IR    

 

 

 

Inr08a@acu.edu  325-­‐260-­‐3550  

 

 

PERSONAL  PORTFOLIO  Iandry  Rabe  

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

   

 

COVER LETTER AND JOB DESCRIPTION

 

Iandry  Rabe    

 

 

 

 

 

INTERN - TRAINING DEPARTMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT INTERN - FALL 2012 - DEADLINE 4/20/2012 - REQ #18111 Overview Date Posted: 3/21/12 Job Code: TP99 City: Dallas State: TX Country: United States of America Category: Internships Job Type: Interns

Description DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Works with variety of Training Teams/Leaders to develop/drive/organize projects related to the Training Departments Team Charter. Performs task analysis to define project goals, technology, organizational structure and products/projects. Performs task analysis to define requirements for new projects and training events. Works with subject matter experts to obtain information required to develop training projects. Maintains project plans including tasks, milestones, supporting data. Assists in the planning and development of the new Training Facility.

Minimum Requirements BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: High School Diploma, GED or equivalent education required. Must be at least 18 years of age.

Must have authorization to work in the United States as defined by the Immigration Reform Act of 1986. EDUCATION: Progress towards degree, major/minor in Training Development, Human Resources, Organizational Development, and/or Project Management, or related field. Minimum junior level. To be eligible must be currently enrolled as a full time student (minimum 12 credit hours). Maintained 2.5 or above cumulative GPA. EXPERIENCE: Knowledge of Project Management, Adult Learning, e-learning, and Instructional design theory preferred. Ability to work independently and the willingness to function as a part of a Team. Ability to coordinate multiple tasks and complete assignments with tight deadlines. Oral and written communication skills. SKILLS/ABILITIES/KNOWLEDGE/WORK STYLE: Experience in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel). Experience in Project Management preferred. Knowledge of Airline Operations is a plus. Strong interest in Training as a career is a plus. PLEASE BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION (IF REQUESTED): Resume. Unofficial transcript. "Why Southwest Airlines" essay (Length determined by author).

Letters of Recommendation. Two writing samples- published or un-published. TIME COMMITMENT: Full time/Minimum 40 hours per week. PAY: $12.00 per hour + flight benefits. This position is located in Dallas, Texas at the Southwest Airlines Headquarters building.

 

                                                         

   

Iandry Rabe 2150 N. Judge Ely Boulevard Apt 818, Abilene, TX 79601

(325)-260-3550 Inr08a@acu.edu  

 April 23rd, 2011 Mrs. Leslie Anderson Southwest Airlines Co. P.O. Box 36611 Dallas, TX 75235

Dear Mrs. Anderson,

After looking through the various positions on your website, finding an opening for management intern immediately picked my interest.

Being able to meet all the criteria that you are looking for such as:

• Knowledge of Airline Operation. I am a current student pilot with 38h of flight experiences that passed the written FAA private pilot test and looking forward to be a private pilot after passing the checkride.

• Ability to work independently. Through the various past work experiences that I have been through the past 3 years, I am able to work on my own and be a part of a team at the same time to achieve projects within the deadline period

• Diverse international background. Being born and lived in France for more than 10 years, moved to Morocco, and now having a residence in Madagascar helped me understand how important it is to have a overview of what the world is offering us and the different opportunity that is being offered.

Having the chance to be a part of the management intern team at Southwest Airline will give me a lot of knowledge of the work experiences in growing company such as yours.

I would be happy to learn more about the position; you can call me anytime at the number (325)-260-3550 to setup an interview.

