UA EMBA Announces New Scholarships for Incoming Students

• April 26th, 2017
• in EMBA Program Information, UA EMBA Latest News/Events

The Executive MBA Program at The University of Alabama is announcing two new scholarships for students beginning Fall 2017: The Diversity Award and the Civilian Women in Defense and Technology Award.
The Diversity Award will grant two scholarships of up to $15,000 in value to candidates representing diverse backgrounds.  Diversity can be exhibited through educational and professional experience, unique career goals, ethnicity and citizenship.The Civilian Women in Defense and Technology Award will be given to two women enrolled in the EMBA Program.  The award recipients must be employed in the defense or technology industries. A recipient of the $10,000 CWDT scholarship must be a fully accepted student (minimum 3.0 GPA and five years of professional work experience) to the EMBA program and able to demonstrate financial need.According to Cheryl Altemara, assistant director of the UA EMBA Program, “We are excited to increase our scholarship award offerings for EMBA students.” These awards join the existing Mitchell Scholarship, which is awarded to incoming students who present evidence of exceptional academic ability, substantial professional experience and can also demonstrate financial need.
“Our goal is to increase our enrollment, promote diverse backgrounds that bring different viewpoints into the classroom, challenge our students to broaden their viewpoints and to have them learn as much from each other as from their faculty.”

Application for these annual awards must be made by the stated deadline for each program.

For deadlines for the TEMBA and HEMBA classes click here.  The award recipients are announced prior to orientation for each cohort.

For more information on these and other scholarships, click on the EMBA website or contact Cheryl Altemara at 205.348.4501.

Get Involved 2017

• February 2nd, 2017
• in EMBA Alumni Network

The University of Alabama’s Executive MBA Alumni Network is kicking off their Get Involved 2017 campaign. “We are encouraging our alumni to attend events, promote and recommend potential student, raise funds for the Brian Rankin EMBA Endowed Scholarship and to stay connected,” said President of the EMBA Alumni Network Russell Shamburger (TEMBA 2004). As a student, the EMBAs developed networks and forged friendships while they completed their M.B.A. degree. Having alumni stay involved and stay active with the EMBA Program is important in growing the value of their degree, bringing in high caliber students, and providing networking and educational opportunities.  Let’s do this, UA EMBAs, let’s Get Involved!

10 Ways to GET INVOLVED 2017

1. Join the UA EMBA Alumni Social Networks

Join LinkedIn Group at University of Alabama Executive MBA

Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UAEMBA/

Follow us on Twitter @UA_ExecutiveMBA

❤ and follow us on Instagram at uaemba

2. Stay updated and follow our blog

Submit news or write a blog: contact dblackburn@cba.ua.edu

3. Promote the EMBA

Refer a potential EMBA student

Attend an upcoming UA EMBA recruiting event

Host a recruiting event at your company

4. Wear with pride your UA EMBA apparel

Check out our new EMBA apparel portal at the UA SupeStore: https://supestoreua.myshopify.com/collections/executive-mba

5. Get Involved with the EMBA Program

Become a mentor to a new EMBA student

6. Get Involved with the EMBA Alumni Network

Volunteer to work on an EMBA alumni committee

Run for the UA EMBA Alumni Network Board

Attend an event

Participate in the EMBA Alumni Survey

7. Make a donation

Donate to the Brian A. Rankin EMBA Scholarship Fund

Take advantage of your firm’s or employer’s gift matching program

8. Inform the Manderson Graduate School Career Services Office about employment opportunities in your company

Hire a fellow alum. Let us know when you do.

9. Keep in touch

With faculty and staff

Email or call a classmate

Keep us updated with your contact information

10. Stop by the EMBA office – bring your family to campus. The EMBA office loves seeing alumni and their families! Roll Tide!

Upcoming Events – Mark Your Calendar – GET INVOLVED 2017

April 22 – Manderson Graduate School of Business A-Day Breakfast

October 5-6 – EMBA Alumni Network Annual Conference and Business Analytics Symposium

We are also busy planning a Family Day at Regions Field in Birmingham, Picnic in the Park in Huntsville, University of Alabama Baseball Day, Football Roll Tide Tailgate, as well as some city stops so please stay in touch and make plans to Get Involved 2017.

