Paul Merage School of Business Remembers Pamela Adams, MBA ’98
The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine said goodbye to a beloved family member when Pamela Adams, MBA ’98, lost her battle with cancer earlier this fall. As an investment manager and certified financial planner, Adams built a successful career. However, it was her numerous contributions to her alma mater that makes her passing especially hard on UCI.
After graduating with an MBA from the Merage School in the late ’90s, Adams helped found the Dean’s Leadership Circle (DLC) in 2005 with then dean Andy Policano. The DCL is a business network for alumni and executives to help build stronger ties in the business community. Adams served on the DLC Advisory Board as a “Visionary” member until recently.
“Certainly, she will be missed,” dean Eric Spangenberg said. “Most definitely, she will be remembered. Always, Pam Adams will be cherished in the hearts of the Merage School family.”
Adams helped launch the school’s Center for Investment and Wealth Management (CIWM), chaired the CIWM Community Programs and served on its Advisory Board. Beginning in 2008, Adams served as a member of the Merage School Dean’s Advisory Board, and, just this past year, endowed scholarships for young students to attend the LifeVest financial literacy program hosted by the CIWM. In 2005 Adams was recognized as a UCI Lauds & Laurels Distinguished Alumni Award as one of the Merage School’s most outstanding alumni.
“Pam was a natural leader in every aspect of her life,” said Policano, who is currently the faculty director of the CIWM. “She was an iconic role model for our students and we are indeed fortunate to have been the beneficiaries of her guidance, generosity and friendship. Because of Pam, we have improved the community around us and enabled others who are less fortunate to have the opportunity to succeed.”
Paul Merage alum, member Pamela Adams.
Adams also dedicated much of her time to mentoring young people and supporting women in need. She was a founding member of the Girls Inc. Guild of Orange County, a nonprofit serving girls in need, and an active member of the National Association of Women Business Owners of Orange County who named her “Member of the Year” in 2007.
“We owe a great debt of gratitude to Pam,” added Sandra Findly, Executive Director of Development in the Office of External Relations at the Merage School. “She has set the bar high and we are forever thankful for her dedication and commitment to making a difference in the lives our students and alumni, the people in our community, and in the lives of every single one of us who had the good fortune to know her.”
Merage School of Business MBA Earns Praise From The Economist
The UC Irvine’s Merage School of Business received some good news after the school was ranked in latest business school rankings of The Economist. The school placed 39th in the nation, 16th among public schools, and 56th in the world. The Los Angeles metro business school also scored well in categories including 29th in Open New Career Opportunities; 17th in alumnus rating of career services; and 13th in salary increase.
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UC Irvine Becomes Latest LA Business School to Offer GMAT/GRE Waiver
Applying for an MBA program is a long process: There’s plenty of applications, essays, and interviews involved in getting you into the program atop your list. To add insult to injury, many programs require a GMAT or GRE score, only adding to potential workload and stress. Continue reading…
Admissions Tip: Deadlines
Anyone who’s familiar with the MBA application process knows that August moves forward at an accelerated pace, and come September, entire weeks seem to disappear. To help this year’s Round One applicants avoid the classic time crunch, today’s blog post offers some basic advice on how to approach the Round One MBA deadlines at a reasonable pace.
Let’s start by taking a quick look at a handful of the earliest deadlines for the top MBA programs:
September 6: Harvard Business School
September 8: Cambridge / Judge
September 12: Duke / Fuqua
September 13: Yale SOM
September 15: London Business School
September 19: Stanford GSB, Penn / Wharton, Notre Dame / Mendoza (Early Deadline)
September 20: Northwestern / Kellogg, INSEAD
September 21: Chicago / Booth, Berkeley / Haas
September 25: MIT Sloan
September 29: Oxford / Saïd
For a full list of deadlines, check out Clear Admit’s post here.
Though some schools have yet to announce their deadlines (such as UMD Smith and UCI Merage, one can still get a sense of the lineup of R1 deadlines. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating your personal timeline.
Plan to be busy in August.
