Strutledge Board of Regents Proposal

Strutledge Board of Regents Proposal

MBA Program

Tania Grindrod

                The Board of Regents needs to determine if an MBA would bring Strutledge what it needs to succeed. Currently, the college does not have the staff to support an MBA program. Even with faculty support from local businesses, additional resources will be required, which will not help reduce overall costs to the college. What does the Board of Regents expect to see for enrollment and will the tuition help to not only cover the costs of the MBA program, but help offset the rising costs Strutledge is experiencing?

Board of Regents members should also be concerned with the decline in MBA program applicants. According to the Graduate Management Admissions Council, for three years applications to U.S. business schools have failed to increase in volume, with 59 percent of the programs actually seeing a decline (Murray, 2014). This coupled with the idea that the value of an MBA is becoming obsolete could have a negative effect on the college’s success, rather than increasing enrollments. As the opportunities for undergraduates who are willing to work for less are increasing, the number of companies that are hiring candidates with MBAs is decreasing (Murray, 2014).

Another major concern for the Board of Regents should be Strutledge’s proximity to a university with an established MBA program. Strutledge is lacking the history of a business program, even at an undergraduate level. This could be a concern for students seeking out an advanced degree. With the already dwindling number of MBA applicants, having competition may hurt Strutledge’s chances at having a successful MBA program.

                The Board of Regents should evaluate the college’s strengths and try to capitalize on what they already have available. For example, being a liberal arts college, exploring options of adding masters programs for education could prove to be lucrative. Given Strutledge’s background and the decrease in MBA enrollment, an MBA program does not seem like an effective solution for the college.

References

R. S. Russell & B.W. Taylor (2014) Operations and Supply Chain Management, 8th Edition.  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Murray, S. (2014, March 4). Challenging Times Ahead For Business Schools And MBA Jobs. Retrieved from BuesinessBecause: http://www.businessbecause.com/news/business-finance-masters/2418/challenging-times-ahead-for-business-schools-mba-jobs