{"id":12218,"date":"2012-04-05T14:08:01","date_gmt":"2012-04-05T18:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=12218"},"modified":"2012-04-23T14:56:05","modified_gmt":"2012-04-23T18:56:05","slug":"an-mba-with-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2012\/an-mba-with-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"An MBA with Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ten years ago Deb King would not have imagined that business was her calling in life. The masters in business administration at EMU nurtured her so that now, at 56, she sees herself as an entrepreneur with something valuable to give.<\/p>\n

King grew up in an entrepreneurial family of business owners and innovators<\/strong> who viewed business through the lens of servanthood.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even see their work as \u2018business\u2019,\u201d she says. \u201cThey did what they did because they loved finding ways to make life easier for everybody \u2013 through inventing and innovating and serving, always charging a lot less than the going rate. I didn\u2019t think of my family as members of \u2018the business world,\u2019 which I thought was full of people whose primary focus was getting ahead, instead of having a positive impact on the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MBA program opened her eyes to the concept of \u201cbusiness as a calling,\u201d<\/strong> exemplified by her family members who lived their lives as servants to their community.<\/p>\n

King is the general manager of Harrisonburg Gift and Thrift Shops, Inc., which includes the thrift store, Gift and Thrift, Artisan\u2019s Hope, which sells fairly traded items, and Booksavers of Virginia, which resells and recycles used books to benefit Mennonite Central Committee.<\/p>\n

Gaining confidence and leadership skills<\/h3>\n

King gained confidence in her ability to lead through the MBA program.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I was intimidated by my young, bright, articulate classmates and the foreign language spoken by the professors in class. But before long I realized I was on the journey of a lifetime<\/strong>. The classes are interesting and useful, and the instructors are passionate about their areas of expertise \u2013 and believe me, there\u2019s an abundance of expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working with undergraduates<\/h3>\n

As a former teacher King has always been energized by young people. Now she gets to work with EMU undergraduate students at Gift and Thrift. Six to 10 students have work-study positions each year and several more volunteer at the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work study students are an essential part of our work force. Often, the students find that they are a part of a community<\/strong>, working alongside people who become their family away from home. ”<\/p>\n

Using business to make a positive difference in the world<\/h3>\n

King has many ties to EMU. Both she and her husband Dave graduated from EMU, as did their three children. Dave now works as the director of athletics at EMU. Their son Derek is a student at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Deb and Derek will both graduate from EMU this spring, along with Deb\u2019s nephew Jonathan, an undergraduate student.<\/p>\n

When asked what makes EMU special King said, \u201cIn our family experience EMU confirmed our Anabaptist ideals and provided inspiration to follow in Christ\u2019s path<\/strong> in our everyday lives and vocations. For example, the MBA program offers much more than the nuts and bolts needed to run a business<\/strong>. At the heart of this program are people who believe that business is a way to make a positive difference<\/strong> in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

About the EMU MBA<\/h3>\n

EMU offers an MBA based on Christian values of stewardship, sustainability, ethics, integrity, justice, social entrepreneurship and multi-cultural perspectives. Students develop collaborative leadership and management skills through experiential learning, mentored by faculty with international and industry experience. You\u2019ll graduate with leadership and management<\/strong> skills and proven stewardship strategies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Tracks of study:<\/h4>\n