APPLIED Doctorate Approved - Metrostate.edu the bachelor’s degree and offering ... strongest online selections in the MnSCU system. ... into a successful proposal that

A newsletter for students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the College of Management

DBA Approved: Program Begins Summer 2010

In February, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) approved the applied Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program. This decision completes a nearly three-year period of development and review for the DBA,

the state’s first part-time business doctoral program delivered by a public higher education institution. The DBA is built on a foundation of master’s-level business courses. It offers advanced business education to prepare experienced practitioners for higher education teaching,professional consulting and upper-management positions. “We are delighted with the HLC approval,” said Gary Seiler, dean of the College of Management (COM). “It recognizes the hard work we’ve put into developing the program, and the need for it in the business community.”

The DBA Steering Committee has identified an agenda of important activities for 2010 spring and summer semesters. Program marketing andpromotion began in March, with applications being accepted from prospective students until June 1. The college will recruit an AdvisoryCommittee of business leaders and experts to offer advice on key development tasks, such as marketing and promotion, approaches for building

APPLIED Doctorate Approved

Spring 2010 • Vol. 12, No. 1

Tim Delmont

Continued on page 3

COM FinanceProfessor Retiresby Gary Seiler, Dean

IN Appreciation ofDean Gary Seilerby William J. Lowe, Provost

Continued on pages 4 Continued on page 2

For anyone associated with the MetropolitanState College of Management, it is difficult to

imagine COM without Dr. Gary Seiler as dean. Characteristically,Dean Seiler has announced his plans not to retire, but to return toteaching in COM. Seiler was appointed dean in 1996 (first asinterim dean, and in 1998, as dean) and it has been a pleasure towork with him since I arrived at the university in 2003. Few woulddisagree that, under his leadership, the college is associated withenergy, innovation, and the continuous effort to find ever moreeffective ways to serve students and ensure their academic success.

It should not be at all surprising that Dean Seiler plans to return tofull-time teaching. Teaching and student learning compriseMetropolitan State’s first priority, and Dean Seiler has worked tomake sure that faculty colleagues have the tools and professionaldevelopment opportunities that they need to provide their students

Gary SeilerKenneth Zapp, finance professor anddepartment chair, is retiring in August 2010.

Ken Zapp’s retirement gives us an opportunity to reflect on thedevelopment of the College of Management and our graduateprograms. Ken joined Metropolitan State as the first resident facultymember in the university’s first graduate program, the Master ofManagement and Administration (MMA) in May 1984. Coursestaught by community faculty had begun the previous month.

The MMA degree served students in three sectors: profit, nonprofitand public. Modeled after the university’s undergraduate degree inwhich adult students designed their own programs, the MMA affordedstudents significant flexibility: only six of the 13 courses were required.Students chose the remaining courses to serve their unique careerneeds. Ken’s first task was to design the course in which studentsdesigned their degree plans after completing several assessments.

Kenneth Zapp

by Tim Delmont, Director, COM Graduate Program

2 COMmunications • Spring 2010

with active, engaged, substantive learningexperiences that they can put to use in theirdaily and professional lives. It is no surprise thatCOM students are, when measured againstnational benchmarks, achieving well in ademanding, high-quality program, which isevident by the very effective assessment programimplemented during his time as dean.

It is not an accident that COM has the largest(and growing) enrollments in the university,because the college has undertaken a number ofimpressive academic initiatives with Dean Seiler’sleadership. New concentrations and tracks havebeen added to COM degree programs to reflectdevelopments in the business and professionalenvironment and to be attractive to the manytransfer students who choose Metropolitan State.He has worked hard to cultivate good workingrelationships with the 10 MnSCU colleges in theMetro Alliance, pioneering the BAS approach togiving AAS graduates an attractive option tocomplete the bachelor’s degree and offeringdegree-completion programs in businessadministration and accounting on MetroAlliance campuses. COM has also embraced thepossibilities for online learning. A large numberof COM courses are now available online andsix undergraduate and three graduate programs(including the MBA) are offered, one of thestrongest online selections in the MnSCUsystem. Reflecting the strength of theMetropolitan State accounting program, theMinnesota Society of CPAs recommends theMBA as the preferred program for its membersand hosts courses at its facilities. COM hascontinued to be active in developinginternational partnerships, particularly withTaiwan, and new initiatives are in motion inSingapore and India.

In 2007 Metropolitan State became a doctoraluniversity with the introduction of the appliedDoctorate in Nursing Practice as part of a four-university MnSCU consortium. The university

will offer a first doctoral degree in its own right,now that the Higher Learning Commissionapproval has been secured. In the year thatDean Seiler plans to leave the dean’s position, itis very appropriate that it will be the year theDoctorate in Business Administration is secured.Dean Seiler worked very hard with his COMfaculty colleagues to turn the initial approachfrom a business sector partner (the MinnesotaSociety of CPAs) into a successful proposal thatwon approval through rigorous MnSCU andHigher Learning Commission review processes.With so much activity, even in the last fewmonths, we would hardly know that Dean Seilerplans to step down.

Another distinctive feature of Dean Seiler’sleadership in the college is the collegial workingrelationships and atmosphere of teamworkamong COM faculty, administrators, advisorsand staff.

The sense of humor with which he approacheshis work helps to enhance the professionalenvironment. A good example of the spirit ofthe College of Management that Dean Seiler has worked so hard to cultivate is witnessed each spring at the Graduate Dinner, whereCOM faculty, alumni and graduate studentsgather. The Graduate Dinner is one of theannual university events to which my wife and Ilook forward the most.

Dean Gary Seiler will be missed by the Collegeof Management, the university, the business andprofessional community and COM alumni. Weare grateful for the enthusiasm and commitmentthat he brought to the dean’s office andeverything that he has accomplished. I thinkthat his colleagues will agree that as it is said inIreland, his like will not be seen again. I knowthat all of Dean Seiler’s colleagues, friends,alumni and students join me in thanking himfor all of his fine work on behalf of MetropolitanState University. We look forward to having hiscontinuing contribution as a COM professor.

IN Appreciation of Seiler continued

“Be sure you have completed all prerequisites before you register for a course.”