Yes, it can be tempting to work on one’s tan instead of one’s essays. However, many MBA applicants squander the month of August only to wake up in September and realize that they cannot make their target deadlines. If you are not bogged down by professional obligations in August, this makes for a great opportunity to devote time to working on your MBA applications in the evenings. The last weeks of summer can easily be split between résumé drafting, essay writing, recommendation coaching, GMAT prep, school research, and more.
Think carefully about the timing of the R1 MBA deadlines.
Looking at the deadlines above, it becomes clear that some deadlines may be easier to make than others. A candidate applying to Haas and London Business School could have a leisurely October when compared to someone targeting Haas, London Business School and NYU Stern (Oct. 15, 2017 Round 1 Deadline). Assuming about three weeks of research and writing for each school’s application, take a look at the deadlines and count backwards to determine a start date for each. It is entirely possible to meet back-to-back deadlines, such as Tepper and Darden, but doing so requires a well-planned schedule and consistent progress.
Consider taking some time off from work.
We realize that many MBA applicants work 70 hours per week and haven’t had a day off in months. For such applicants, a day or two out of the office can really do wonders for focus and organization. Applying to business school is a serious undertaking, and in the long term you won’t regret having given yourself enough time to prepare strong applications. Many successful candidates take a week off in early September to make the final push. It’s not a glamorous way to spend your vacation time, but an offer to attend a leading MBA program can make the sacrifice well worth it.
Get your recommenders on board early.
While some of the schools have not yet made their online applications and recommendation forms available, it’s a good idea to engage your recommenders early and inform them about the process and your timeline. Sit down with each recommender, perhaps over lunch or coffee. Present them with an outline of the deadlines and the process. It’s then a wise idea to meet again once the forms are available, and by that time many applicants are in a position to share their background materials (a résumé, career goals essays, etc.) to help their recommenders understand—and support—their message.
Happy planning!
This article has been edited and republished with permissions from Clear Admit.
The Best Information Technology MBA Programs in Los Angeles
As the line between business and information technology industries continues to blur, more and more tech professionals are looking to business schools and MBA programs to help give them a leg up on the competition. An MBA with a focus on information technology (IT) is a great path to landing any number of tech-related jobs, especially in the Los Angeles metro. Here’s a rundown of what the city has to offer:
Anderson School of Management – UCLA
Founded as the College of Business Administration in 1935, the UCLA Anderson School of Management initially taught vocational business skills to people who would be teaching others. The program was renamed the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA in 1987 in honor of Anderson’s $15 million gift to the program. Today, the school offers a full-time, two year MBA program, as well as a part-time, Executive and two Global Executive MBA programs.
The UCLA Anderson Easton Technology Management Center prepares business students to drive change in technology through coursework, workshops and events covering tech in the business world. MBA students enrolled at Anderson are also able to specialize their degree through the Center with the Easton Technology Leadership concentration. Sample Courses include:
- Innovation in Media & Entertainment Technology
- Intellectual Property
- New Product Development
- Payment Technology
- Technology Management
Argyros School of Business – Chapman University
The Argyros School of Business at Chapman University gives students the opportunity to pursue a track during the MBA program, including Information Systems in Digital Times. While the track will not be recorded on the transcript or diploma, the coursework will come in handy while pursuing a career in technology and can be referenced on a resume. Students on the Information Systems in Digital Times track can choose from the following elective classes:
- Marketing Research
- Information Technology for Sustainable Competitive Advantage
- Statistical Models for Analytics
- Data Mining
- Marketing Analytics
California State University, Long Beach
California State Long Beach began offering business classes in 1949 with only 24 business students and four faculty members. Today, the College of Business Administration is located in state-of-the-art building, complete with decision support laboratories, classrooms with the latest in technology, multimedia capability and modern lecture halls. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International accredited school is also offers a Daytime Accelerated MBA program.