Sincerely,

Iandry Rabe

                     

 

RESUME  

 

 

 

 

 

Iandry Rabe 2150 N. Judge Ely Boulevard Apt 818, Abilene, TX 79601

(325)-260-3550 Inr08a@acu.edu  

____________________________________________________________________________________    

Profile:  Senior studying business management at Abilene Christian University, trilingual in French, English and Malagasy, with various international works and travelling experiences

______________________________________________________________________________

Education:

• Pursuing a BBA in Management and expected to graduate in December 2012 at Abilene Christian University (Abilene, TX)

o An AACSB accredited school of business, the hallmark of excellence in management education

• Part of the Leadership Summit 2012 graduate in Buena Vista, CO. The Leadership Summit is a whole week of learning about leadership, with the participation of distinguished speakers such as: Elise Mitchell (President & CEO Mitchell Communications, Jose Zeilstra (President & CEO Giveback), Jim Daly (President Focus on the Family). (January 2012)

______________________________________________________________________________

Work Experiences:

• Internship at Moneytech, company with a capital of $122,000, in the computer maintenance department in assisting the head of the department to repair and maintain computers of the company. (July 2007, Madagascar)

• Worked full time during 2 full summers in the Landscaping Department at ACU. The work was about maintaining cleanness around the green areas of the campus. (Summer 2009 – 2010, Abilene TX)

• Aspiring private pilot at TSTC Air Academy with 38h of flight experiences. (Spring 2008 – present)

• Front desk manager at Edwards Hall, Morris Hall, and Sikes Hall that are Residential Hall of Abilene Christian University for over 3 years. (Fall 2009 – present, Abilene TX)

• Internship in the Management Department at DISCOM, a distribution startup company, in managing the inventory of over 2000 bottles a day to be dispatched to the grocery stores. (June 2011 – August 2011, Majunga, Madagascar)

______________________________________________________________________________

Volunteering Experiences:

• Volunteered during ACU for Abilene event in cleaning the ACU neighborhood. (Spring 2008, Abilene TX)

• Volunteered during ISA/Eternal Threads fashion show as a model wearing Eternal Threads accessories. (Spring 2009, Abilene TX)

• Leader of a Boy Scouts team in Madagascar, volunteering for various churches such as the Andohalo Church of Christ.

     

   

 

ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS

 

Iandry  Rabe    

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIKES HALL

 

 

 

 

Jennifer  Butler  (RD)  

Iandry  Rabe  (Desk  Manager)  

Bri:ney  Hopkins  (Desk  Manager)  

Iony  Rabe  (Desk  Manager)  

Miyako  Namekawa  

(Desk  Manager)  

Kelsey  Hilton  (AD)  

Amber  Stephen  (RA)   Lilly  Assaad  (RA)  

Annelise  Hernandez  (RA)  

 

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART (PROJECT ‒ ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT CLASS)

   

 

 

 

   

COO  

Chris  Masters  

CMO  

Iandry  Rabe  

CEO  

Joseph  AusJn  

Samuel  Opoku  

CFO  

           

 

SALARY HISTORY  

   

 

 

 

 

 

SALARY HISTORY Landscaper  (Summer  2009-­‐2010)…………………………………………………………………$7.25/hour  

Salary:    

• Summer  2009:  $2,672.25  • Summer  2010:  $3,451.00  

Desk  Managers  (Edwards  Hall,  Sikes  Hall,  Morris  Hall)…………………………………$7.25/hour  

Salary:  

• Year  2010:  $2,566.50  • Year  2011:  $4,458.75  • Year  2012  (January  –  April):  $1,972.00  

 

 

   

 

 

 

     

   

 

REFERENCES  

Iandry  Rabe    

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES  

Personal  References    

• Valinda  Tyson  –  (325)-­‐320-­‐8108  1401  Coventry  Circle  Abilene,  TX  79602    

   • John  Tyson  –  (325)-­‐320-­‐9562  

1401  Coventry  Circle  Abilene,  TX  79602    

• Jerry  Strader  –  (325)-­‐829-­‐2489    

• Christopher  Masters  –  (325)-­‐320-­‐3908    

• Pascal  Lacoss  -­‐      

 

 Professional  References    

• Corey  Ruff  –  (325)-­‐674-­‐2665    

• Jennifer  Butler  –  (325)-­‐674-­‐6361    

• Jordan  Bunch  –  (325)-­‐674-­‐6300    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FORMULA FOR SUCCESS  

S  =  (H  X  P)  +  P  

 

S:  SUCCESS  

H:  HAPPINESS  

P:  PERSEVERANCE  

P:  PRODUCTIVITY  

       

   

 

ARTICLES  

Iandry  Rabe    

 

   

April 19, 2012

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Jennifer Butler and I am a Resident Director at Abilene Christian University. I would like to recommend Iandry Rabe for a marketing position. I have known Iandry for two years. During this time, he has worked as a Desk Manger in two of the residence halls I supervise.