IN This Issue

Applied Doctorate Approved..1, 3

Professor Ken Zapp Retires.....1, 4

Provost’s Comments................1, 2

Dean’s Comments ...............3, 5, 6

Did You Know? ...........................3

COM Mission Statement ............5

Interesting Facts ..........................6

A Faculty Member’s Dean...........7

Outstanding Student Awards ....8

Undergraduate Student Focus...9

Testing Center .............................9

Tutoring Services .........................9

Alumni Highlights.....................10

International Programs ............11

Attention AccountingPractitioners ...........................11

Newsletter Available Online....11

Ongoing Day Programs............12

Newsworthy Article ..................12

Faculty Articles ....................12, 13

Graduate Corner ........................14

Annual Spring Dinner ..............14

Travelers Pathways Update......14

Advising Updates ......................15

COMmunications • Spring 2010 3

partnerships with organizations to supportdoctoral-level applied research projects. Thecommittee will also review strategies forrecruiting community and experts for directinvolvement in the DBA program, such as coteaching courses, serving on subcommitteesreviewing research projects, or helping to planprogram activities.

During spring semester, the DBA SteeringCommittee will also finalize plans for studentadvising services, especially for dissertationprojects, define the requirements and proceduresof the dissertation research project, and selectpreliminary methods for measuring studentlearner outcomes for the DBA program. Withthese activities completed, students will betterunderstand the requirements and expectations ofthe program and the quality of the DBA will beenhanced.

In the first two weeks of June, the DBAAdmissions Committee will select the first set of

14–20 doctoral students. In July these studentswill participate in an orientation and a refresherquantitative skills workshop to brush up onskills useful in the academic program and thedissertation research project. COM will offerthe first two doctoral business courses in fallsemester, with course loads of one and twocourses alternating over the next five consecutivesemesters. A comprehensive examination and work on the dissertation research projectwill follow.

While there is much work ahead, we have reasonto be proud of our accomplishments thus far.We are prepared to build on them to deliver afirst-rate doctoral program for COM students.

For additional information about the programand application procedures, contact ShanaVonRuden at 612.659.7290 [email protected] orhttp://choose.metrostate.edu/comgradprograms.

DEAN’S Commentsby Gary Seiler, Dean, College of Management

“Prerequisites will be enforced.”

In some ways I feel like Tom Sawyer when he attended his own funeral. Manycolleagues and others are saying such very nice things about me related to my

tenure as dean of the College of Management and the accomplishments that havebeen achieved. This is most gratifying to hear—my cup overflows. However, myaccomplishments over the past 14 years as the dean belong to all of us and have been possible onlybecause of the seemingly tireless work of all the faculty and staff of the college. I have expected much from them and they gave much. The support I have received from thesehard-working individuals has been absolutely incredible, and I shall be eternally grateful for theiroutstanding efforts and support.

I also want to report that the future of the college is bright. Our enrollments are at an all-time high,and we continue to add new and exciting academic programs. The achievements of our students andalumni give us great pride, our resident and community faculty are focused on providing our studentswith high-quality academic programs, and our office and advising staffs continue their highlyprofessional approach to providing support for our students and faculty. Three particularly importantprojects are in their early stages, and I would like to briefly highlight each of these.

APPLIED Doctorate continued

Gary Seiler

Continued on page 5

DID You Know…Patrick Flahaven, former

secretary of the Minnesota

Senate, is a Metropolitan

State graduate? He

received his Master of

Management and

Administration in 1992

and his Master of Business

Administration in 1999.

See the featured article in

the alumni magazine, BUZZ,

Spring 2009, Volume 1,

No. 2 for more information:

http://www.metrostate.edu/

msweb/community/alumni/b

uzz_magazine.html.


Later this course was called Professional Development for Managers.That summer he inaugurated his infamous grad finance course.

In researching MBA type programs, Ken found that Colorado StateUniversity (CSU) required a professional paper for graduation. Unlikea traditional research paper in which hypotheses were tested, the CSUpaper focused on applied topics which solved real work problems. Hedeveloped this concept into the master’s paper required for MMAstudents. While students who completed the project often claimed itto be their best learning experience, it did not prove to be a positivemarketing tool. Many prospective students chose other programs outof fear of this requirement.

At the end of the spring 1984 quarter, Ken organized a reception forstudents and staff in the penthouse suite of the History Museum. Saint Paul Mayor George Latimer was the featured speaker. This eventbecame the annual Graduate Program Dinner. Five years later hearranged for the CEO of Northwest Airlines to speak at the dinner at the University Club in Saint Paul. N.W.A. flight attendants were on strike at the time, and one of them attended the dinner as guest of a student. Her dramatic challenge to the CEO during the questionperiod gave us all a lesson in labor relations.

During this period resident faculty members coordinated severalcommunity faculty as part of their duties. Ken is most proud that heconvinced two community faculty members to become resident facultywho have become academic leaders in the college: Janet Henquinetand David Bouchard. He was also instrumental in hiring FredManzara, Steve Lundine and Dorothy Marcic.

When the first MMA director left for other opportunities, Ken servedas interim director during 1987–1988. He repeated this service foranother year, 1993–1994, as interim dean. In this period Ken taughtseveral courses: Finance, Economics for Managers, Master’s PaperDevelopment, Managing People, Professional Development forManagers, Comparative Management Systems, Strategic Finance andEconomics of Social Issues. Later he developed the MBA courseManagerial Economics and Strategy.

During the 1992–1993 academic year, Ken served as FacultyAssociation president. Then university President Tobin Barrozodecided to restructure the faculty into colleges. He felt that prospectiveundergraduate students wanted more traditional academic majors. Thefounding faculty members rebelled; they wanted to preserve theindividualized program which had won the university national acclaim

for its innovation. Ken found the compromise: a new college (whichbecame First College) would continue the individualized programswhile the other colleges (Arts and Sciences, Community andProfessional Studies, and Management) would provide students themajors they desired.