For more information on how you can get involved with the UA EMBA Alumni Network, contact the EMBA office at dblackburn@cba.ua.edu or call (205) 348.8748.

For more information on The University of Alabama Executive MBA Program click on emba.ua.edu or contact Cheryl Altemara at (205) 348-4501 or caltemara@cba.ua.edu.

HEMBA Team Working to Bring Baseball Back to Huntsville

• January 25th, 2017
• in UA EMBA Latest News/Events

During last fall’s Project Management course, one of The University of Alabama Executive MBA teams struck on the idea to “Bring Baseball Back to Huntsville.” The “5 Guys” team, aka Colton Campbell, Daryl Evans, Eric Janssen, John Meshensky and Carl Vasilko, reached out to the Huntsville Mayor’s office for some insight and to gather additional information for their course project.

“We wanted to understand if the city was targeting any particular sites for a new ballpark as well as gauge their current level of interest,” said Daryl Evans, Vice President of Operations for TotalPrint and HEMBA 2018 Class President.

With the success of the Birmingham Barons and Regions Field, the team was excited about the possibility of having another franchise team back in Huntsville. The Mayor’s office was helpful and “they asked us to share with them what other information we were able to gather when we finished our project,” said Evans.

On December 21, the team met with Mayor Tommy Battle, District 2 Councilman Mark Russell and City Administrator John Hamilton.  During the meeting the HEMBA team walked them through their presentation and shared their assessment of the necessary details.  It was a great meeting.  “Currently there is not a real plan on the table to bring baseball back,” said Evans, “but I think we did our best to express the value we believe that a downtown entertainment/baseball complex could bring to the city of Huntsville.”

The MIS 511 Project Management course, taught by Jim Brown, requires each team in the class to present a work-related or community-based improvement project. They begin by presenting their project, the needs and the possible outcomes to the class. They work on their goals during the entire semester, finishing with a final presentation. Finally they request funding approval from the selection committee, who are their fellow classmates. In addition to bringing baseball back to Huntsville, other projects have included post-tornado rebuilding, community development, work process improvements, and new marketing initiatives.

For more information on The University of Alabama Executive MBA Program click on emba.ua.edu or contact Cheryl Altemara at (205) 348-4501 or caltemara@cba.ua.edu.

Incoming TEMBA Class Celebrates Orientation with Disney Magic

• November 29th, 2016
• in UA EMBA Latest News/Events

You kind of expect that there will be Big Al sightings and shouts of Roll Tide! and Go Bama! when the new EMBAs hit orientation on the campus of The University of Alabama, but this year the students were also greeted by the Disney Institute and some famous Disney characters.  The 33rd Tuscaloosa Executive MBA Class joined their fellow classmates, the Huntsville EMBA 2018 class, on the second day of orientation for Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence.

“Disney is one of the premier companies in the world for leadership and customer service,” said Dr. Brian Gray, Associate Dean of Manderson Graduate School, “and this is a great opportunity for our students to get an inside look on what makes them so successful and how they can apply what they do at their companies.”

Students were exposed to firsthand principles that are at the core of Disney’s organizational strength: effective communication, successful organizational structures, sustaining momentum to achieve goals, day-to-day behaviors that make long-lasting impact on others and developing action steps to influence and develop individual leadership behaviors. Also, during the November 18 Disney Workshop everyone celebrated the birthday of Mickey Mouse, who turned 88 years old.

The day before the Disney Workshop, the TEMBA class enjoyed the traditional orientation activities. Twenty-six students began their 17-month journey to obtain their M.B.A. degree.  In addition to preparing the new students on how to navigate University logistics, orientation focuses on getting the students to know their classmates and teammates through various team building exercises including the EMBA Scavenger Hunt which has become a tradition. Another tradition is the welcome from the EMBA Alumni Network President Russell Shamburger (TEMBA 2004) at the orientation dinner.

This year’s Tuscaloosa class has an average age of 37, with 14 years of work experience and 8 years of management. Industries represented in this year’s cohort include automotive, finance, consulting, energy, manufacturing, construction, distribution,  retail, service, government, healthcare, food & beverage and technology.  Sixteen percent represent VP/C-level and professional positions and 23% has military experience (current active duty or retired service members).