As a Desk Manager, Iandry is responsible for checking students in and out of the halls. He is the front line of customer service. He is trained to respond to maintenance needs, answer questions, and react in emergency situations. Iandry is an excellent employee. He is very dependable and works with great integrity. He is kind and joyful in his work. The Desk Manager shifts run 24 hours a day. Iandry takes shifts that others do not want and is very reliable at all hours. He is a hard worker and always responds well to authority.

I would recommend Iandry for a position in marketing. He is a great employee and would be an addition to the team. I am confident in his work ethic, and I believe in his ability to learn. Please contact me with any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Butler Abilene Christian University Residence Life Education and Housing Residence Director Sikes Hall A.B. Morris Hall (325)674-6361

Jab10a@acu.edu

     

   

 

ARTICLES  

Iandry  Rabe    

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our nearly 35,0001 Southwest Airlines Family Members create innovative programs to increase productivity, generate ideas to trim costs, give back to our communities and the planet, and take time to celebrate.

 

Employees At Southwest Airlines, we’re proud of our unique Culture and storied nearly 40-year history, made possible by our dedicated Employees, who do more than deliver the friendly, high-quality Customer Service for which we’re known. Our nearly 35,0001 Southwest Airlines Family Members create innovative programs to increase productivity and make their work lives easier, generate ideas to trim costs so we can keep fares affordable, give back to our communities and the planet, and take time to celebrate Company and personal milestones. It’s Living the Southwest Way—a Warrior Spirit, a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude.

Breakdown of Employees by Division1

 

Materiality Materiality is a financial accounting concept that has recently been applied to corporate citizenship and triple bottom line reporting as a way to focus a company’s efforts on economic, environmental, and social impacts that pose the most significant opportunities and risks. The Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Reporting Guidelines version 3.0 recommends that reporters, like Southwest Airlines, rely on a materiality analysis to determine the issues that are most important to stakeholders.

Looking Forward: Citizenship at Southwest Airlines In 2010, we continued to honor our commitment to creating a sustainable company and the triple bottom line—Performance, People, and Planet—by developing a cross-departmental team whose main goal is to identify and define key performance indicators within citizenship to better identify opportunities and establish goals for the long term sustainability of Southwest Airlines and progress in all aspects of citizenship in our business practices. Our citizenship commitee has started defining key performance indicators (KPIs) based on a materiality analysis. At Southwest Airlines, we feel strongly that our KPIs will allow us to:

• Enhance  our  commitment  to  our  Performance,  People,  and  Planet  • Track  and  monitor  progress  • Benchmark  ourselves  against  our  industry  counterparts  • Better  define  future  goals  • Increase  Employee  involvement  • Improve  communication  to  Stakeholders  

Once our KPIs are defined and we begin to track related progress, we will then be able to better understand our successes and address our opportunities as well as find innovative ways to improve. Our citizenship committee’s work is ongoing, and we plan to discuss more about its progress in the 2011 Southwest Airlines One Report™.

 

 

In 2010, we contributed nearly $350 million to Employee retirement savings alone.

 

Employee Benefits Southwest Airlines offers our Family of Employees the freedom to pursue good health, create financial security, travel, make a positive difference, learn and grow, create and innovate, work hard and have FUN, and stay connected.