Long Beach offers an MBA Emphasis in Information Systems through the school’s IS department. Students on this track must take the IS core classes of Quantitative Methods for Managerial Decision Making and Management of Information Systems before selected three of the following electives:
- Internet Applications Development
- Business Telecommunications Management
- Network Modeling and Simulation
- Database Management Systems
- Electronic Commerce
Graziadio School of Business and Management – Pepperdine University
The Graziadio School of Business and Management offers a Digital Innovation & Information Systems MBA to its 15 and 20-Month MBA Students. According to the school, this program focuses on bridging the gap between business and technology and helps students gain an advanced and in-demand understanding of technology innovation. This degree prepares students for careers in the following fields:
- Systems or Technology Analyst
- Infrastructure Manager
- IT Director, CIO
- Business Intelligence Analyst/Manager
- Process Analyst/Manager
- IT Program/Project Manager
- Business-IT Relationship Management
- Digital Business Consultant
- Operations Management, COO
- Technology Product Management
Loyola Marymount University
Founded in 1911, Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a premier Catholic university rooted in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions. LMU’s College of Business Administration (CBA) was established in 1926. Today, the college offers several undergraduate degree offerings and graduate degree offerings, including an MS in Accounting, MBA and Executive MBA.
Marymount offers various areas of emphasis for their MBA degree, including Information Technology. Six different IT courses are offered, such as Risk Analysis and Financial Modeling, which introduces advanced quantitative model building skills for financial risk analysis. Another high-level IT class offered for Marymount MBAs is Information Technology Security. The school describes the course as follows:
“After 9/11 and the fall of Enron—the 7th largest corporation in America—information technology security has become one of the fastest growing areas in the business world. The need to know how to protect corporate information from attacks both from terrorists and business insiders are enormous. The main objective of this course is to provide students an exposure to the complex information security management issues in the US today. This course offers business professionals a unique blend of technical knowledge and managerial training to investigate digital threats, study corporate security needs, modeling potential risk, and explore possible strategies that management can adapt to protect valuable corporate assets.”
Mihaylo College of Business – California State University, Fullerton
The Mihaylo College of Business and Economics was founded in 1963. The college is named for Steven G. Mihaylo, a 1969 Cal State Fullerton graduate-turned-businessman who made significant contributions to the university. The school has offered MBA degrees since its inception, and today offers MBA, MA and MS programs, including online programs and programs for working professionals.
The Information Systems And Decision Sciences Department at Mihaylo offers concentrations in Information Systems to MBA students. Coursework includes:
- Integrated Enterprise Information Systems
- Information Privacy and Security
- Systems Analysis, Design and Development
Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management – Claremont Graduate University
The Peter F. Drucker & Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management was founded in 1971 and in 1987 was named in honor of Peter Drucker, a pioneer in management theory who helped create one of the first EMBA programs in the United States. In addition to the traditional full-time MBA, the Drucker School of Management offers a part-time and an Executive MBA.
Drucker offers a dual MS in Information Systems & Technology/MBA degree that teaches foundations in technology and management. The special degree is presented in partnership with the Center for Information Systems & Technology (CISAT) and features a curriculum that teaches best practices in both IS&T and management. Students earn two degrees simultaneously and consists of 19 courses.
The Paul Merage School of Business – University of California, Irvine
Located about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, the UC Irvine campus is just ten minutes away from the coastal communities of Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. The UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business offers a full-time, two year MBA program, as well as a part-time, Executive and Healthcare Executive MBA programs.
The Merage School offers some Information Systems coursework for MBA students. All MBAs must take the core Information Technology class. These electives include:
- Critical IT Decisions for Business Executives
- Business Intelligence for Analytical Decisions
- Digital Strategies and Markets
- Special Topics in Information Systems
Paul Merage Professor Elected Vice President of the American Finance Association
David Hirshleifer, Finance Professor at UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business, was recently elected as Vice President of the American Finance Association (AFA). He was also assigned to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). As AFA Vice President, Hirshleifer will serve a one-year term on a six-person executive committee, in charge of coordinating nominations for prospective members of the board of directors, managing yearly meetings, guiding the content of The Journal of Finance as well as a range of other responsibilities. It is fitting that Hirshleifer should help handle the content for the journal, as he has held an editorial position with the publication, as well as others, in the past.