While interim dean of the college in 1993–1994, Ken initiated aprogram with Tamkang University in Taiwan. Since then we haveconferred degrees on more than 900 Taiwan students from severaluniversities there. At first, resident and community faculty memberstaught accelerated courses in Taiwan, and now the Taiwan studentscome to Minnesota for their courses. As the college’s coordinator ofinternational programs, he started exchange programs with the Schoolsof Business, Stockholm University and Bremen University in Germany.

Later Ken served as chair of several departments in the college:Economics, Finance and International Business; Economics; and thenthe department as a whole. He also was graduate program director forseveral years. As Grievance Office for the Faculty Association, he wasable to avoid filing formal grievances by finding ways to solve problems“behind the scene.”

Ken’s outside work has frequently earned publicity for the college anduniversity. During the late 1980s he represented consumers in fourutility rate cases before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.When the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe transformedtheir economies, Ken’s efforts in former Yugoslavia and Poland werewidely covered in the media. From year 2000–2006 Ken wasappointed Honorary Consul for the Republic of Slovenia. Most of hismedia visibility, however, has come from his lobbying and writing onsocial issues. He is a recognized authority on sports stadium fundingand cell phone use while driving.

During Ken’s last three years in the college, he has contributed to twokey projects. He was the key supporter of the development of theDBA which will begin this year. His energy and commitment helpedmake this exciting program possible. As department chair he has alsoled the assessment of the undergraduate programs. His committee hasredesigned the outcomes and developed effective assessment processes.

While Ken’s presence on the faculty will be missed, he says that it istime to allow (or force) others to assume new roles. Often a person’sabilities are not fully appreciated until an opportunity which utilizesthem arises. Thank you, Ken, for one more opportunity and forshowing all of us how to make a difference!

FINANCE Professor Zapp Retires continued



Strategic Planning: The college is in the processof (developing) strategic planning for the next three to five years that will guide our futuredevelopment within the parameters of theuniversity’s strategic plan. Goals and strategiesare being discussed by the faculty this springterm and will result in a strategic plan that willbe implemented in the following years. Theplan will address strategies related to growth in enrollments and new programs, qualityimprovement initiatives, expansion of facultypositions, operations and activities in the collegeand other factors. This strategic plan willaddress all levels within the college—undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate—andfaculty and staff will be responsible fordeveloping and implementing the strategies and actions needed to accomplish the goals.

Applied Doctorate: There are a number ofinitiatives that must be undertaken in the nextfew months to support the new applied doctoralprogram (see Dr. Delmont’s article in thisnewsletter). Several faculty members will beworking through this spring and summer toensure that when the first cohort of studentsarrives in the fall term for classes, everything willbe ready for them. This Doctorate in BusinessAdministration is the first “free-standing”doctoral degree program at Metropolitan State(the nursing doctorate is offered by a consortiumof MnSCU universities). The DBA will haveimpacts throughout the College of Managementand the university. For example, library servicesaimed at supporting student and facultydoctoral-level research in business will berequired. The MBA program is likely to attractmore registrations as students who need anMBA or specific prerequisite courses foradmission into the doctoral program enroll. It is also likely to positively affect the way peopleview Metropolitan State and to strengthen itsimage in the business community. Stronger tiesto businesses and other universities will also

COM MissionStatementMetropolitan State

University’s College of

Management (COM) offers

student-centered

undergraduate, graduate,

and continuing education

programs in the Twin Cities

metropolitan area and

beyond. These programs are

designed to serve a diverse

student population with an

applied, globally oriented

curriculum empowering them

to achieve career goals as

ethical and strategic leaders

and managers in business,

government and nonprofit

organizations.

Continued on page 6

be a by-product of the new program. These are just a few of the likely effects of the DBA.This important program will require supportfrom functions throughout the university.

Quality Initiatives: The Teaching Academy of the College of Management began fall term2008 with workshops aimed at improving thequality of teaching throughout all of ourprograms. We have offered workshops to bothresident and community faculty in areas such as Peer Review of Online Courses (MPNA);Creating Interactive Online Course Sites;Teaching and Technology; ContinuousImprovement Initiatives in the MarketingProgram; and Leading Discussions in Onlineand On-site Classes. The Teaching Academywill undertake a new expanded COM facultyorientation for new community faculty toensure that they have a knowledge of the toolsand information needed to successfully teachCOM courses. This will be a requiredworkshop for all new community faculty in the college and will be offered every term in the future.

The reaction of the participants of the TeachingAcademy (TA) workshops presented thus farhas been highly enthusiastic. Participants aregiven a learning transcript which documentstheir completion of each TA workshop. In thefuture, the TA activities will be available notonly to COM faculty, but also faculty fromother colleges in the university, and also tostudents in the applied doctoral program whomay be interested in pursuing a teaching careerafter they graduate.

Beyond the Teaching Academy, futureadditional quality initiatives aimed not only at teaching but at all aspects of the student’sexperience in the College of Management atMetropolitan State will result from the StrategicPlan discussed above.

DEAN’S Comments continued


Top Accomplishments: Someone recently askedme what I considered the top accomplishmentsduring my tenure as dean of the College ofManagement. It is very difficult to select oneover another, but some of the things that cameto mind almost immediately include thefollowing:

• Online Learning opportunities for students.Close to one-third of the registrations in theCollege of Management are in online courses.Not only are many of our courses andprograms online, so too are many otherresources and support areas. Advising,tutoring, library services, registration,orientation and bookstore are a few of theonline services to which students (bothonline and in-class) have online access.Metropolitan State’s online programs are themost advanced of all the MnSCUuniversities, and we are looking for ways toimprove the online learning experience forstudents continuously.

• Building Business Partnerships withorganizations like the Minnesota Society ofCPAs, Schwan’s Food Company, Wells Fargo,Ford, Travelers and others are importantelements of our efforts to connect tobusiness, government, and nonprofitorganizations. Our success in thesepartnerships has been outstanding, and therelationships we have developed with severalof these organizations are enduring andhighly beneficial for students and faculty.

• Working with Metro Alliance Schools hasresulted in a symbiotic relationship thatcreates a network of higher educationinstitutions focused on serving the unmetneeds of students throughout themetropolitan Twin Cities. Because of theserelationships with community and technicalcolleges, we are able to offer our upper

DEAN’S Comments continued


division classes at most of the partnerinstitution campuses. This encouragestransfer into our business programs from thetwo-year colleges and permits us to be closerto our students in areas where they live andwork. COM has been the leader in thesecollaborations.