 

Learn more about our Employee benefits >

We can proudly say that in 2010 more than 35,000 active and inactive Employees participated in at least one component of Southwest Airlines’ Employee benefits program, to which we contributed more than $590 million on an accrual basis. In addition to vacation, paid holidays, and sick leave, we offered our Employees, full-time and part-time, the following benefits:

• 401(k)  retirement  savings  plan  • ProfitSharing  Plan  • Medical  • Prescription  • Vision  • Dental  • Pre-­‐tax  commuter  benefit  • Mental  health  Employee  assistance  program  • Life  insurance  • Accidental  death  and  dismemberment  • Long-­‐term  disability  • Dependent  life  insurance  • Dependent  care  spending  account  • Health  care  spending  account  

Retirement Planning We are happy to do our part to contribute to the financial security of our Employees through two different tax-qualified savings plans or defined contribution plans1. In 2010 alone, Southwest

Airlines contributed nearly $350 million to our Employees’ retirement savings through our 401(k) Company matching and our ProfitSharing Plan.

We have tremendous participation in our 401(k) Plan, with 86.5 percent of eligible Employees participating in 2010 compared to the national average of 70 percent. Since the inception of our 401(k) Plan in 1990 for Pilots and 1991 for all other Employees, Southwest Airlines has contributed more than $1.5 billion to the program. In 2010, we contributed nearly $193 million to match the funds our Employees were contributing to their 401(k) accounts.

All eligible Employees participate in our ProfitSharing Plan, and in 2010, Southwest Airlines contributed nearly $157 million—a contribution equal to 5.7 percent of each eligible Employee’s compensation.

1 Southwest Airlines does not offer defined benefit plans.

 

 

 

 

Our beLUVed Employees are our greatest asset, so we listen to their suggestions and reward them for outstanding extra efforts.

 

Employee Engagement and Recognition

At Southwest Airlines, we recognize that our beLUVed Employees are our greatest asset. This is why we feel it’s so important to engage and recognize our Employees by listening to their suggestions and ideas, as well as their concerns, and reward them for outstanding extra efforts.

Employee Survey On a biennial basis we conduct an Employee survey, which allows us to take a collective picture of our entire workforce from several angles. These snapshots let us know how our Employees feel about working at Southwest Airlines. Employees’ candid feedback is critical because it helps identify areas of strength at Southwest Airlines as well as areas where we have an opportunity to work together as a Team to improve.

Sixty-five percent of Southwest Airlines Employees participated in the 2010 Employee survey and provided feedback regarding their views of the Company. Employee participation is up from 51 percent of Employees providing feedback in 2008. The survey, conducted by Mercer, evaluated the following:

• Training  and  development  • Customer  focus  (internal  and  external)  • Leadership  • Performance  management  • Communication  • Company  direction  • Work  environment  • Involvement  • Satisfaction  • Teamwork  • Employee  commitment  • Mission  and  strategy  alignment  • Corporate  citizenship  

We improved in all 12 dimensions evaluated in the 2008 survey. Corporate citizenship was a new dimension in 2010.

Southwest Airlines Leaders will use this survey as a roadmap for improvement and to gauge our progress to becoming the Best Place to Work. We will continue to compare new Employee surveys with those previously conducted to identify what we’re doing well in the eyes of our Employees and learn where we need to focus additional effort.

Employee Recognition Programs Our Employees are known for Legendary Customer Service and operational excellence, while working efficiently. Our Employees go above and beyond each and every day to provide our Customers with the best possible flying experience, and our Employees focus on low costs so we can offer low fares. Celebrating and recognizing these contributions are an important part of our Culture.

President’s  Award  

Southwest Airlines hosts an annual banquet to celebrate our anniversary in June and recognize our hard-working Employees. In addition to recognizing Employees for milestone years of service from 10 years up to 40 years, we have the honor of recognizing outstanding individuals who have represented the best of Southwest values in the past year. The President’s Award is one of our Company’s highest honors. Every spring, Employees in each department consider the accomplishments of their peers and nominate candidates for the President’s Award. Winners are selected by Southwest Officers from the pool of nominees. The annual President’s Award winners are those Employees who truly go above and beyond. These are our stars in the Southwest Hall of Fame.

