown. It is a packed trip that will give maximum exposure to our students and their guests.

Our selection of Vietnam and Singapore allows us to compare/contrast between a developing and developed country. Vietnam is a powerful economic force in the region with vast agricultural exports and a high rate of foreign direct investment. The GDP for 2016 is $510.7B with a 6% GDP growth. Unemployment is 2.3% for a population of 90.6M and a median age of 25. Singapore’s successful free-market economy and urban development strategy boasts a GDP of $452.7B for 2016 and a 2.2% GDP growth in 2Q16. Unemployment is at 2.7% for a population of 5.5M.

Participants will also have an opportunity to do a post trip March 4-7, to Koh Samui, an island off the coast of Thailand. Travel+Leisure describes Koi Samui as “over-looked tropical treasure where you will discover small villages built entirely of bamboo; lush jungle interiors; turquoise-fringed beaches and a local culture giving you a taste of the region’s Asian traditions and a unique heritage preserved in hidden Buddhist temples with their iconic, gilded-red roofs, and resilient fishing villages on the Southern coast.”

International Study Programs (ISP) will once again serve as our travel agent and is working with the EMBA administration and faculty to design an outstanding international academic program. ISP has been providing premium, customized educational trips for business students for over 17 years. This year’s trip to Morocco and Spain was a rewarding cultural experience for our students with exceptional corporate visits. We hope to expand on our last trip to make the 2017 trip to Vietnam and Singapore a once in a lifetime experience.

Donna Blackburn, Director, EMBA Program
For more information on the UA EMBA International trip or in applying to the EMBA Program, contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or call 205.348.4501.