The University of St. Thomas

Full-time UST MBA students reach Class Gift goal

Full-time UST MBA Class of 2012

In just the second year of the Full-time UST MBA Class Gift program, students in the program already have set an unbreakable record – 100-percent participation in its Class Gift campaign.

With the contributions of students, alumni and a matching gift from Dr. Christopher Puto, dean of the Opus College of Business, the 2012 Full-time UST MBA class has raised $25,632. The students plan to use the money to update the breakout rooms in the commons area in Terrence Murphy Hall with new furniture and technology in order to enhance the student experience. Read the rest of this entry »

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Published on: Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Posted in FTMBA, Student Life | No Comments »

Two of “the most talented professors at UST” Honored with Achievement Awards

The Opus College of Business prides itself on the quality of its faculty. In keeping with this pride, two awards are presented annually to recognize faculty achievement.

The Julie Hays Teaching Award is given to an OCB faculty member for exemplary achievement in the classroom in the previous academic year. Awarded since 2010, the Hays Award was presented to James Shovein this month.

James Shovein“Professor Shovein is among the most talented professors at the University of St. Thomas,” wrote one nominating student. “He has a knack for bringing core concepts and real world experience together. His classes are not only enjoyable to attend but also make learning seem natural and easy while continually challenging and expecting the most out of students.”

The Susan E. Heckler Research Excellence Award recognizes outstanding faculty achievement in research. The Heckler Award was given for the first time in May 2012 to Dr. Avinash Malshe.

Avinash Malshe“His work stood out among a strong pool of candidates for its ability to contribute to both the academic discussions and provide real guidance to managers struggling with a difficult problems, such as designing and managing the interface between sales and marketing, another nominator wrote. “He exemplifies what we were hoping to honor with the Susan Heckler Award for Research Excellence”

Congratulations to these accomplished members of our faculty!

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Published on: Monday, May 14th, 2012

Posted in Faculty | No Comments »

Christopher Puto, Ph.D. agrees to stay on as Dean of Opus College of Business

Dr. Christopher Puto has agreed to remain as dean of the Opus College of Business (OCB) for another year while a search for the next dean is under way. In addition, St. Thomas alumnus and trustee Timothy P. Flynn, recently retired chairman of KPMG International, has agreed to chair the Executive Committee of the Opus Strategic Board of Governors.

Puto announced in February that he intended to step down as dean on June 30 and transition to full-time faculty member. Father Dennis Dease, president, and Dr. Susan Huber, executive vice president and chief academic officer, along with the Opus Strategic Board of Governors, have asked Puto to remain in his position while the search for his successor is conducted.

“The OCB has made tremendous strides over the past few years,” Huber said, referring to the 2011 accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and the recent No. 104 ranking in U.S. News & World Report. “By Chris remaining as dean until a successor is chosen, we will be able to continue the momentum created by the recent accreditation and ranking.”

Read the complete news release »

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Published on: Friday, May 11th, 2012

Posted in Faculty, leadership | 1 Comment »

Combine Business with Philanthropy: Hearts & Hammers Project Day

The Graduate Business Alumni community will be participating in a Hearts & Hammers project on Saturday, June 2. Hearts & Hammers  is a nonprofit organization that provides home improvement assistance to elderly or disabled homeowners in the Twin Cities area so they may continue living independently.   If you are unable to take part in our project, you can make a donation to support Hearts & Hammers.

Check out photos from last year’s event Read the rest of this entry »

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Published on: Thursday, May 10th, 2012

Posted in Alumni, Environment, Ethics, leadership | No Comments »

Ask the consultant: Advice for creating a blog?

Question

I’m a massage therapist with decent writing and technical skills. I’m considering a blog for marketing and educating clients about massage therapy. As a first-time blogger, what’s the best way to approach this project?

SARAH SNIDER
New Feeling Therapeutic Massage

Answer:

As someone who has published a blog monthly since 1999, I understand the purpose of the blog you are suggesting — assuring you and your practice remain top-of-mind when clients need massage services. For the marketing-oriented blogger, start with two key elements: audience and content.

You need to know your target for a couple of reasons: how will your blog get in front of them; and what are their needs/interests (which leads to content). Read the rest of this entry »

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Published on: Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Posted in Media, social media, UST MBC | No Comments »

What Would You Do? UCare’s Ethical Dilemma

This post is from The Business Ethics Exchange, the newsletter from the Center for Ethical Business Cultures. Let us know your opinion in the comments.

“No good deed goes unpunished.” That’s the message Nancy Feldman, president and CEO of UCare gave to the commissioner of Human Services for the State of Minnesota as her organization returned profits (surplus gains for a nonprofit) to the state. Speaking to a packed house at the 12th Annual Minnesota Business Ethics Awards co-sponsored by the Center for Ethical Business Cultures, Feldman provided insights into her organization’s ethical culture, an ethical dilemma UCare faced and the resulting aftermath following its decision to return $30 million of gains to the State of Minnesota.

