Friday 9 March 2012

Intro to Kelley Connect Week

I had the privilege and pleasure of attending the first few days of Kelley Connect Week last weekend to help new students start their journey with Kelley. For those who don’t know, Kelley Connect Week is a one-week course held on the Bloomington campus for new MBA students in Kelley Direct. This week introduces them to the program, the staff, the faculty, and IU. It’s a chance for the students to meet each other face-to-face, work together as a team, begin their course of study, and present to faculty what they learned. This term’s program also had the in-residence course for 2nd year students as well, so 1st years and 2nd years could meet each other.

The week started off with registration on Saturday afternoon (March 3rd). I (along with four other current students and one alumnus) greeted each student as they arrived for registration. We gave them information about the mentoring program for 1st year students and the Student Advisory Board and answered questions that they had. That evening, we attended the induction ceremony, champagne reception, and dinner where we got a chance to talk with students more.

On Sunday, March 4th, we had a panel discussion for an hour where the new students could ask any questions they wanted. Later in the day, we mingled with students during lunch and also at dinner where the IU/Purdue basketball game played on a large screen in the background.

I met many interesting and impressive people last weekend, and I believe that they will all do well at Kelley. I hope that many will keep in touch and let me know how the program is going for them. Best wishes to all of them!

Thursday 1 March 2012

A Special Thanks to Veterans Support Services

A few days ago, I wrote about the amazing faculty and staff that make up the Kelley School and teach the Kelley Direct program.  I (shamefully) forgot to mention the folks that sit in a tiny office in the IU Memorial Union.

The Veterans Support Services, championed by Margaret Baechtold (the director), serves countless veterans and Indiana University.  Whether these students are undergraduates on campus, or serving on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean, Margaret and her team are there and ready to serve at a moment's notice.  Her team made navigating the G.I. Bill easy and the paperwork seem almost transparent.

On behalf of the all of the veterans at Indiana University, a big, BIG thank you to VSS for all of the tireless work that they do.