• Grants to Support COM Programs since1998 have resulted in close to six milliondollars worth of grants for programs such asonline learning and informationmanagement. These highly competitivegrants have enabled us to be innovative andto develop and retain a leading edge in manyof our business programs.

• Applied Doctorate, while still in its earlydevelopment stages, promises to give us acompetitive edge in the hypercompetitiveeducation market of the Twin Cities.

I acknowledge and thank the faculty and staff ofthe College of Management for making many ofthese achievements possible.

As should be evident from the above, excitingthings are happening and will continue after Ileave. It has been such a pleasure working withall of you over the last 14 years. I shall return,after one year of leave/sabbatical, to teach andadvise in the undergraduate, master’s and newapplied doctorate programs. I look forward toseeing and working with many of you in mynew role.


INTERESTINGFactsOn first day of the new term,

Jan. 11, there were several

interesting registration facts to

point out. Note that the 10th

day of the term is the data

that is reported to the system

office. However, it is

interesting to look at the data

on the first day of class before

the drop with full refund date.

1. The 5,287 registrations for

COM courses is an all-time

high.

2. This represents a growth of

4.8 percent over last spring

term (10th day).

3. Graduate enrollments have

increased by 9.1 percent

over last spring term.

4. The online enrollments are

up 18.6 percent over last

spring.

5. One curriculum unit,

Management, is currently

over 1,000 registrations.

6. Fall 2009, Accounting, also

hit 1,000 registrations.

Faculty Has Confidence in Their DeanBy Kenneth Zapp, Professor and Chair, COM

Gary Seiler will return to the faculty of the College ofManagement next year after serving as dean since 1996.

He had first accepted the position as interim dean following thedeparture of Dr. Ming te Lu, who left Metropolitan State Universityfor a university in Hong Kong. At the conclusion of a formal searchfor a new dean, senior faculty members realized that we had what thecollege needed in Gary. Their petition to the university resulted inthe word “interim” being dropped from Gary’s title.

Gary had joined the undergraduate business faculty at the universityin 1989. He had previously served as professor and department chairat the College (now university) of St.Catherine (St. Kate’s). At St. Kate’s he helpeddevelop their Weekend College, which wasdesigned to serve working adults. Hisacademic work in business strategy at theUniversity of Minnesota (BS, MBA andPhD) combined with his 16 years’ experienceat St. Kate’s prepared him perfectly for thechallenges at Metropolitan State.

When Gary arrived at Metropolitan State, theundergraduate students developed their ownstudy plans within loose frameworks of career directions. Garyquickly tackled the task of developing more formalized degreeexpectations within business fields. Shortly thereafter, new universityPresident Tobin Barrozo reorganized the university’s faculty, creatingseparate colleges and combining the undergraduate and graduatebusiness faculty members. Gary assumed the leadership of the newly-established management department and helped develop new majorsin Management and Business Administration.

When Dr. Lu became dean of the College of Management in 1994,he named Gary Seiler associate dean. As part of his responsibilities,Gary directed the rapidly growing master’s programs (MBA, MMISand MPNA) in the College of Management.

During his tenure as dean, Gary is most proud of the growth ofenrollments in the business programs, the creation of specialeducational partnerships, the grant funded projects he directed and

the development of the Doctor of BusinessAdministration scheduled to begin this year.He was an early and active supporter of thecollege’s academic programs in Taiwan andtaught there several times.

During this period the college was selected by the Minnesota Societyof Certified Public Accountants to provide a cohort MBA programfor their members. American Express paid the college to develop aspecialized program in financial planning for their employees. TheTravelers Company funded a Risk Management and Insurance Minorin the college. The Schwan Food Company selected the college’sonline undergraduate program in business administration for theirstaff, which are located around the world.

When Governor Pawlenty funded fiveCenters of Excellence, Metropolitan State—and the College of Management—wasawarded one of the centers. The Center forInformation Security now provides expertseminars for IT professionals throughout the state of Minnesota, and the college offersundergraduate and graduate certificates andminors in this vital field.

Under Gary’s leadership, the college has alsocreated the Teaching Academy, which develops specialized training forresident and community faculty. One of College of Management’sspecialties is online learning. The college now has more than 30percent of its registrations in online courses, clearly the direction ofhigher education in the future.

In higher education, many people seek administrative posts for thewrong reasons—status, income, power. Gary was drafted into theposition of dean because the faculty had confidence in him. Heaccepted the job out of a sense of duty. He believed that the collegeand university could serve students better, and we have.

The best thing a faculty member can say about a dean is that he or she is the faculty’s dean. Gary is our dean, and through his work,commitment to student and faculty growth, integrity, and goodnature, he has created a positive work environment for all of us.


GARY SEILER: A Faculty Member’s Dean


Gary Seiler

“The best thing a facultymember can say about a dean is that he or she is the faculty’s dean. Gary is our dean.”

OUTSTANDING Student Awards


Yia Lor, MPNAGraduate Outstanding Student Award

Yia Lor has been chosen as outstanding College of Managementgraduate student for the university’s Fall 2009 Commencement.

• For the past six years Lor has been an academic advisor for theTRiO Educational Talent Search, a national nonprofit thatpromotes higher education to middle and high school students.Lor assists more than 200 students.

• Also during this time, Lor volunteers for Volunteer Income TaxAssistance, a nonprofit effort led by COM’s accounting programthat assists low-income folks with tax preparation.

• Additionally he is volunteering with Take Action Minnesota,assisting the nonprofit on police reform issues

• He is promoting the teaching of a Hmong history curriculum inSaint Paul Public Schools.

Lor’s life story is essential to an understanding of how he came to beour Outstanding Graduate Student. He comes from Laos, and heended up in a Thai refugee camp, where he and his family enduredeight long years in conditions that most of us would find unbearable.He had every reason to be bitter, to believe that justice is best achievedat the point of a gun. But instead, when he came to California, heturned to learning. He earned his high school diploma and continuedhis college education, becoming the first member of his family tograduate from college. He taught high school math in southernCalifornia and became a leader in the Hmong community before he was even 25.