In addition, on occasion, an individual stands out that rises above the rest as not only a representative of his or her department, but also of the Company as a whole. For them, Herb Kelleher started the Founder’s Award, an honor given only to those who have exemplified the Southwest ideals and values throughout their career.

Winning  Spirit  Award  

The Winning Spirit Award recognizes Employees for going above and beyond their normal job responsibilities, for consistently displaying can-do attitudes, and for Living the Southwest Way. Employees nominate their peers, and the Winning Spirit Committee selects a group of winners every quarter. Winners are invited to Headquarters where they are honored by their Department Vice President and Gary Kelly, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Airlines.

Operation:  Kick  Tail  

Great things happen when there is collective focus. In 2010, Southwest Employees were asked to focus on three goals to help Southwest Airlines achieve success:

• #1  in  Low  Costs  with  our  Warrior  Spirits  • #1  in  Customer  Satisfaction  with  our  Servant’s  Hearts  • #1  in  Employee  Spirit  with  our  Fun-­‐LUVing  Attitudes  

These goals are our enduring strengths, and we obtain them by upholding our values through Living the Southwest Way. When Southwest Airlines Leaders witness an Employee exhibiting a behavior needed to reach these goals, a Kick Tail-A-Gram is given to that individual. Kick Tail-A-Grams are entered into a database where monthly, quarterly, and annual drawings for cash prizes are conducted when goals are met. We set aside $1 million for our Kick Tail program each year, and in 2010 we gave away 221 cash prizes to Southwest Airlines Employees. From nurturing our unique Culture to volunteering for a Share the Spirit activity to celebrating with Coworkers at a Company event, there are countless ways to kick tail.

Heroes  of  the  Heart  

Southwest Airlines is known as the LUV airline, and every year on Valentine’s Day, we really earn that title. Employees across our system are encouraged to wear red or pink, many bouquets of flowers are delivered to our locations, candy is free flowing, and one of our biggest SWA traditions takes place at Headquarters in Dallas: Heroes of the Heart.

Colleen Barrett, our President Emeritus, started Heroes of the Heart 18 years ago as a way to honor a workgroup that has no contact with our external Customers. Flight Attendants and Customer Service Agents may have several opportunities to be recognized for the outstanding work they do, but a lot of our behind-the-scenes Teams, who keep the heart of Southwest Airlines beating, never get that chance.

Employees nominate Teams they feel deserve the award and a committee holds several secret meetings to determine the winner—everyone involved in the day, from Vice Presidents to our A/V Specialist, have to sign confidentiality agreements; part of the FUN of Heroes of the Heart is the surprise when the winning Team is announced.

On Valentine’s Day morning, Employees gather in the main lobby of Headquarters where they are surrounded by thousands of gorgeous balloons and decorations and treated to cookies and beautiful music from a band made up of their Coworkers. After a welcome from one of our Leaders, a video showcasing—but not revealing—the winning Team plays, and everyone thinks they have it figured out until the winners are revealed. The winning Team holds one of the highest honors at Southwest Airlines. Our Heroes of the Heart receive gifts, the largest literally being an airplane. Check your aircraft as you leave; it just might be the Heroes plane, emblazoned with the Heroes of the Heart logo and featuring the winning Team’s name.

 

Southwest Airlines' Seven Secrets for Success By  Joe  Brancatelli,  Portfolio.com   07.08.08    

What's the airline-industry jargon for unconventional wisdom? Southwest Airlines.

By some estimates, the country's major carriers have consumed perhaps $100 billion in capital during the past decade, but Southwest Airlines continues to be profitable. It's been in the black for 33 consecutive years and, last week, for the 127th consecutive quarter, it paid a modest dividend. Its balance sheet, with about $3 billion in cash on hand and $600 million in available credit, is the envy of an otherwise fuel-price-ravaged industry.

