Real Humans of the SMU Cox School of Business
After 100 years, one can expect a few changes.
The Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business, nearing it’s centennial celebration, is a perfect test-case for how much change can mean. Founded in 1920 as the Department of Commerce, the Dallas metro business school has gently evolved from a modern Methodist research beacon into one of the most transformative schools in Texas.
With over 11,000 students at SMU, including 5,170 graduate students, the Cox School of Business hosts nearly 600 MBAs in its various programs. For any Cox student, one of the definitive advantages of the business school is the advantageous proximity to Dallas’ thriving business community. Ten companies in the metro land within the Fortune 500 ranking. Among the group, four companies—Exxon Mobil, AT&T, Energy Transfer Equity, and American Airlines Group—land in the top 100, with two in the top ten. With high national regard, including a top 50 ranking for the school in U.S. News & World Report, plus the bevy of major companies as neighbors, these factors can seem overwhelmingly beneficial to a successful career.
When talking with members of the SMU Cox School of Business Professional MBA class, however, the allure of the program went beyond the obvious career benefits that Dallas can offer. For any well-regarded business school, the makeup of the class can seem familiar. The average GMAT for the PMBA Class of 2019 is 613. The GPA is 3.3. Most of the group has about five years of prior professional experience before enrollment. But just going off the bare statistics hardly tells the entire story.
To get a greater understanding of the SMU Cox School of Business Professional MBA class, we spoke with several current students, including a self-described “Army Brat,” a former law school student, and a consultant originally from Kathmandu, along with a handful of other future grads. Read on to see their stories and what the future may hold for life after an MBA.
NIU Professor Reports From Nepal Earthquake
On April 25, 2015, the 2015 Nepal earthquake tragically took the lives of more than 8,000 people and injured more than 16,000 individuals. Northern Illinois University College of Business professor Mark Rosenbaum, on a Fulbright assignment in Nepal at the time, was there to experience the massive earthquake that devastated the region.
According to the NIU College of Business website, Rosenbaum reported on the earthquake to major media outlets like WGN-TV, WLS-TV, CBS, the Daily Herald, Chicago Chronicle, and the Naperville Sun via Skype, despite having a partly-powered apartment before the building he was in partially collapsed as a direct result of shaking. Continue reading…
NYU Stern Alumnus Named Dean of MBA Students
New York University Stern School of Business has announced that one of its alumni, Conor Grennan, will be appointed as Dean of Students for the MBA Program, effective April 1, 2014. Serving in this position, Grennan will act as liaison between Stern’s administration and the School’s MBA students.
A graduate of Stern’s full-time MBA program in 2010, where he also served as president of the Stern student body in his second year, Grennan is widely known for his New York Times best-selling book “Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal”, published by William Morrow in 2011.
The book chronicles Grennan’s pre-MBA work as founder and president of Next Generation Nepal, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that has rescued and reconnected with their families approximately 500 trafficked children in post-war Nepal since 2006. According to the Dean of NYU Stern, Peter Henry, “Conor instantly grasps what we mean when we say we’re in the business of inspiring future leaders to create value in the world because he has transformed our promise into real outcomes in the real world. Conor is a bridge builder who successfully discovers unforeseen opportunities to make a meaningful difference where business, society, culture and people intersect. We are delighted to have one of our own return to Stern in this important administrative capacity to mentor and guide future generations of Stern students.”
In 2014, Grennan was named a recipient of the Unsung Heroes of Compassion, which was awarded to him by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in recognition of his work with the children of Nepal. Grennan will continue to serve as a member of Next Generation Nepal’s Board of Directors.