Lor believes that positive change for his people is more likely to comefrom education, informed advocacy, and the stroke of a pen…ratherthan the point of a gun. He continued his leadership in the Hmongcommunity when he moved to the Twin Cities, becoming a churchelder, volunteering in a program that helps low-income residents with their tax returns, and helping to write grants to supportcommunity projects.

Margaret Andre, BA Finance Major, Undergraduate

Outstanding Student Award

The COM Outstanding Student Committee selected MargaretAndre from a group of six finalists to receive the undergraduate

COM Outstanding Student Award for the Fall 2009 Commencement.

Andre completed her first class at Metropolitan State in 1998 whilepregnant with her youngest child. Marge took a break from classes at Metropolitan State in 2001 and 2002 while her husband successfullybattled a life threatening illness. In late 2008, due to a family crisis, shebecame the business manager for the family farm. Andre feels that theknowledge gained from the College of Management was instrumentalin her ability to positively impact the farm’s financial position.

Andre has a strong commitment to the community, and annually sheand her children volunteer as block captains for a number of charityfund-raisers (Heart Association, March of Dimes, American CancerSociety, and so forth). Additionally, she cofounded the GreaterCornelia Neighborhood Association while attending MetropolitanState. Her involvement in the neighborhood association resulted in her participation in a number of city council campaigns.

Prior to Metropolitan State, Andre graduated with an accountingdegree from Dakota County Technical College, winning academichonors. Her success in school and community has clearly translated to her professional life.

Andre has worked in accounting and finance for 25 years, the last 15 for Minnesota Wire, a Saint Paul manufacturer that also performsresearch and development. As finance resource manager, Andresupervises several employees and serves on the company’s strategicplanning, capital expansion and financial planning committees. “Ifever there was a place where you could apply what you are learningfrom college accounting and finance, Minnesota Wire is it,” she said.“There are so many different activities going on here.”

Andre hopes to begin graduate school soon.


Yia Lor Margaret Andre

UNDERGRADUATE Student Focus


Jagdeep Arora, part owner ofGroceries & Deli on Harmonby Mary Ann Johnson

Jagdeep is from Chandigarh in the northernpart of India. He came to the United States

with his parents in 1998 while still in highschool. After graduating, he completed anassociate of science at Minneapolis Communityand Technical College (MCTC). Following hisgraduation from MCTC, Jagdeep enrolled inthe College of Management’s undergraduateprogram in management and added theentrepreneurship minor.

What led you to choosing a restaurantbusiness?

While attending classes at Metropolitan State, he became interested in the restaurant business.He gave credit to his instructors who helped tonurture his dream, who helped him learn how to manage a business and gave him theperspective as an entrepreneur. He says hebenefited greatly from his MGMT 499 class,where students analyze case studies on realcompanies. Carol Bisson, a flower shop ownerand his MGMT 499 instructor, impressed himwith her entrepreneurial background and herincorporation of real life experiences into theclass as well as the open periods for students todiscuss various business topics.

How did you prepare yourself to own asmall business?

Jagdeep’s original goal was to have a “grab and gotype,” fast food Indian restaurant. He says, “It isnot about the money, it is about satisfying mycustomers.” He worked in several restaurantslearning the restaurant business and eventuallybecame the general manager for Qdoba, aMexican grill, and later for Bruegger’s Bagels,both in Minneapolis.

Jagdeep went back to India for four months toreceive training and to learn more about the type

of business he would like to own. When hereturned he looked in Minneapolis for a place to open his fast food Indian restaurant business.He met with Kent Thomas, owner of a grocerycalled “Metro Market on 5th” in the warehousedistrict in Minneapolis. Kent talked to himabout becoming a partner in his grocery/delibusiness. Jagdeep considered a partnership inthe business, and found he could use all his ideasin a deli operation. He is now part owner of twobusinesses, “Groceries & Deli on Harmon,” and“Metro Market on 5th.”

Happening Now

Opened in August 2009 near the MinneapolisMetropolitan State Campus, “Groceries & Delion Harmon” is very busy. This smallneighborhood grocery/deli is frequented bystudents in the area, as well as faculty and staff in the College of Management. Other smallbusiness owners and apartment dwellers near thestore also contribute to its success.

When asked where he wants to be in five years,he says, “I would eventually like to have sixgrocery/deli locations in Minneapolis.”


TESTING CenterThe telephone number for

the Testing Center for Saint

Paul/Minneapolis is

651.793.1460.

It is necessary to schedule

testing with the Saint Paul

Office before coming to the

College of Management

Testing Center, except for

the MIS waiver exam. The

MIS waiver exam can be

scheduled through Aretha

Hicks at 612.659.7252.

Testing information can be

found at www.metrostate.

edu/testingcenter.

TUTORINGServicesThe schedule for tutoring

services for COM courses is

available online at,

http://www.metrostate.edu/ms

web/explore/com/advising_old/

tutor.html.

ALUMNI Highlights


COM MasterProgramsKey in the following URL for

the landing page for COM’s

graduate programs:

http://choose.metrostate.edu/

comgradprograms/

Kristina Lysova

Kristina Lysova, COMBA graduate in

December 2009, was lastyear’s recipient of the

Student Senate Academic Achievement AwardScholarship, has landed a research positionwith the University of Chicago. She will be anassociate analyst with Alumni Relations andDevelopment. The University of Chicago isone of the nation’s top 10 universities.

As a recent graduate with an economics majorand applied mathematics minor, she is alreadymaking news in our Alumni News section. Sheis a person to watch.

Ed HarmEd Harm, 2004Metropolitan StateUniversity alumnus witha B.A. in economics anda minor in business

management, has been named manager ofForsythe Appraisals, LLC branch office in San Bernardino.

Harm, a former San Diego branch manager, is a certified FHA-approved appraiser, licensed inthe state of California. He has three years ofexperience and has appraised more than 500properties in California, including in LosAngeles, San Diego, Riverside and SanBernardino counties.

