Los Angeles News: Chapman Alum Returns as New COO, and More
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest news coming out of Los Angeles business schools this week.
Brian’s Journey to COO: An MBA Network That Made Career Aspirations Reality – Chapman University Newsroom
The Argyros School of Business at Chapman University profiled alumni Brian Goodman, whose experience in the Chapman MBA program led him to a role as Chief Operating Officer.
Goodman, who had been working as a corporate attorney, entered Chapman’s EMBA program in the fall of 2015, quickly taking advantage of the many networking opportunities the program offered. It was through one of these MBA-association events that Goodman met Robin Follman-Otta, who would ultimately help shape his career by offering him the COO role at her firm, Markall Incorporated and RA Industries. Although Goodman never expected finding himself in the manufacturing industry, he joined Robin’s company shortly after his May 2017 graduation and has found it a perfect fit. He credits the Chapman EMBA program with providing him both the professional network and experience to make crucial progress in the business world.
Read more about Goodman’s experience at the Chapman EMBA program here.
Brian Goodman, the new COO of the Chapman MBA program / Photo via blogs.chapman.edu
Center for Women in Leadership Hosts Outreach Conference – Pepperdine Newsroom
The Graziado School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University recently hosted the Women in Leadership Reachout Conference on February 13 in Malibu. The day-long event involved discussion panels revolving around issues that impact women in business, such as moving through male-dominated fields, work/life balance, and strategies and goals for mentorship.
“The conference brought C-suite level women to our campus to share real-life stories of making it to the top and thriving once you get there,” said director of the Center for Women in Leadership and Graziado professor Bernice Ledbetter. “Audience members were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from some of the top women executives in the nation.”
The event was presented as a partnership with C200, which also presented $10,000 scholarships to three exemplary female MBA students.
You can read more about the Women in Leadership conference at Graziado here.
How and Why Cal State Fullerton Students Launch Companies Before They Graduate – The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register recently took a deeper look into the New Venture Creation and Funding class at the Mihaylo College of Business. The program, which has about 200 majors, encourages students to create startups even before graduation day—with the full support of mentors and faculty at Mihaylo. The program centers around the idea of the “lean startup,” which looks for market input early on in development. After students have created their pitch, a panel of investors hear their ideas and often are so inspired they offer funding on the spot.
Successful companies from past entrepreneurship students have included a local craft beer maker Bootlegger’s Brewery; a tutor service which helps connects students with tutors who have been through the same class, Wecademi; and an online piano lesson service called Piano with Johnny.
Read more about the Mihaylo entrepreneurship program here.
These LA Business Schools Are Helping Low Income Students Pursue Their Dreams – MetroMBA
Last week, we profiled several schools in the Los Angeles metro area, including the UCLA Anderson School of Management and Marshall School of Business at USC, which provide ample opportunities for in and out-of-state prospective MBA students that need financial assistance with their education. As well, we highlighted many of the offerings available to military veterans.
For low-income MBA applicants who also have a history of military service, there are many unique financial aid opportunities. The exact services available will depend on the school, but some of these programs are available at schools across California and the U.S.
First, there’s the Yellow Ribbon Program, which many Los Angeles business schools take part in, including Chapman University Argyros School of Business. This program awards MBA students up to $6,000 for tuition and fees. Another program open to military veterans is the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which includes payments directly to the university for tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance, and an annual books and supplies stipend up to $1,000 per year.
Individual schools like the USC Marshall School of Business also offer their own specific scholarships for military veterans. The Schoen Family Scholarship Program for Veterans is available to full-time MBA students at Marshall and has, to date, provided a staggering $1.2 million in financial support to 173 students at the university.
You can read more about the financial opportunities for lower-income applicants here.
Mihaylo Conference Inspires Tutoring Innovation
Mihaylo College of Business and Economics recently hosted the California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) Business Plan Competition. The competition featured 18 competing groups. One of those groups was led by Brent Maxinoski and Cayman Elkin, who pitched an online platform that would pair students with peer tutors.
Maxinoski and Elkins placed fourth in the competition and were inspired to take steps to turn their pitch into a functioning entity. The business is different from other tutoring programs, because it pairs students with other students who have excelled in the class with which the client is struggling, rather than pairing them with a grad student who is not familiar with the curriculum. Maxinoski had the idea for the business while studying for an accounting exam.
“I just realized … I would much rather just pay some small or affordable amount to a peer who was either in the same class as me or had taken the same class as me, and done well in it, to help me understand the concepts and do well on the exam, rather than paying 75-80 bucks for a professional grad-degree-type tutor,” Maxinoski, the startup’s CEO, said.
There is a great deal of support for the startup, which the team is calling “Wecademi,” at CSUF. Professors believe an affordable tutoring system that involves students versed in the curriculum could decrease the considerable no-pass rates of core classes, and consequently improve graduation rates.
According to Elkin, this program is promising because it is pairing students with tutors who are familiar with the class, rubrics, and exam formats.
“Just because you get an accounting tutor who’s a CPA, that doesn’t mean they can help you in CSUF Accounting 201A, because they might not know the exact material and they might not know the curriculum. But if you have someone who just took that class last semester and got an A in that, they can convey that material,” Elkin said.
The website is currently up and running, though the team is still open to obtaining feedback and making improvements.