The 2018 T-EMBA class members are:

• Carolyn Berry, GE/Roper Corporation
• Molly Louise Bray, AmerisourceBergen
• Maren Cross, Daimler Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc.
• Joseph Culbert, GE Appliances
• Chris Derksen, Vulcan Materials Company
• Christina Gordon, Druid City Hospital Health System
• Matt Groves
• Ben Johnson, Cahaba Government Benefit Administrators LLC
• Dejarvas Kelly, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc.
• Mitchell Loper, Raymond James
• Jake Mankin, The University of Alabama
• Jason McConnell, RSM US LLP
• Felicia McKinney, The University of Alabama Supply Store
• Chris Overstreet, Doster Construction Company, Inc.
• Christian Patel, Alabama Power Company
• Frank Pete, Horne LLP
• Derrica Poole, FIS Global
• Kevin Porter, TIAA
• Bethany Roberts, Books-A-Million
• Drew Rollins, Star Asset Security
• Jenna Roney, Mississippi Power Company
• Jason Sellars, The University of Alabama Office of Veteran Affairs
• Jeff Stewart, Barings Capital Management
• Justin Walker, Georgia-Pacific
• Jermaine West, Dean Foods
• Nora Woods, New Life Interfaith Ministries, Inc.

Congratulations and Roll Tide! to the Tuscaloosa EMBA Class of 2018.

Check out more photos from the TEMBA orientation at the UAEMBA Facebook page.For more information and to apply to the EMBA Program go to www.emba.ua.edu or contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or call 205-348-4501.

Incoming EMBA Alumni Network President Challenges Alumni to Participate and Grow EMBA

• November 10th, 2016
• in EMBA Alumni Network, EMBA Uncategorized

Greetings fellow EMBA alumni and current EMBA students. It is an honor to represent so many of you and continue to build on all the work that has been done since the Executive MBA Alumni Network Board was formed in 2013.  My first year on the board as Vice President was a great experience and I honestly don’t know where the time went. A special thanks to outgoing President Ben Paulk, Past President Mike Ross and Secretary-Treasurer Beckie Crawford for all the great work they did while serving on the board this past year.

The 2016-2017 Alumni Network Board will focus on three primary goals. The first is a challenge to our alumni to step up their participation in the EMBA Alumni Survey. In 2015 we had a response rate of 24%. In 2017 our goal is to double the response rate to at least 48%. The survey will be finalized in mid-2017 and more communication will follow.

Our second goal is to increase the reach of our alumni database. Staying well informed on all the activities that are going on with our program is very easy thanks to social media. The Executive MBA staff goes to great lengths to make this program a success. Let’s do our part by encouraging our classmates to maintain their contact information with the program. I will be reaching out to the class presidents and vice presidents in the very near future to help us reconnect with our alumni.

The last goal is one that we hope carries over into 2019, which coincides with the 100th Anniversary of the Culverhouse College of Commerce. With our graduating EMBA classes in 2016, the program has a total of 853 EMBA alums. If the program graduates an average of approximately 50 students over the next 3 years, we will reach the milestone of having 1000 alumni graduates. To make this a reality we need to encourage the best and brightest in our industries to pursue their continued education and development as a professional in the EMBA Program. Any alum referring someone who enrolls in the program will receive a special gift.

Paulk Reflects on Honor to Serve as President of the EMBA Alumni Network

• November 8th, 2016
• in EMBA Alumni Network

As is often the case, whenever we stop to reflect on the past year, it seems to have gone by so fast. We rarely notice time as it is passing with all of the things going on in our busy lives. And so it is as the Culverhouse College of Commerce Executive MBA Alumni Network at The University of Alabama turns the page on another year.

Looking back, your board accomplished a lot. We held events, like the tailgate, lunches, and family day, where people got to network while having a great time. We contributed to continuing education by hosting our annual conference and participating in various activities with the University, including the Business Analytics Symposium. We have supported the development of the Executive MBA Program by recruiting exceptional prospective students and promoting a new endowed scholarship. We also welcomed our newest class of alumni in the spring.
It was an honor to serve as President of our EMBA Alumni Network, but it was a greater honor to work with your Board of Directors. Each person put forth a great effort to further the mission of the EMBA Alumni Network.

I want to especially thank Mike Ross (TEMBA 1989) our former president and Beckie Crawford (TEMBA 2013), our former secretary-treasurer. Their service and leadership has helped us make great strides over the past few years.

