The MBA Association is officially refreshed and reloaded with a brand new board of students and alumni and will be planning events and more over the next year.

Our New MBA Association Board (from left to right): Steven Heimbach, Christine Rinaldi, Joyce Farmer, Carla Gonzalez-Swartz, Angela Nash, Charlie Brita (Not pictured: Dezso Nyitray and Milot Rukiqi)

Their first event, “Share the Dream” Stories of Entrepreneurship, featured five DeSales MBA students and alumni at various stages of the entrepreneurial process.  Joyce Farmer, an entrepreneur in just beginning the process business planning and developing, shared the joys and difficulties of taking an idea to the next level.  The biggest decision was determining if she and her husband had what it takes to become entrepreneurs.   

With her husband, Crystal Calla, Fat Boys House of BBQ, ventured into the food truck industry on a part-time basis.  His culinary expertise coupled with her MBA and business background has enabled them to grow their business to a point where they teamed up with Wise Guys Depot to sell their BBQ on its property.  BBQ and beer what a great combo! 

Rena George-Beck and Juan Martinez have also reached new stages of growth in their entrepreneurial ventures.  Rena George-Beck, PAWSitively Poochie, opened two successful grooming locations with an extensive client base and is determining where to expand.  An entrepreneur’s life is never dull; there’s always another decision to be made!  Juan Martinez bought and opened the State Café & Grill in Easton and recently opened another restaurant, Don Juan Mex Grill near Lafayette College.  Juan used social media and smart phone apps to engage his customer base in unique ways; he has had such success that he is looking to his next venture!

The final speaker, Esther Rowland, didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur.  While experiencing success working in IT and studying for her DeSales MBA, she met her husband, Dr. Michael Rowland, who had a small dental practice, Oral Dynamics, in the Lehigh Valley.  Growth was stagnating in his practice, so Esther lent her business expertise and, with their combined skills, they were able to grow beyond the capacity of their leased facility.  Eventually, they purchased and renovated a dilapidated property in Allentown, and are now the proud owners of a very successful, state of the art facility designed to give customers a pleasant dental experience.

Each story was unique and inspiring, yet possessed the same message – to become a successful entrepreneur, you need commitment, dedication and perseverance to overcome the challenges.  In the end, your success will be determined by you – do YOU have what it takes?  The MBA program can give you the tools, but YOU decide what to do with them. 

The MBA program is very excited to see what lies ahead for our entrepreneurs and the MBA Association!   View the video that Rena shared with us – Entrepreneurs Can Change The World

The following was brought to our attention by DeSales’ Financial Aid department.  If you’re a part-time MBA student using Federal loans, please read this!

Effective July 1st, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education will only process Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans for Graduate Students.  This is a mandated change per the Budget Control Act of 2011 implemented by the Federal government.  The current interest rate of unsubsidized loans is fixed at 6.8%. Unsubsidized loan payments are deferred until after you graduate, however the interest accrues from the start of the loan period.  Also, semesters will no longer be divided by Summer/Fall and Winter/Spring.  The semesters will be the standard: Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer.  You will need to take a least one course in the semester that you use loans.

If you are interested in more information about changes in the federal student aid programs, please visit www.studentloans.gov and click on the “Recent Changes to Student Aid Programs” link under the Learn More section of the page.

We also want to advise you of a new process for requesting a Federal Direct Loan for the 2012-2013 academic year.  After registering for courses, simply access your WebAdvisor account and select “Financial Aid Loan Application” under the Financial Aid section to request your loan.  We hope that you utilize this helpful tool.

Please contact the Financial Aid office at 610-282-1100 ext. 1287 if you have any questions.

Do you ever wonder what some of your fellow part-time MBA students are doing outside the classroom?  This time in our “DeSales MBA in the News” feature, we’re bringing you stories of two current students.

Easton area MBA student, Glenn Mamary was featured in a Hunterdon Healthcare article highlighting his incredible journey to lose over 100 pounds!  Congratulations Glenn, what a great achievement!

Want the full story? See it here:
Hunterdon Healthcare article about MBA student Glenn Mamary

Lansdale area MBA student, Frank Sergi spends his spare time pursuing his love for music by playing in a band called the Altacockers from Hell, literal meaning “Old Guys from Hell”.  (Altacockers is the yiddish term for “Old Guy”)  Frank and his band can be seen live on -  April 26th at 7pm -  at MaGerks Pub & Grill, 582 South Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, PA!

Check out this video of Frank’s band! (Frank is on the left in black & white)
Video of MBA student Frank Sergi’s band

Even with the current job market looking up, many people are still being affected by unemployment and the movement of jobs overseas.  We’re excited to inform you that DeSales University has become an approved training provider with the Pennsylvania state unemployment benefits TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance) and WIA (Workforce Investment Act).