Excerpts taken from:http://www.inlandsocal.com/business/content/inland_people/stories/BP_people_20091117_harm_named_mgr.2c715a7d0.html.

Jessica LoftusJessica (Sandin) Loftus,Orono, graduate of theMPNA program in2004, has been hired asthe new city administrator for Orono, Minn.Jessica previously held the city administrator’sposition in the city of Tonka Bay where shemanaged a city budget of $2 million anddirected its capital improvement program.Excerpts taken from Sun Patriot Newspaper,reported by Eric Serrano.

Professor Roger Israel, faculty for the Master ofPublic and Nonprofit Administration (MPNA)says, “Jessica is another MPNA alumni movingup...from administrator in Tonka Bay to citymanager of Orono. You may also recall thatJessica (as Jessica Sandin) was a Marilyn BryantScholarship winner a few years ago. When shebegan our program, Jessica was working ineconomic assistance in Anoka County HumanServices, desperately wanting to get into citygovernment. Now, only a few years beyond herMPNA, she is starting her second city managerposition in April in a much bigger community.”

Jessica says, “I greatly enjoyed my experience inthe Master of Public and NonprofitAdministration program at Metropolitan StateUniversity. I was impressed with my professorswho had real-world experience in the publicsector and provided me valuable lessons that I continue to utilize in my job responsibilities.Roger Israel, the director and professor of the MPNA program, inspired me with hispassion for public service and supported me as an advisor.”

Additionally Jessica says, “The degree has givenme the opportunity to grow in my career froman intern to a city administrator in the past five years.


Kristina Lysova

Ed Harm

Jessica Loftus

ATTENTIONReadersIf you have professional

news you would like to share

(for example, a promotion,

new job, advanced degree,

awards and so forth) please

send the information to

maryann.johnson@

metrostate.edu.

by Dr. Roger Prestwich

INTERNATIONAL Programs Update


Professor Jenny Dosch is embarking on aresearch project to enhance the practical

application of business processes in theAdvanced Strategic Management Accountingcourse. Does your company excel at an

operating process? Is this operating process something that if taughtin the undergraduate accounting program would help COMaccounting students be better prepared for a working career inmanagement accounting? Examples might include:

• lean production processes; • management of capacity;

• value chain efficiencies; • six sigma practices;

• strategic implementation of company objectives; • or another great topic for use in the classroom to give Metropolitan Statestudents additional preparation that textbooks often don’t include.

Contact Jenny at [email protected] with your suggestedtopic, thoughts or questions about the research or potential topics.

ATTENTION Accounting Practitioners!

Jennifer Dosch

NEWSLETTERAvailable OnlineAn expanded version of this

newsletter will be available

on the College of

Management Web site: Go to

http://www.metrostate.edu/ms

web/explore/com/news/index.

html then click on COM

Newsletters.

International Programs

The prospects for new cohorts of studentsbecoming members of the College of

Management community are moving towardfruition. We received approval from the NorthCentral Association’s Higher LearningCommission (HLC) in February to offer ourBS degree with a major in businessadministration to students in Singapore. Weare close to signing MBA and MMIS cohortcontracts with a university in India, and we arein bachelor’s and master’s program discussionswith several institutions in China. TheSingapore program will be a partnership withthe American Center for Education (ACE) inSingapore and our sister university in Taiwan(China University of Technology—CUTe),which will be responsible for teaching the firstthree years of the program. The College ofManagement will then either arrange to teachthe fourth year courses in Singapore or bringthe students to Minnesota. We are also in thefinal stage of negotiations with BharatiVidyapeeth University in Pune, India, forannual cohorts of graduate students to come toMinneapolis for a full calendar year to completetheir MBA or MMIS degree programs.

Our partners in Singapore(ACE) and Taiwan (CUTe) areboth in discussions with severaluniversities in China who areinterested in joint undergraduate or graduateprograms, so we may also see more studentsfrom China joining COM in the not toodistant future. Meanwhile, we will bewelcoming the sixth MBA cohort of CUTestudents from Taiwan to the ManagementEducation Center in August for a full academic year.

All of the institutions with whom we eitherhave or hope to have educational partnershipsare very hopeful that faculty and students fromthe College of Management will be interested inspending some time on their campuses, either aslecturers, researchers or students taking classes.So, if the prospect of expanding youreducational horizons and practicing yourintercultural skills on a campus in Taiwan,Singapore, India or China appeals to you,contact Dr. Roger Prestwich ([email protected]), and he will provide you withthe contact details.

Roger Prestwich

ONGOING Day Programs/Midway Center



NEWSWORTHYArticle for COMStudentsThe following articles, “Nurse

Out-duels IRS Over M.B.A.

Tuition” and “Win Raises

Hope for Other Students”

should be of great interest to

COM students in the MBA

program, Tax Accounting

program or the MBA for

CPA program.

Refer to the Wall Street

Journal for Saturday, Jan. 9,

2010, or follow the URLs listed

below:

“Nurse Outduels IRS Over

M.B.A. Tuition”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB

1000142405274870353510457

4646582965101664.html?mod

=WSJ_WSJ_Careers_PublicSear

ch

“Win Raises Hope for Other

Students”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB

1000142405274870353510457

4646591234662668.html

Check the Class Schedule for the latest information at

http://www.metrostate.edu/msweb/explore/catalog/schedule/index.cfm

Fall Semester 2010 8–9:40 a.m. 10–11:40 a.m. 12:30–2:10 p.m.

Monday/Wednesday MIS 310 ACCT 210 ECON 201

DSCI 434 ACCT 310 ECON 202

MGMT 310

Tuesday/Thursday 8–9:40 a.m. 10–11:40 a.m. 12:30–2:50 p.m.

MGMT 499 ACCT 320 MGMT 320

FIN 390 MIS 100

ONGOING Day Programs/Saint Paul Campus

Fall Semester 2010 1–2:40 p.m. 3–4:40 p.m.

Monday/Thursday ACCT 210 DSCI 434

MIS 310

Tuesday/Friday 1–2:40 p.m. 3–4:40 p.m.