While we have accomplished a lot, I feel that our network is only just beginning to fulfill its potential. I would urge everyone in the EMBA Alumni Network to get involved in any way that you can, whether it’s attending an event, contributing to the endowment, or just promoting the EMBA program to your colleagues.

We have many opportunities in the years ahead and you have elected some wonderful individuals who will carry on this important work. I look forward to working with the current Board as we build on the momentum we have created.
Roll Tide!

Benjamin Paulk (TEMBA 2012) served as President of the EMBA Alumni Network Board for 2016 and is currently serving as 2017 Past President on the board.

For more information on The University of Alabama EMBA Program, contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or call 205.348.4501.

Predictive Modeling and Data Mining Trends Highlights EMBA Alumni Network Conference

• October 20th, 2016
• in EMBA Alumni Network

This year the Executive MBA Alumni Network held its Annual Conference in conjunction with the Culverhouse College of Commerce’s Business Analytics Symposium.  EMBA alumni and students joined over 200 attendees on October 13-14 at the Bryant Conference Center at The University of Alabama. Two keynote speakers and 10 sessions at the 2016 Executive MBA conference offered insights on exploring analytics in today’s corporate world as well as emerging trends in forecasting and predictive modeling and their implications for business. Sessions also covered operations research, data mining and statistics and their usage in fields including sports, healthcare, weather and finance.

Peter Keating, a senior writer at ESPN kicked off the symposium sharing stories from his “Numbers” column covering statistics which rate pro teams, NCAA tournament upsets and his pioneering work on concussions exposing how the National Football League deals with brain injuries.
Martha Hoover Crombie of The Crombie Group, a leading healthcare data consultant exposed the participants to RealTime Medicare Data where you are able to virtually walk with people as they progress from the doctor’s office to the emergency room, and from the operating table to the hospital bed.

Keynote speaker James Spann transported us back to the tragic Super Tornado Outbreak of April 27 in Alabama that claimed 64 lives including six University of Alabama students. Spann’s words were powerful as he cautioned to never forget that “there are people behind the numbers.”

The annual conference is an excellent way for our alumni to recommit themselves to their educational development and collegiate network. Seeing all the people, feeling the energy and learning about everyone’s success stories, as well as their challenges, can energize and motivate.

According to Pritha Powell (TEMBA 2016), Vice President, Corporate Marketing Strategist at Regions Financial Corporation, “The Business Analytics Symposium was an informative event that I would highly encourage others to attend. The sessions were led by forward-thinking and inspirational leaders from a wide-variety of industries. It was also a great opportunity to reconnect with classmates and meet other EMBA alumni and current students. I look forward to attending it again next year!”

In addition, there were tracks on data science and how to build a startup, analytics leadership, applications in banking, marketing and sales, and results from the Dow Challenge and MERCK National Student Competitions winners. The conference also featured the Executive MBA Alumni Network Dinner highlighting the “Year in Review” of alumni events held throughout 2016 by outgoing President Ben Paulk, and our 2017 Plans for the Future by incoming Board President Russell Shamburger.

The 2016 Board members were recognized as well as board members transitioning off this year: Beckie Crawford (TEMBA 2013), Vice President-Finance with Southern Medical Health Systems, who served as Secretary-Treasurer and Michael Ross (TEMBA 1989), Central Region President & Chief Commercial Officer for Renasant Corporation and Past President of EMBA Alumni Network Board.

The 2017 Board Members:
Russell Shamburger (TEMBA 2004), President
Ben Paulk (TEMBA 2012), Past President
Mike Brost (HEMBA 2015)
Russ Elrod (HEMBA 2013)
Jennifer Thomas (TEMBA 2014)

The EMBA Alumni Network’s annual conference is still a key event that our alumni find great value in attending. We continue to think strategically about the educational and networking events that we hold throughout the year. These programs are not something we take lightly because we understand it has potential implications and huge benefits for our members. So for those of you who attended this year’s conference, I hope you find a way to sustain the excitement, the vibrancy that you felt, and use it as motivation to make the 2017 conference an important event to attend and to encourage classmates to join us next year. For those of you who could not make the conference this year, we look forward to seeing you next year. Roll Tide UA EMBAs!

–Donna Blackburn, Director, Executive MBA Program

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

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.