Its competitors among the network carriers—American, United, Delta, Continental, Northwest and US Airways—are shrinking passenger capacity by more than 10 percent and grounding hundreds of aircraft starting in the fall. Southwest will add a handful of daily flights. It will take delivery of another dozen aircraft next year and still plans to grow by 2 to 3 percent. And Southwest now carries more passengers annually (101 million last year) than any other U.S. carrier, a nifty trick for an airline that didn't fly outside Texas at the dawn of deregulation in 1978.

Even the fickle financial markets, which have long discounted Southwest's relentless growth and steady profits, have finally taken note. As oil prices doubled in the past year, share prices of the six network carriers have slid, with the drop-offs ranging from 76 to 94 percent. Southwest's decline has been more modest, within a point of the Dow's 21 percent 52-week drop. As a result, Southwest's market capitalization yesterday (about $9.7 billion) is now more than the combined $5.7 billion market cap of its Big Six competitors.

What does Southwest know that no one else in airlines does? It keeps things simple and consistent, which drives costs down, maximizes productive assets, and helps manage customer expectations.

One Plane Fits All

Unlike the network carriers and their commuter surrogates, which operate all manner of regional jets, turboprops, and narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, Southwest flies just one plane type, the Boeing 737 series. That saves Southwest millions in maintenance costs—spare-parts inventories, mechanic training and other nuts-and-bolts airline issues. It also gives the airline unique flexibility to move its 527 aircraft throughout the route network without costly disruptions and reconfigurations.

Point-to-Point Flying

Network carriers rely on a hub-and-spoke system, which laboriously collects passengers from "spoke" cities, flies them to a central "hub" airport, and then redistributes them to other spokes. Not Southwest. Most of its flying is nonstop between two points. That minimizes the time that planes sit on the ground at crowded, delay-prone hubs and allows the average Southwest aircraft to be in the air for more than an hour longer each day than a similarly sized jet flown by a network carrier. Southwest's avoid-the-hubs strategy also pays dividends in on-time operations. According to FlightStats, Southwest's 78 percent on-time performance in June is eight percentage points higher than the industry average and higher than that of any of its major competitors.

Simple In-Flight Service

Business travelers haven't always loved Southwest's über-simple service, but it's looking better and better as competitors cut back. There is just one class of service, a decent coach cabin that is slightly more spacious than those of Southwest's competitors. There are no assigned seats. There have never been meals, just beverages and snacks. Keeping it basic allows Southwest to unload a flight, clean and restock the plane, and board another flight full of passengers in as little as 20 minutes compared with as much as 90 minutes on a network airline. Airline efficiency experts say that the savings allow each Southwest jet to fly an extra flight per day. Extra flights mean extra revenue.

No Frills, No Fees

As other carriers have rushed to remove perks and pile on fees and restrictions, Southwest has kept its customer proposition streamlined and transparent. The airline only sells one-way fares and only in a few price "buckets." That not only keeps costs down—complex fare structures are expensive to manage—it convinces fliers that they are getting value for money. Prices are all-inclusive too. Southwest doesn't have fuel surcharges, doesn't charge for standby travel or ticket changes, and continues to permit travelers to check two pieces of luggage free. And since every seat on every flight is virtually identical, travelers know exactly what they will get when they make a purchase.

Strong Management

The public face of Southwest Airlines for a generation, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, always-leave-'em laughing Herb Kelleher, finally stepped away from the carrier earlier this year. Kelleher's bonhomie masked the discipline that Southwest has had throughout its history. The airline has always avoided fads and eschewed anything that increased costs or complicated the basic travel proposition. When it has changed—last year it ended its infamous cattle-call boarding process to favor its most frequent fliers and highest-fare customers—it has done so without slowing down the movement of aircraft. Management ranks are lean, but well compensated and, most importantly, productive. I once calculated that the top executives of Southwest generated 10 times more revenue per dollar of compensation than did the C-suite types at some of the network carriers.