MGMT 310 MIS 100

MKTG 300

Kenneth Zapp

Professor Kenneth Zappwas informed that his

paper, “CompetitiveAdvantage: The Missing

Link in Teaching Capital Budgeting Analysis,”has been accepted for presentation at the 2010International Academy of Business Disciplines(IABD) conference in Las Vegas (April 2010)and for publication in its Business ResearchYearbook.

FACULTY Articles

Allen BellasProfessor Allen Bellas,was notified his article,“Technological Progressin Particulate RemovalEquipment at U.S. Coal Burning PowerPlants,” coauthored by Ian Lange and AllenBellas, will be published in the Journal ofRegulatory Economics in the near future.

The abstract of the paper reads:

Kenneth Zapp Allen Bellas

Continued on page 13

Professor Allen Bellas continued…“Coal-fired power plants contribute significantly to particulate matteremissions, which are regulated in the U.S. with emissions standards setby individual states. The theoretical literature generally, though notalways, finds that standards offer inferior incentives to develop andadopt technological innovations, especially in end-of-pipe pollutioncontrol. This analysis empirically tests for cost-saving innovations in theoperating, capital, and lifetime costs of flue gas particulate collectors.Results suggest that operating costs have fallen over time, capital costshave increased, and that these changes have led to no statistical changein lifetime costs.”

Jennifer Schultz, Carol Bormann Young andJanet Henquinet Professors Jennifer Schultz, Carol Bormann Young and Janet Henquinetare copresenting a workshop at the 2010 International Academy ofBusiness Disciplines conference in Las Vegas (April 2010) entitled“Integrating a Strategic Management Approach into the UndergraduateBusiness Curriculum.” This workshop shares the process used tointegrate a strategic management approach into an individual discipline,specifically addressing strategic thinking as a framework for curriculumdevelopment.

Nancy NentlProfessor Nancy Nentl, marketing, hascoauthored an article with Richard Bernett,CFPIM, CPM entitled “Opinions andExpectations about Continuous ImprovementPrograms.” Published in the Journal of Qualityand Participation, Special Issue on 21st CenturyLeadership, January 2010, Vol.. 32, No. 4.

How does continuous improvement fit with 21st century leadership?This survey shows that the link between improvement efforts andachievement of organizational goals must be clear.

Employees from 64 Midwest companies answered an online survey thatexplored opinions about their continuous improvementimplementations and their performance expectations resulting from theimplementations. The data indicates that while enthusiasm forcontinuous improvement implementations is high, there is reluctanceabout the program’s ability to achieve organizational goals. Whether arespondent is close to or removed from the day-to-day activities of theimplementation does not significantly alter these findings. The surveyresults suggests either a real skepticism about a program’s ability toachieve those goals, or simply a lack of internal communicationregarding the stated end goals of continuous improvement programs.

Professor Nancy Nentl has coauthored another paper, “AboutSimulations and Bloom’s Learning Taxonomy” with Craig Miller andRuth Zietlow. This paper was presented at the Association for BusinessSimulation and Experiential Learning (ABSEL 2010), Little Rock, Ark.,March 22–24.

Abstract: This paper presents a discussion about Bloom’s LearningTaxonomy, a broadly accepted hierarchical model of learning thatidentifies various stages of learning, and electronic learning tools widelydistributed in today’s educational marketplace. First, the six successivestages of Bloom’s are discussed within the context of a businessclassroom. Then students differentiate six types of electronic learningtools that are commonly available to business instructors such asanimations, discreet scenarios, branching, “smart” calculators,deterministic simulations, and Monte Carlo simulations. Students then compare this hierarchy of experiential learning tools to the stagesof Bloom’s Learning hierarchy.

The differences between true simulations and quasi simulations orproducts that are not simulations are significant and important todistinguish. We suggest that while many products are called“simulations,” they are not, in the truest sense, simulations. Whether ornot an experiential learning product is a true simulation is measured bythe degree to which the product has external validity and thus trulyrepresents a business environment. We conclude that applying theclassification of simulation to electronic teaching tools that lack externalvalidity and thus underrepresent or misrepresent today’s businessenvironment can dilute critical analysis of its adequacy and accuracy.

FACULTY Articles continued



Jennifer Schultz Carol BormannYoung

Janet Henquinet

Nancy Nentl

GRADUATE Corner


programs. Our ability to deliver classroom,Web-enhanced and online courses is good forour students and for us in the marketplace.

What is also worth noting is our consistenteffort to ensure quality in our Web-enhancedand online courses. For example, over the pastthree years, we have systematically assessedstudent learner outcomes in these courses,looking for how we may measure and increasestudent learner gains in areas such as criticalthinking skills, problem solving andcommunication skills.

Moreover, many resident faculty attendworkshops offered by the Center for OnlineLearning to strengthen their teaching skills. In the past year, COM has also created anAcademy of Teaching for faculty, in whichworkshops on technology applications havebeen offered. In the February 2010 departmentfaculty meeting, we voted to require all newCOM community faculty to participate inrequired workshops on instructional methods,including online applications, within their firstor second semester of teaching.

We are committed to meeting studentpreferences for online opportunities whileensuring quality. We think it is vitallyimportant to continue to offer “value” for thestudent tuition dollar.

While working to strengthen our onlineprogramming, the COM faculty is also lookingat future directions for all college programs andservices. We are engaged in a strategic planningeffort in both fall 2009 and spring 2010. Thusfar we have revised the COM missionstatement, which is shown in another section ofthis newsletter, completed a strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats (SWAT)analysis, and identified key planning issues. Theselection of priority goals and strategies isforthcoming. The strategic plan will be sharedwith candidates for the COM dean’s position—for them to comment upon during theirinterviews—and used in future college planningand decision making processes.

COM OnlinePrograms: A Response toStudent Needs

By Tim Delmont, graduate programs

director

In the Feb. 21, 2010, issue of the Chronicle ofHigher Education, it was reported that one in

four college students in the United States tookat least one full or hybrid online course in fall2008, the most recent year for which data wereavailable. Moreover, online enrollmentsincreased 17 percent in 2008 over 2007,following a 12 percent increase from 2007 over2006. The increasing popularity of onlinecourses occurred at both undergraduate andgraduate program levels.

