{"id":19410,"date":"2014-03-12T12:11:42","date_gmt":"2014-03-12T16:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=19410"},"modified":"2014-03-28T10:05:41","modified_gmt":"2014-03-28T14:05:41","slug":"unique-collaborative-mba-program-launched-from-platform-of-three-mennonite-institutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/unique-collaborative-mba-program-launched-from-platform-of-three-mennonite-institutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Unique Collaborative MBA program launched from platform of three Mennonite institutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Business and organizational personnel who want to develop their leadership skills, enhance productivity, and increase profits while<\/i> contributing to the \u201ccommon good\u201d now have the chance to enroll in an MBA program that is like no other.<\/p>\n

Three institutions affiliated with the Mennonite Education Agency<\/a> \u2013 Bluffton University<\/a> in Ohio, Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, and Goshen College<\/a> in Indiana \u2013\u00a0have joined forces to launch \u201cThe Collaborative MBA<\/a>\u201d to shape \u201ctransformative leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re interested in developing authentic leaders who understand that personal, business, organizational, and community existence and success are tied to the sustainability of local and global systems,\u201d said George Lehman, director of the graduate programs in business at Bluffton.<\/p>\n

The 36-hour program will focus on \u201cskills in entrepreneurship, shared vision development, mutual accountability, financial integrity, continuous innovation, empowerment of people and teams, and systems thinking,\u201d said Michelle Horning, chair of the business department at Goshen.<\/p>\n

The program director of The Collaborative MBA is Jim Smucker<\/a>, formerly president of the Bird-in-Hand Corporation<\/a> and board chair of the Lancaster (Pa.) Chamber of Commerce<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Smucker, a unique aspect of the new program is addressing \u201cleaders\u2019 needs for personal and spiritual growth. Almost all of the other MBA programs focus mainly on the usual topics of budgeting, strategic planning, marketing and such.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Collaborative MBA will cover these topics too, said Smucker, who will also continue to be graduate dean at Eastern Mennonite University. In addition, however, \u00a0\u201cour program will have an explicit orientation toward the well-being of people, community, and planet. We will situate making profits within the context of ethical practices and contribution to the common good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professors at the three partner schools possess a wide range of expertise, permitting Collaborative MBA students to choose among eight concentrations:<\/p>\n