A Relatively Happy Workforce

Network carriers have railed for decades about the power of their employee unions. But guess who's the most unionized carrier in the nation? Southwest, of course. The airline says that 87 percent of its employees belong to a union. Southwest has never had a strike, and now that the network carriers have whacked away at salaries and benefits, Southwest staffers are generally the highest paid in the industry. But since Southwest has about 30 percent fewer employees per aircraft than its network competitors, it has the lowest non-fuel C.A.S.M. (cost per available seat mile) of any of the major carriers.

Aggressive Fuel Hedging

Rampaging fuel prices now represent around 40 percent of an airline's costs, but, as usual, Southwest Airlines has been ahead of the curve. Since 1999, the airline's aggressive fuel-hedging program has saved it an estimated $3.5 billion. In the first quarter, for example, it paid $1.98 a gallon for fuel, approximately a dollar less than its network competitors. And Southwest's future position is admirable: It is 70 percent hedged at $51 a barrel through the end of the year and 55 percent hedged at the same price next year.

In a world of $140-a-barrel oil, suggesting that any airline is a guaranteed winner is beyond hubris. But this much can be said: Southwest Airlines is sitting on a pile of cash and fuel hedges and has a proven and easily adaptable service model. And history shows that Southwest has comfortably survived every airline-industry downturn, then grown rapidly and profited hugely when the business cycle turns.

The Fine Print…

British Airways announced last week that it would buy L'Avion, the French carrier that flies all-business-class jets between Newark and Paris. B.A. says that it will integrate L'Avion with its own boutique carrier, OpenSkies, which launched last month. L'Avion was the last of the four independent all-business-class trans-Atlantic carriers that have launched since 2005. The others—Maxjet, Eos, and Silverjet—all folded in the past seven months.

Our Accreditation

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business 777 South Harbour Island Boulevard, Suite 750 Tampa, FL 33602-5730 USA

AACSB International Accreditation

ACU's College of Business Administration is accredited by AACSB International, the highest accreditation body for schools of business.

• Of  the  more  than  2,000  institutions  in  the  world  offering  business  degrees,  only  593  have  AACSB  accreditation.  This  represents  one-­‐third  of  the  programs  in  the  United  States  and  only  15%  of  the  world's  business  programs.    

• As  one  of  only  129  private  accredited  U.S.  programs,  ACU's  College  of  Business  is  also  one  of  two  business  programs  affiliated  with  the  Churches  of  Christ  and  one  of  two  programs  among  more  than  100  institutions  in  the  Council  for  Christian  Colleges  &  Universities  (CCCU)  that  have  achieved  this  level  of  academic  distinction.    

• Additionally,  of  41  private  schools  of  business  in  the  state  of  Texas,  ACU  is  one  of  only  seven  achieving  this  accreditation.  

Why is this accreditation important?

AACSB International accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Institutions that earn accreditation confirm their commitment to quality and

continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review. AACSB International accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in management education.

AACSB International accreditation assures stakeholders that business schools:

• Manage  resources  to  achieve  a  vibrant  and  relevant  mission.  • Advance  business  and  management  knowledge  through  faculty  scholarship.  • Provide  high-­‐caliber  teaching  of  quality  and  current  curricula.  • Cultivate  meaningful  interaction  between  students  and  a  qualified  faculty.  • Produce  graduates  who  have  achieved  specified  learning  goals.  

 

ACU first university in nation to provide iPhone or iPod touch to all incoming freshmen Posted  February  25,  2008    

An Apple iPhone or iPod touch will become a central part of Abilene Christian University's innovative learning experience this fall when all freshmen are provided one of these converged media devices, said Phil Schubert, ACU executive vice president.

At ACU - the first university in the nation to provide these cutting-edge media devices to its incoming class - freshmen will use an iPhone or iPod touch to receive homework alerts, answer in-class surveys and quizzes, get directions to their professors' offices, and check their meal and account balances - among more than 15 other useful web applications already developed, said ACU Chief Information Officer Kevin Roberts. ACU's vision for technology has been captured in a forward-looking film called 'Connected,' found online - along with information about ACU's other ground-breaking mobile learning efforts - at the ACU website.