Our experience in COM mirrors these nationaltrends. In the FY06–FY08 period, online andWeb-enhanced enrollments increased from 2,557to 3,099 or 17.2 percent. Across a five-yearperiod—FY04 to FY08—the increases were evenmore dramatic, with enrollments increasing from1,775 to 3,099 or 42.4 percent. In FY04, onein five COM students was enrolled in an onlineor Web-enhanced course. In FY08, one in threewas enrolled in these courses. These data reflectenrollments in both undergrad and graduateprograms and exclude data for Web-enhancedcourses. We can assume that trends are similarfor our graduate programs only. These are hugechanges and not accidental ones.

The vast majority of our graduate students arepart-time students. Their choice of online andWeb-enhanced courses reflects their needs asadults to find work-life balance while pursuingcareer enhancement. I am impressed by how wellour students perform academically given thechallenges most face.

I am also proud that our faculty has consistentlyresponded to these student preferences by proactively developing a full package of onlineand Web-enhanced MBA, MNPA, and MMISprograms and selected MMIS certificate

Tim Delmont

ANNUALSpring DinnerSave the date April 30 for the“2010 Annual Spring Dinner” for COM Graduate Programs.

TRAVELERSPathways ProgramUpdateBy Jill Sondergaard

On March 19, 120+ college andhigh school students attended theTravelers EDGE career day eventat Travelers. Fourteen of ourstudents attended; over half ofthem are from the College ofManagement! Recently I wrotean article about “bringing your ‘A’game.” I am working on a seriesof “coaching” sessions (like anappetizer-portion) and you’llsee/hear words such as Attitude,Appearance, Aptitude,Achievements, Aspirations andAppetite. Announcements areforthcoming.

If you are already on my e-maillist, you received a reminder ofthe Travelers ScholarshipApplication deadline (April 23),and a promotion of the RiskManagement and InsuranceMinor (Professor Ken Hess said itwas officially approved inJanuary). Metropolitan StateUniversity’s Travelers PathwaysProgram exists to enhanceeducational and careerdevelopment opportunities forstudents and alumni interested incareers in insurance and financialservices. Send me an e-mail:[email protected].


Finished with Your COM Foundation Courses? By Paul Hesterman, director, COM advising

The College of Management foundation courses, MIS 100, ACCT210, MATH 115, ECON 201 and 202, and STAT 201 must be

completed (with grades of C- or better; or S) early in your programbefore you can apply for admission to a College of Managementmajor. Completing these courses provides a foundation for yoursuccess in more advanced courses. The foundation courses are alsoprerequisites for many other courses, so you must complete them tomake progress in your major program. Note that the Economics andMIS majors have slightly different prerequisites for admission to themajor—check the Catalog or major checklist online for moreinformation. Contact your advisor if you have questions.

If you have completed the foundation courses for your College ofManagement major, now is the time to submit your major declarationform in order to be approved for your major! Declaring your major assoon as possible locks in your major requirements so that you can planeffectively and will not be disadvantaged if major requirements changein the future. Students who have declared their major are oftenassigned to faculty in their major area for advising, helping themestablish relationships with faculty.

In addition, university policy requires that all students declare theirmajor by the time they have been at Metropolitan State for at least oneyear and have completed at least 80 total credits. The university willsoon start enforcing this policy by requiring students to declare beforethey can register, so declare your major now and avoid future problems!

Plan for summer and fall registration now! Registration for bothsummer and fall semesters began March 22. Use your DARS report(available through your NetDirect student portal), your major checklistand course sequence, and the “Advising Tips” available from the Webpage for each COM major to plan a program that will meetprerequisites for future courses and move you towards graduation.Check to make sure you have met the prerequisites for any courses youplan to take, using your course sequence and the course listings in theClass Schedule (click on the course title to pull up the course descriptionand prerequisite list).

Remember, College of Management strictly enforces course


Paul Hesterman

ADVISING Updates

prerequisites! Satisfying prerequisites is critical to enable you to succeedin courses. Do not take a risk that you could be dropped from a courseat the last minute. Do not register for a course if you have not metthe prerequisites—it is that simple! The major course sequence is agreat tool for mapping out the order to take your courses.

Plan now, and if you need assistance, contact your advisor beforeregistering to get the quickest response. Remember most faculty are offcontract and not available during the summer—be sure to seek advisingassistance early.

Do NOT Forget the Upper Division Liberal Studies Requirement!

Metropolitan State requires that all students complete at least 8 creditsof upper division (that is, 3XX level) course work selected from theGELS goal area course lists and GELS elective lists. This requirement is NOT completed by completion of an AA degree or the MinnesotaTransfer Curriculum! No community college course or other lower-division course can count for upper-division Liberal Studies. Do not be among those several students each term who forget the LiberalStudies requirement, only to find that they will not graduate when they planned.

You can use your Liberal Studies courses to reinforce your majorprogram or take something completely different. COM students cantake upper-division economics courses for Liberal Studies, and there areother business-related options such as PHIL 320 Business Ethics orcommunication courses such as COMM 352 OrganizationalCommunication or COMM 351 Communication in Work Groups.

A few other notes: First, business-focused courses such as IBUS 311are listed on the GELS course lists with an “*” by the course. Thismeans that they can be used for a goal area, but NOT for LiberalStudies. Check carefully.

Second, Liberal Studies courses can overlap with GELS goal areas (or, in some cases, major requirements). If you have a goal area that is notyet satisfied, kill two birds with one stone by taking an upper-divisioncourse from the goal area to also apply towards Liberal Studies.

Third, be sure to check the GELS course list in the Registration Resourcesbooklet or online (link from the Class Schedule) to be sure that a courseyou are planning to take will satisfy the requirement. Do not makeassumptions!

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COLLEGE ofManagement

College of Management offices arelocated in the Management EducationCenter on the Minneapolis Campus

1300 Harmon PlaceMinneapolis, MN 55403

Room LocationsBe sure to check the MetropolitanState Web schedule before you goto your classes. Room locations for all classes are listed on theWeb one week before the first class session.

EmploymentWatch the College ofManagement Web site foremployment, internships and scholarship opportunities.


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