Jenkins Graduate School Report

by Steve Allen, Associate Dean

Wednesday, Dec 03, 2008

I am pleased to present this report of the Jenkins Graduate School of Management, my first such report to our alumni and friends of the college since the school was named by the University Board of Trustees in fall 2007. The naming was made in recognition of a generous gift commitment from Benjamin Jenkins, (’68) vice chairman and president of the General Bank, Wachovia.

This fall, we launched the first new graduate program within the Jenkins Graduate School – our new Master of Global Innovation Management (MGIM). The MGIM program was taught in in the fall semester at our partner school near Aix-en-Provence, France, with most classes being held in the building shown in the photo above. This program is designed for students with a technical undergraduate program who are interested in adding business knowledge and experience in a global business setting – an approach that resonates with Ben Jenkins, who has a bachelor’s degree in textiles from NC State. After two years’ experience, they can come back to the Jenkins Grad School to work toward their MBA degree, with one additional year of study.

The Jenkins Graduate School – and the college as a whole – is taking steps to develop additional international study opportunities. You can read about that in the Growing Global section of this report.

Changes in the global marketplace are also leading to new graduate courses. One new course coming on line in January 2009 is a health sciences course on Macro Issues and Trends in Global Health Care Markets, being taught by Leslie Alexandre, professor of practice and director of health care and life sciences corporate relations. The new course is part of the MBA program’s BioSciences Management concentration. New courses in enterprise risk management were added last year, as a concentration in ERM for MAC students, and as electives for MBA students. In the Graduate Economics Program, we are completing work on a degree in financial economics to be offered beginning in fall 2009.

We also have launched a series of one credit-hour tightly focused graduate courses. Classes are held on Saturdays, typically for one to three full or half-day sessions, making it convenient for our students to attend. This year’s short course topics are: Leadership Communication Essentials; Business Development; Forecasting and Pro Forma Financial Statements; Enterprise Risk Management; Strategic Cost Management; Business Valuation; The Leadership Challenge; Divesting or Acquiring a Business; Exploring the Subprime Mortgage Disaster, and Strategic Cost Management.

While coursework provides the knowledge and skills our students need for success in today’s marketplace, we also recognize the importance of having a solid career development plan. Our professional career resources staff are continually researching and making available the best in interview and career building tools and techniques, including online interview skills building tools, coursework that helps them hone their communication, presentation and interview skills, career advising by our professional career resources team, and participation in professional networking and targeted career conferences. Our career resources staff are also working with a growing number of recruiters to provide interview opportunities for our students.

I welcome you to learn more about our programs by visiting us online or by stopping by when you are in town. Recruiters interested in connecting with our students for internship and full time positions are encouraged to contact our Career Resources Office. Follow the Employers link at the top of the page to reach our career resources contact directory. Follow the links below to learn more about our individual graduate programs.

Regards,
Steve Allen
Associate Dean, NC State Jenkins Graduate School of Management