"We are not merely providing cutting-edge technology tools to our incoming students," said Roberts. "We are also providing the web applications that ensure these tools will become critical to the students' learning experience. Because 93 percent of ACU students bring their own computers with them to college, we are choosing to take them to the next level by providing converged mobile devices."

Dr. Dwayne VanRheenen, ACU provost, said, "This is exciting to me, not only because we're giving students new tools, but because we are transforming the learning environment. The extensive research that's been done on campus in the past 10 months has prepared us to launch with freshmen this fall, and research will be ongoing as we expand the program in the future."

For a number of years, ACU's faculty and technology staff have researched strategic opportunities presented by handheld devices in higher education, said Roberts. However, for the past six months, ACU's intensive research has focused on more than 30 projects exploring pioneering mobile learning strategies for enhancing the campus environment.

 

image Courtesy of Apple

The 2008 Horizon Report stated, "As new devices… are released that make content almost as easy to access and view on a mobile as on a computer, the demand for mobile content will continue to grow. This is more than merely an expectation to provide content: this is an opportunity for higher education to reach its constituents wherever they may be."

The Horizon Report, produced annually as a collaboration between the New Media Consortium (of which ACU is a member) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), also described the explosion of converged media technology. "More than a billion new mobile devices are being manufactured - a new phone for every six people on the planet. In this market, innovation is unfolding at an unprecedented pace . . . mobiles are quickly becoming the most affordable portable platform for staying networked on the go."

Using innovative technology to enhance learning is not new at ACU. In fact, ACU was one of the first universities to use mobile devices as a learning tool in its graduate distance education programs. "Expanding to undergraduate, residential students is a natural progression for us," Roberts said.

"We enjoy great relationships with many technological leaders such as Apple, AT&T and Amdocs," Schubert said. "These relationships help us as we continue to be a university on the leading edge of technology, a central component of our 21st Century Vision."

ACU's innovative, diverse learning environment attracts about 4,700 students from nearly every state and 60 nations to its beautiful 200-acre Texas campus. Strong academic programs include business, pre-med, theatre, physics, psychology, education and information technology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landscape and Grounds Department receives honors Posted  November  12,  2010    

The Landscape and Grounds Department at ACU has been recognized with two awards for keeping the campus beautiful year-round while conserving natural resources.

The Professional Grounds Management Society cited ACU's Jacob's Dream with an Honor Award as a part of its 2010 Green Star Awards competition, in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 27-30. ACU was also recently given the Mayor's Water Conservation Award for the City of Abilene for its effort to curtail water usage.

"These are great honors to receive," says Corey Ruff, director of landscape and grounds. "It not only recognizes the work put in by our staff, but also ACU's commitment toward enriching campus life through our care and concern for its green spaces."

In the last five years, ACU has reduced its water usage by more than 40 percent using several techniques, including:

• Faubus  Lake  collects  approximately  40  percent  of  the  precipitation  on  campus.  • Sensors  on  irrigation  control  boxes  are  set  to  shut  off  in  the  event  of  rain  and  freezing  

temperatures.  • Low  precipitation  rate  sprinkler  nozzles  allow  more  water  to  soak  in  before  it  starts  to  run  off.  • Sprinkler  heads  with  built-­‐in  check  valves  keep  all  the  water  from  draining  out  of  the  feed  lines  

when  the  system  shuts  off.  • A  moisture  sensing  water  system  takes  soil  moisture  readings,  adjusting  the  run-­‐time  according  

to  the  amount  of  moisture  that  is  needed  to  sustain  the  plants  roots  system.  

"We continue to look for new technology to help with water conservation," says Ruff. "With 150 acres under our management, there are plenty of challenges, but we are dedicated to conserving one of our most precious resources."

Founded in 1911, PGMS is an individual membership society of grounds professionals dedicated to advancing the grounds management profession through education and professional development.

For more information about PGMS, visit www.PGMS.org.