For those of you who are unfamiliar with these programs, TAA is a federally-funded employment program that assists workers whose jobs have been impacted by foreign imports, while WIA provides federal job training funds for adults and dislocated workers.  DeSales University’s part-time MBA program is one of the DeSales University programs that are approved for TAA and WIA funding.  The DeSales University part-time MBA program is conveniently offered at the following locations: Center Valley, Easton, Lansdale, Pocono Medical Center, Immaculata, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Online.

For more information on TAA and WIA, visit the following sites:
Trade Adjustment Assistance
Workforce Investment Act

To determine your eligibility to participate in either of these programs:

1.  Verify that your employer has been approved to participate in TAA and/or WIA by contacting the CareerLink Office in your county:

• To find your local CareerLink office, use this link
  https://www.cwds.state.pa.us/cwdsonline/Admin/ManageServiceLocations/SearchServiceLocations.aspx?cFHB4PXjuSL8EgueCOsqxmyuFNRMM29SWyP2f0CUT2wn4fcXmd0B3XZu6ILQFLJEW4vRnIqN79XYLgkFNMgZW6Z4iABMSK3W1rZP1P3wBDgGLGa3R4nZ

 2.  If your employer has approved TAA and/or WIA benefits, speak with your CareerLink Office, identify three program choices (one can be DeSales University’s part-time MBA program if you want to attend our program) and complete the necessary paperwork.

3.  Talk with an MBA advisor and create a detailed outline of your program completion plan which will be submitted to PA CareerLink website.  Your PA CareerLink counselor will review this information and notify Harrisburg. 

4.  Complete a formal application packet for admissions to DeSales University’s part-time MBA program.  (The $50 application fee is waived for eligible TAA/WIA applicants)

Upon approval, begin your course work in the DeSales’ MBA program.  All coursework must be completed within a two year period as outlined with your academic advisor.

In the Spring 2012 MBA session, we will be offering an exciting course as part of our Healthcare Systems Management courses that only comes around once a year – HC508 Management of Information & Technology in Health Care – with Mr. Ravi Ahuja.  This course is extremely relevant as healthcare administrators deal with the intricacies of healthcare records and more being converted to computerized format.  The course will include guest speakers who are working administrators in healthcare such as Robert Begliomin, LVHN, Georgine Olexa, Good Shepard, John Grencer, Gpod Shepard Rehab, and more.  The course will be offered on location at Lehigh Valley Hospital on Wednesday nights.  Not a Healthcare Systems Management student?  You can still take the course!  All of our part-time MBA students are eligible to take this course as an elective if their concentration is something other than Healthcare Systems Management.

A brief course description:
Information and communication technologies are a rapidly expanding element of health services delivery systems. This course is designed to integrate theory and practical aspects as they apply to healthcare management. It will examine how technology has influenced regulatory, communications and structural healthcare environments. This course develops leadership skills for management of information systems to navigate complex issues such as integration, alignment, strategic planning and governance.

Student learning outcomes will include:

• Identify the health management information applications for the health care delivery systems;
• Develop skills in the critical appraisal and assessment of information and technology  needs;
• Explain the role of information systems in a modern health care environment;
• Apply leadership skills in decision making of technology related healthcare projects
• Work more productively with Information Systems professionals to plan, justify, select, and implement healthcare Information Systems.

If this course sounds right for you, talk with your advisor today about registering or go to WebAdvisor and register www.desales.edu/webadvisor.  Our goal in DeSales part-time MBA program is to provide you with classes that are timely, relevant and prepare you to use what you’ve learned right away in your professional career!

Congratulations to MBA alumnus Cathy Penyak!  She has been promoted to Vice President of Finance and Human Resources at Kramer Electronics USA, Inc.  Cathy graduated from the DeSales part-time MBA program in 1997 with a concentration in Self-Design.  The Self-Design track allows our students to tailor-make their studies to their career goals.  We wish Cathy much success in her new position. 

To read more:
http://catalogs.infocommiq.com/AVCat/CTL1642/index.cfm?manufacturer=kramer-electronics-usa&prid=7284

Are you up for the challenge!!!   The MBA Association is seeking additional board members to begin its 2012 year. As a board member you would be intricately involved in the many facets that make this organization fun, educational, beneficial and profitable to the students of DeSales University.  If you have a strong desire to take a leadership role as a board member and contribute to the success of the Association & its membership kindly contact Rena George-Beck, Director of Membership at rena.george-beck@olympus.com .  

Please join us for our first networking event in 2012 — “Share the Dream”.  