UCare is a unique health plan serving 225,000 low-income families and children, and Medicare and Medicaid members in Minnesota. Of its $1.7 billion in revenue last year, 40 percent came from state government and 60 percent from the federal government, placing government in the dual role of regulator and purchaser of its services. As the leader of this mission-based nonprofit, Feldman personally meets with all new employees to plant the seeds of the UCare mission and values into their hearts and minds. Integrity is the first key value. Read the rest of this entry »

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Published on: Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Posted in Commentary, Ethics, Health Care MBA, Local business | No Comments »

Say Goodbye to the Balance Burden

Maggie Tomas of UST’s Graduate Business Career Services office recently wrote this post on the Women of HR Blog.

“The balance what?” you ask.

I am referring to the burden and guilt trip we give ourselves each day over our attempt, and quite often failure, to balance all aspects (mom, caretaker, professional, student, friend etc.) of our lives.

I call it the Balance Burden and, truly, I spent my first year and a half of motherhood often riddled with guilt because I couldn’t seem to juggle it all. It wasn’t until the birth of my second daughter (18 months after my first) that I finally threw my hands up and admitted defeat.

With the slow realization and acceptance that balance was unattainable came a sudden relief, and the mommy baggage was quickly lifted off my five-foot two-inch frame.

In the days (specifically 20 months) since becoming a mom of two amazing, extremely energetic, and willful little girls, I have learned a few things about the best approaches for me to manage my multiple roles. I learned most of these lessons the hard way, as in coming home from work stressed about an undone project, only to be a bit cranky and short-tempered with my family followed by a sleepless night feeling downright crummy for not being a better worker, spouse, and namely mom.

Through trial and error I have discovered that these tips work for me and I hope they are of value to you. Read the tips on the Women of HR Blog »

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Published on: Monday, May 7th, 2012

Posted in Career Services, Commentary | No Comments »

Kentucky Derby – Doping in Equestrian Sports – 5 Questions for Prof. Wendt

In light of this weekend’s Kentucky Derby, we talked with John Wendt, JD,  associate professor in the ethics and business law department about his research in equestrian sports. His article “The FEI and The Continuing Fight Against Doping in Equestrian Sport” was recently accepted for publication by the International Sports Law Journal.     

Q. Why is the fight against doping in equestrian sport significant?

A. Protecting the health and well-being of athletes is essential. The fight against doping in sport is based on the fundamental assumption that athletes want to compete on a fair and level playing field free of performance enhancing substances. The fight against doping goes to the very heart and soul of sport, that is, the integrity of sport.

Most recently I looked at issue of performance enhancing drugs in equestrian sport. Either because of confusion or deliberate actions, a number of horses have tested positive and have been disqualified with embarrassing results. Equestrian sport is also unique because it involves animal and human athletes working together as a team and there is recognition that horses are competitive athletes who deserve the greatest care and whose welfare is paramount.

Q. Why is this topic of interest to you?

A. I was incredibly fortunate to be a competitive athlete. My graduate training is in law and sports and I am also fortunate to serve on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The CAS is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland and is often referred to as “sport’s supreme court.” It has only about 300 arbitrators from 87 countries, chosen for their specialist knowledge of arbitration and sports law. Read the rest of this entry »

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Published on: Friday, May 4th, 2012

Posted in Faculty | No Comments »

5 Habits That Can Create Lasting Positive Change (and Success) #TED

From TED: We believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In this fast-moving and entertaining talk from TEDxBloomington, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity.

When our brains are at “happy” that positivity will ripple out to others and can increase productivity. Here are Achor’s 5 simple changes/habits that can create lasting positive change: Read the rest of this entry »

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Published on: Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

Posted in biztube, Commentary | No Comments »

Evening UST MBA Program Pioneers Change – Again

As director of the Evening UST MBA Program and a proud 2009 alumnus, I know firsthand the challenges of completing a rigorous graduate program while balancing a full-time job with other family and personal responsibilities. My wife and I both earned M.B.A.s while working full-time, and our weeknights were often filled by our two kids’ school activities, soccer games and dance practices. I know many of our classroom peers had similar situations and demanding jobs requiring frequent travel and evening work. How could we fit in our MBA study?

For current and prospective UST MBA students facing such schedule challenges, I am excited about the new blended learning options we’ve been developing. UST MBA blended courses will offer the same high-quality, engaging and rigorous learning experience we’ve always offered, but will provide schedule flexibility by leveraging innovative instructional technologies to complement less frequent classroom meetings. Students enrolled in blended courses will only physically attend five, four-hour classroom meetings during the term, but must have ready access to a computer with high- speed Internet services for online interactions with their instructor and classmates during the time between in-person meetings.
Read the rest of this entry »

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Published on: Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Posted in EveningMBA | Comments Off

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