{"id":32956,"date":"2017-04-11T13:54:29","date_gmt":"2017-04-11T17:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=32956"},"modified":"2018-05-06T14:30:49","modified_gmt":"2018-05-06T18:30:49","slug":"bluffon-hosted-collaborative-mba-cohorts-off-running","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/bluffon-hosted-collaborative-mba-cohorts-off-running\/","title":{"rendered":"Bluffton-hosted Collaborative MBA cohorts off and running"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Missy Kauffman Schrock always knew she wanted a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).<\/p>\n<p>Having worked business-related jobs on the side through high school and college, Schrock switched gears and got her undergraduate degree in ministry from Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia. After a short stint pastoring in Syracuse, Indiana, Schrock began to feel called in a different direction.<\/p>\n<p>For more than a decade, the dream of earning an MBA stayed in her mind. She worked as a manager of Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade store selling handcrafted products from around the world, \u00a0and managed two different \u00a0Mennonite Central Committee thrift shops for a number of years before starting work at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, as director of development. Due to family rhythms and work schedules, the timing never was never quite right to enter school again.<\/p>\n<p>But in 2013, Schrock decided it was time. She inquired at Bluffton (Ohio) University about the MBA program, but George Lehman, a Bluffton business professor, told her to wait a year: something new was coming.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"highlight highlight-right\">Learn more about the <a href=\"http:\/\/collaborativemba.org\/\">Collaborative MBA program<\/a>.<\/aside>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/collaborativemba.org\/\">Collaborative MBA program<\/a> started in 2014 with Schrock as a member of the first cohort.<\/p>\n<p>A joint effort between Goshen (Indiana) College, Bluffton University, Eastern Mennonite University and Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, the Collaborative MBA is a two-year program designed to offer students the chance to complete an MBA that embraces Mennonite values.<\/p>\n<h3>&#8216;Leadership for the Common Good&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>One of the guiding principles of the program is \u201cleadership for the common good.\u201d The program focuses on personal formation, competency in business and economic skills and building relationships. It is a program rooted in the idea of community and uses a cohort model so participants can move together through the program.\u00a0Coursework is spread out over two years.<\/p>\n<p>EMU has received accreditation for this program through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and GC and Bluffton received approval from the Higher Learning Commission. After completing the program, participants can receive the degree from the school of their choice and pick a graduation ceremony to take part in.<\/p>\n<p>Dominique Burgunder-Johnson, the director of marketing at Goshen College, was also part of the first cohort. She was drawn to the values-based approach to business and saw it as something that would be relevant to her<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12833\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_12833\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12833\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12833 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/themennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Dominique-BJ-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12833\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Collaborative MBA student Dominique Burgrunder-Johnson, photographed while on the program\u2019s one-week trip to Costa Rica. (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n<\/div>\n<p>extensive work with nonprofit organizations. \u201cThis [program] aligned much more with my interests,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Another thing that drew Burgunder-Johnson to the program was the flexibility. \u201cAt the time I was living in [Washington] D.C.,\u201d she says, \u201cbut midway through I ended up moving to Goshen and it didn\u2019t interrupt the program at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Schrock, with a job that requires frequent travel, the Collaborative MBA program made it possible for her to attend class from anywhere with an Internet connection. \u201cWednesday night was class time,\u201d she said. \u201cWe just always knew that and then from there it was mostly about self-discipline to make sure my work outside of class was getting done. My weekends were spent studying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Schrock said that despite having been apart for most\u00a0of the program, the cohort interacted well and engaged in a positive learning experience together. Classes are held via Zoom: an online video chatting program that allows professors and cohort members to interact and converse face-to-face.<\/p>\n<p>Burgunder-Johnson echoed that she valued the interaction with the others in the program. \u201cYou still have real human interactions and get to know your cohort,\u201d she said. \u201cEven though you\u2019re not all in the same space you are still having good conversations and engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are two residencies during the program. At the beginning of the program, the cohort spends one week together on one of the college campuses getting acquainted and oriented.<\/p>\n<h3>Costa Rica cross-cultural focuses on business models<\/h3>\n<p>The second residency is one week in Costa Rica. Students live in a small town and have the chance to live and speak with community members and see a variety of business models in operation. One of the interactions is with a co-op of coffee growers where everyone involved in production is also a part-owner of the business venture.