Entrepreneurs in the MBA program or graduates of our program relate their experiences in starting their own business:

Rena George Beck – PAWSitively Poochie LLC – dog grooming business
Juan Martinez – Don Juan Mex Grill and the State Café & Grill
Ester Rowland – Oral Dynamics
Crystal Calla – Fat Boys House of BBQ
Joyce Farmer – entrepreneur hopeful!
And possibly more…

Date:  Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Location:  University Center, DeSales University
Time:    
5:30 PM — Networking begins
6:15 PM — Assignment of volunteers for Board membership
6:30 PM — Introduction and discussion 
Followed by questions

Hors d’oeuvre and refreshments will be served.

Upcoming Event — LET’S KICK OFF FALL 2012!

ANNUAL PICNIC IS PLANNED TO BE HELD SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012 – DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Over the past year, DeSales University MBA faculty Dr. Charles Jobs and Dr. David Gilfoil have done collaborative research on global adoption rates and usage patterns of social media platforms (i.e. blogs, micro-blogs, social networking, video/photo uploading).  Their collegial efforts have resulted in four conference presentations, a best paper award, and four publications in respected domestic and international journals such as the Academy of Marketing Studies Journal (AMSJ) and the Journal of International Business Research (JIBR).  Their common interests led them to study cultural differences in usage patterns, marketing and consumer (buy vs sell) behavioral patterns, and market segment (emerging vs developed nation) similarities and anomalies. Intrigued by their findings and the explosive growth of social media platforms, the two professors have now set their research sights on the practical nuances and challenges of measuring and reporting the return on investment (ROI) of social media.  They have also begun developmental work on business courses incorporating social media trends, concepts, and issues for the DeSales part-time MBA program and undergraduate business program.  Stay tuned for more developments…

DeSales MBA alum Lisa Marsilio has been appointed executive director of Good Shepherd Penn Partners.  Lisa has a strong background in healthcare administration and also obtained an MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Systems Management in 2006.  To read more, here’s the story:
http://www.rehabpub.com/RMN/2012-01-16_08.asp

DeSales MBA alum Patrick Slattery has announced his run for the 134th district seat.  Patrick graduated from the part-time MBA program in 2008.  He is currently the director of business development with KidsPeace.  To read more, check out the story here:
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-reichley-seat-slattery-20120116,0,3335574.story

Congratulations to current DeSales MBA student Jessica Cieplik on her engagement!
http://www.timesleader.com/community/engagements/Sidlowe__Cieplik_01-22-2012.html

Do you know of a DeSales MBA student or alumni who’s being featured in a story?  Let us know!  Email christina.hicks@desales.edu

Article written by Kimberly Karpinski, DeSales MBA program

Every year the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) recognizes an MBA student in the Healthcare Systems Management concentration by awarding the EPAHEN – Dr. Hal Dolenga Emerging Leader Award. We are pleased to announce that this year’s recipient of the award is Ms. Dawn Tuers.

A leader in her field, Ms. Tuers believes that “nursing is a lifestyle, not a profession.“ Her desire to achieve her goal of becoming a CEO is a result of her passion and enthusiasm for providing quality care, combined with a belief that motivation and teamwork are an unstoppable combination. She is currently employed in Easton Hospital’s Quality Department as the Coordinator of Pay for Performance “Quality Blue” initiative with Highmark and, as such, chairs several key committees. Karen Vadyak, ACEO & Chief Nursing Officer, remarked, “I, along with Easton’s senior leadership team, have been impressed with the energy and passion Dawn has demonstrated in her new role… she exemplifies leadership commitment to the improvement of patient care at our facility on a daily basis. She is passionate with regard to the work she performs and demonstrates visionary leadership and a dedication to the hospital’s mission.” Dawn’s colleague, Sharon Volkert, agrees, “…she puts the patient first, has excellent organizational skills, works as a team and sees problems that arise as challenges to improve patient care and nursing practices.”

Not only is she a model employee, Dawn has also distinguished herself among her classmates and instructors by bringing a fresh perspective to classroom discussion. Dr. Carol Mest, adjunct faculty for the MBA program, recently had Dawn as a student. Speaking of Dawn, she remarked, “…she displays enthusiasm and creativity in both her written work and her oral classroom participation.”

Congratulations to Ms. Dawn Tuers for this well-earned achievement! We wish her the best of success for the future.

This year’s award was presented by Ms. Theresa Koller, RN, BSN, MHA, FACHE – President of EPAHEN, and Dr. David M. Gilfoil, director of DeSales University’s MBA program. The EPAHEN – Hal Dolenga Emerging Leader Award is presented to a current MBA student concentrating in healthcare who has completed at least half of the program and demonstrates evidence of current/ potential leadership success and is a member of good standing in the community.