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First class in DWC's MBA

Sunday, March 13, 2005

The statistics are interesting: they range in age from 24 to over 60 and it’s been fewer than five to more than 20 years since they received their undergraduate degrees. Some graduated from Daniel Webster’s traditional day program, some from the College’s EXCEL degree completion program, while others first set foot on Nashua’s University Drive with undergraduate degrees from other institutions.

Wherever they came from and whatever they currently are doing, many of these students represent the first graduating class of Daniel Webster’s MBA program. You can imagine their excitement as they concluded the classroom portion of their 20-month academic journey last August; those who have completed the required “capstone project” will be dressed in graduate degree regalia and will walk across the stage at the College’s commencement May 14.

The “cohort” model, pioneered by the College 10 years ago, has been a highly successful format for Daniel Webster's EXCEL degree completion program and now its MBA program.  It features a class or “cohort” that remains together as a group through all 13 required, sequenced courses in a fixed calendar of classes that are held three or four hours on the same night each week. These adult learners and working professionals form strong bonds during the time they call Daniel Webster their “second home,” and some groups even took turns bringing in supper for the entire class.

“The cohort model and the relationships it builds cannot be overstated,” said Jean Montana of Nashua. “I’ve developed relationships that will continue for years.”

According to Becky MacLennan of Hollis the format brings together a unique set of individuals. “You’re with these people for the duration … everybody is in the same boat, facing similar challenges — like juggling family, work, travel. In spite of the challenges, we always knew that it was ‘worth the ride.’”

Dr. Robert Sweo, the College’s dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies, says “Daniel Webster’s MBA is a unique program, targeted very carefully to adult students who have full- time jobs and can bring their experience into the classroom. And in the cohort model, they learn as much from each other as they do from the professors.”

Dr. Sweo went on to explain, “Many MBA programs are designed for people who have a couple years of working experience. They are trained in great detail in technical theory but aren’t educated on the big picture and how it all interacts in the real world. With the Daniel Webster MBA, we are educating our students to be better managers in their current environments and getting them ready for their next promotion. They will be far stronger managers in their industries and be able to ‘move up’ faster." 

Dr. Reza Hoshmand, chair of the Division of Business and Management, agrees.  “The Daniel Webster MBA is different than a traditional accounting or finance MBA.  Ours is much more holistic – it gives the graduate the ability to work with and understand the traditional academics of an MBA program in the context of real work.”

Dr. Tom Anastasi, assistant professor of business and management and program director, adds, “We combine the best of traditional graduate business education with real world applied business problem-solving.  Our students serve as consultants to real businesses, not only during their capstone projects, but throughout the entire program. In all my research, I couldn’t find any school that does that to the level we do.”

Daniel Webster built its MBA program from the ground up, starting with a “clean sheet,” recalled Dr. Anastasi. What would the perfect program look like for working adults? The answer was a rigorously formatted, cohort model where classes built upon each other and where students could bring what they learned in the classroom right back to the workplace.  The program emphasizes three of the most fundamental aspects of management: leadership, communication, and effective decision-making based on quantitative and qualitative data.

“Since the very first class,” said Brian Jackson of Merrimack, “I started to use techniques and ideas fostered by the program in my work.”

Robert Berry of Manchester agreed. “It’s amazing to me how relevant the course work is to the real world.”

Added Montana, director of quality and resource management at a local hospital, “I used much of what I learned to develop a business plan for a new service at the hospital.”

Dr. Anastasi and Dr. Hoshmand both say that the quality and dedication of the students that are attracted to the program are additional reasons for its success. “We interview every student, learn who they are and why they want to be a part of our MBA program,” said Dr. Hoshmand. “The curriculum is difficult and time-consuming for both students and faculty, and anyone involved has to be willing to put in the hours. We are committed to making our students successful and providing them any help that they might need.”

“Expect the level and workload at the graduate level to be substantially more than that of the undergraduate level,” said Dr. Anastasi. “But for adults who live or work in the Greater Nashua or Portsmouth areas who are looking for an academically challenging, flexible program that does not take five years to complete, Daniel Webster’s MBA may be a great fit.” The College began offering the MBA program to Seacoast residents in 2004.

“If you’re married, make sure your spouse is 100 percent on board, make sure you are 100 percent committed, approach the program systematically, and hone up on your time management skills,” advised MacLennan. “Most importantly, enjoy and quench your thirst for learning.”

With such a diverse group, each student has his or her own individual reasons for acquiring a graduate degree in business administration. For Christine Gagnon of Manchester, it was her love for learning and the desire to further her career that brought her to Daniel Webster for her MBA. “All of the coursework was immediately applicable in different aspects of my work.” 

For Jackson, acquiring an MBA was an investment in his professional future.

According to senior accountant Erin Power of Salem, Mass., “I felt that higher education is something that is needed in my industry, especially now in such a competitive market.”

For Berry, it was the competitiveness in the business world. “The MBA might someday be the deciding factor on who gets a promotion or a job opportunity.

“ Adding an MBA to her credentials, noted Montana, will create an opportunity for advancement and enhance her earning potential.

According to Dr. Anastasi the first cohort, as the inaugural class, was active in ensuring the program was as educationally enriching as possible, offering regular feedback for quality improvement. From their feedback, program modifications have been implemented. “I appreciated the fact that the program took our input and made changes for the succeeding cohorts,” said Jackson.

A significant change was in extending the program from 20 months to 24 or more months, allowing more discretionary time for students who, for the most part, have family responsibilities and full-time careers to go along with the rigorous academic demands of the program.

“I marvel at how my classmates with children juggled their lives,” said Montana. 

Additionally, there is now more flexibility among cohorts so that students who cannot complete a course for personal or other reasons can move to another cohort to complete their studies.

Advice for those considering DWC’s MBA program? “Go for it!” said John Murphy of Dunstable, MA. “In this day and age, we live in a global commerce community. Yesterday’s MBAs focused on national issues, but there is a bigger playing field that is evolving out there.”

Is there a “typical” MBA student at Daniel Webster? Taking into consideration the six cohorts currently underway in Nashua and Portsmouth, the typical student is working and has a family. With the median age of about 40, students want to improve career opportunities and bring what they learn in the classroom back to the job, even as they move through the program.

Jamie Rasp of Bedford joined the MBA program in September last year to do just that – she wanted to be more marketable in the job force and gain experiences beyond those she could acquire at her workplace.   “I picked Daniel Webster because of the location and the format. I know every Wednesday night I will be at school. This made it easy to plan everything else, and not having to change my life around my class schedule every few months is a real benefit,” she said.  “With a full-time job, having one class at a time was also a big plus,” she added.  “I also liked the idea of working with the same group of people from the start. I thought it would give me a way to meet others and leverage their work experiences.” 

The format also appealed to Kimberly Fagerstrom of Manchester who also joined the MBA program in September.  “I work in the heath field and want to broaden my horizons and career opportunities.  A few years back I started an MBA program at another college but wasn’t able to finish it while working full-time.  Daniel Webster’s program is a lot of work at times, but I know I’ll be able to do it.  The professors are really good and everyone is very encouraging.”

The future of Daniel Webster College’s MBA program is very bright, and the College is planning on offering an on-line MBA in aviation management in 2006.  “We will never be the top graduate school in the U.S., or even the state, because Dartmouth, the number two program in the world, is also here in New Hampshire,” explained Dr. Anastasi.  But he has a goal – that the Daniel Webster College MBA will become a premier regional academic program, among the top in the country that draws its students from individuals who work or live within one hour of the Nashua or Portsmouth campuses.  “When you look at the curriculum and faculty and the quality of the students, I am convinced it is totally doable.”