<\/p>\n<p>Schrock picked the leadership concentration, but the time in Costa Rica also guided her thinking around questions of sustainability. \u201cWe were able to see how the culture, the government and the economy all combined to function in Costa Rica,here the majority of the energy is produced sustainably,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>For Burgunder-Johnson, it was inspiring to see things the group was learning in class put into action in Costa Rica. \u201cBeing able to see the different leadership models in action helps it feel more achievable when you come back home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Towards the end of the program students begin to develop an idea for their capstone project as a way to apply what they\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n<p>Schrock focused on sustainability issues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReally neat things ended up coming out of [the capstone project],\u201d Schrock said. Schrock\u2019s project was centered around the idea of installing solar panels on the AMBS campus and finding other ways to become a more sustainable institution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis program helped me think more clearly about sustainability in a lot of different ways: financial, social, environmental,\u201d she said. There had been talk around the AMBS campus about solar panels but when Schrock decided<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12834\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_12834\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12834\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12834 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/themennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_0743-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12834\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">New solar panels are being installed on the AMBS campus in Elkhart, Indiana. The idea for the panels grew out of Missy Kauffmann Schrock\u2019s capstone project. (Photo by Katie Hurst)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n<\/div>\n<p>to take it on as a capstone project she assumed her work would stay theoretical.<\/p>\n<p>However, conversation spread as she developed her project. Schrock and AMBS eventually started more formal thinking about how her project could come to fruition on campus. They applied for grants, searched for additional resources and solar panel installation began March 27. The panels will be fully operational by April 15, with a dedication taking place on April 20 as part of the Rooted and Grounded Conference.<\/p>\n<p>The whole project is projected to offset about 70,000 kilowatt hours, about a quarter of the institution\u2019s total energy use. This will save AMBS 8,000 dollars in electric costs every year.<\/p>\n<p>Not only will Schrock\u2019s capstone project have a lasting impact on the AMBS campus, but the program will influence her work as well. \u201cEvery class that I took as part of the Collaborative MBA had some direct relevance or impact on my current work,\u201d she said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s understanding market forces better or leadership skills or accounting or sustainability practices, it has impacted the way I do my job.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Experienced executive wants &#8216;something different&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>Another student, Jackie Glick, is a member of the second cohort and currently anticipating graduation in April 2017.<\/p>\n<p>What drew Glick, a financial executive, to the program was the online model as well as the values-based education that was different than the corporate spheres she\u2019d been operating in. Glick\u00a0worked in the insurance industry for 28 years, ran her own consulting business for 15 and worked in the corporate world 7 years. When she sought more education, she decided that she needed something different.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI needed something to work on and to be able to show \u2018look I did this,\u2019\u201d she said. And she wanted it to be something that would make a difference and be useful to her future career endeavors, whatever they may be.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the first time in my life I don\u2019t have a plan,\u201d she said, \u201cand I\u2019m working on being okay with that.\u201d Despite some uncertainty, she mentions feeling empowered by this new stage of her life. \u201cI\u2019ll finish in April and then decide what direction I want to go, what I want to do next with these new experiences and knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Glick, a Goshen College grduate, also mentioned that her international Study Service Term was a formative experience and she was thrilled at the possibility of an MBA program with international experience in Costa Rica. During her trip with the Collaborative MBA cohort, Glick got to\u00a0experience staying in a small town and interacting with local business leaders and economists, tours and a variety of alternate business models. She was impressed with the focus on cooperatives in Costa Rica as well as nonprofits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was so interesting seeing business models where [local coffee growers and buyer co-ops] build infrastructure within little towns and take the profits and reinvest in the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>All three women mentioned that the program left a lasting impact and expanded their knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt definitely impacts how I approach all of my work,\u201d said Burgunder-Johnson.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished with permission from <a href=\"https:\/\/themennonite.org\/\">The Mennonite<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Missy Kauffman Schrock always knew she wanted a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). Having worked business-related jobs on the side through high school and college, Schrock switched gears and got <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/bluffon-hosted-collaborative-mba-cohorts-off-running\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about Bluffton-hosted Collaborative MBA cohorts off and running<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,5591,17562,8845,5610],"tags":[],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-32956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-business-and-leadership","category-digest","category-emu-at-lancaster","category-mba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Bluffton-hosted Collaborative MBA cohorts off and running - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/bluffon-hosted-collaborative-mba-cohorts-off-running\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bluffton-hosted Collaborative MBA cohorts off and running - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Missy Kauffman Schrock always knew she wanted a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). 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