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Roxane Lieverse & David Clarke: The Vibrant Calgary Alumni Community

“With deep appreciation for your long-standing support and commitment to our MBA (FS)!”
 Dr. Martine Durier-Copp to the MBA(FS) Calgary Alumni

Calgary MBA(FS) Alumni from left to right: Jocelyn Beckett (2019), Roxanne Lieverse (2015) , David Clarke(2014), Jaclyn Perrot(2015) , Ellen Dungen (2000)

Calgary MBA(FS) Alumni from left to right: Jocelyn Beckett (2019), Roxanne Lieverse (2015) , David Clarke(2014), Jaclyn Perrot(2015) , Ellen Dungen (2000)

Dr. Martine Durier-Copp was thrilled with the attendance at a recent Centre for Executive and Graduate Education (CEGE) alumni gathering in Calgary, Alberta.  She shared her deep appreciation for the Calgary alumni’s long-standing support and commitment to the MBA(FS) program with Michelle and Rebecca.

CEGE Connection reached out to Roxane Lieverse and David Clarke for their insights on creating a vibrant alumni community in Calgary.

Roxane Lieverse & David Clarke:

Roxanne Lieverse MBA(FS) Class of 2015

Roxanne Lieverse MBA(FS) Class of 201

David Clarke MBA(FS) Class of 2014

David Clarke MBA(FS) Class of 2014

The Calgary MBA alumni was initiated in 2013, by a group of five students who were then enrolled in the MBA(FS) program. As graduates, the group of five continued to meet,  gaining momentum and encouraging others to join a community where ideas and experiences are welcomed and shared.  The Calgary alumni has grown in strength to twenty-two members, with most events being attended by 8 to 12 people.

The idea is for current and past MBA students to stay connected to Dalhousie and each other. Halifax and Calgary may be separated by 4,750 km, but our connection to Dal remains robust and vital.  It is great to get together and reminisce about memorable professors, unforgettable intensives, and share a sense of community. It is also a wonderful way to help promote each other’s career and keep the network alive. The quarterly touch base brings together everyone for lunch or a quick beer and a good laugh, all the while keeping the Dal spirit alive. For new and current students, this is their opportunity  to pick the brains of alumni about their experiences, ask questions, or seek guidance on both their studies and careers.

Happy Thanksgiving

From all of us at CEGE Connection, we send out warm wishes for a joyful and memorable Thanksgiving.

“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”
Maya Angelou, Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer

Happy Thanksgiving 2019

Celebrating Milestones: The 20th Anniversary of the MBA(FS) Class of 1999

Class of 1999 MBA(FS)
Graduations signify passages and transitions, of moving forward and of accepting new ventures and challenges.

Today, the Class of 2019 will walk across the stage to accept their degrees, marking the culmination of a rigorous academic journey.

“On behalf of the University Senate, we hereby attest that Dalhousie University has awarded the degree of…”

The emotions of gratitude and anticipation mingle together as graduates join the ranks of a vibrant alumni community. Even so, there is a wistful look back over the miles travelled since the arrival of the first textbooks.

Twenty years ago, on the eve of a new millennium, the Class of 1999 was the first to achieve the degree, MBA (Financial Services).

Over the summer months, I reached out to those who witnessed the graduation ceremonies under the banner of the Office of External Graduate Program.  The inaugural convocation of the MBA(FS) was a profound and moving experience for the students, but also for those who were applauding from the sidelines.

Class of 1999 MBA(FS)

Joseph A. Macdonald

Convocation 1999 remains top-of-mind to this day. I recall the following observations made that eventful evening. I have never been one to attend my own graduations. For me, the educational process had always been about getting the information and the designation and moving on to the next stage of life.  However, my commitment to attending the MBA (FS) graduations was 100%.

Since the 1996 beginnings, our administration team had shared our students’ journeys professionally and personally. We spent time reassuring them, tutoring them, listening to their challenges and even providing a shoulder when times were especially tough.

As I stood on the corner of the graduation stage and watched each of these dedicated individuals shake the Chancellor’s hand and receive their parchment from the Registrar, I was touched, to my core, with a sense of pride that comes from watching a sibling, a close friend or one’s own child graduate.  This was a far stronger and deeper feeling than anything that I had experienced following my personal achievements.

It was obvious that this group of individuals would go on to achieve much. And they have.

Michelle Hunter

Great reflection piece, Joseph.  While I was fairly new to the MBA FS program team, I felt a real connection right away with the class of 1999.  To this day, I beam with pride and get goose bumps as I watch graduates walk across the stage to receive their degree.

Morven Fitzgerald

I agree with Joseph and Michelle. I feel like my children are graduating. Every convocation leaves me with a warm fuzzy (and sad as they say goodbye) feeling.

 

Dalhousie University

CEGE Connection would like to recognize the contribution of the MBA(FS)Class of 1999 as they commemorate their twentieth-year anniversary. All our best goes out to these graduates on this very special milestone year. Thank you for your commitment to excellence, life-long learning and the communities in which you live and work.

To the graduating Class of 2019 – congratulations  We are proud of your success and wish for you the very best in your future endeavours.

Dr. McLarney on Marks vs. Scholarship

Dr. Carolan McLarney Professor Faculty of Management Dalhousie University

Dr. Carolan McLarney
Professor
Faculty of Management
Dalhousie University

International Business was my opening MBA (FS) course. In my first e-mail to Dr. McLarney back in 1999, I asked how would I know whether I was on track with my studies.  Rather than highlighting “marks,” she suggested that I give voice to my ideas, solutions, arguments, which were to be based on solid research and objective analysis but tempered with humanity and compassion.  It was a liberating answer.

Fast forward to 2017, I asked Dr. McLarney to recall her advice on the importance of scholarship.   She graciously agreed to share her thoughts in an open letter to our alumni community.

Hello Everyone,

I first want to congratulate everyone who has made CEGE Connection a reality.  This is a great opportunity for our alumni community to share knowledge and experiences.

Rebecca shared with me the email below that I had sent her in the early days of her first course:  International Business.  As I read what I had wrote to her I began reflecting on my time here at Dalhousie as an educator, researcher and scholar.  I have included both the original email and my current thoughts on “marks vs. scholarship:

From Fall 1999:

“A discussion on marks vs scholarship really struck a chord within me.  Not for the obvious reason, my profession, but rather I was reflecting on my days as a doctoral student. 

When I had made the decision to pursue a PhD. I really had no real clue what I was getting myself into.  I remember my conversation with David, my Managing Director, centered on my desire to teach.  He said I could stay with the firm and teach part-time if I wanted to, or I could pursue a doctorate and come back and consult and teach.  So, for me I had a wonderful safety net in my toolbox as I entered my PhD.  Once I entered the program, it quickly became evident to me that completing a PhD had nothing to do with teaching and we were told very early on to drop that dream.  My office mate Ed, who now is my writing partner also wanted to teach, so we became this little band of undercover teachers.  All these years later Ed and I still write and still teach with passion and commitment. 

Being a doctoral student is a terrifying but freeing experience.  An MBA does not prepare you in any way for a PhD.  It is never about marks or assignments.  When I started, the course syllabus was often a list of 50-70 books, 300 articles and this sentence “On (insert last day of class) you will submit a journal ready article”.  It was expected that you would then submit that article the next semester to the journal you had chosen.  It was a daunting experience, but one that was the best training as a researcher.  My work was about creating new knowledge, defining my scholarship –  not about getting an A.  That was a major paradigm shift for me.

My hope for MBA students is that they will experience a “shift” when they engage in their studies.  And for a vibrant alumni community I send out this reminder: that we are continually challenged by measurement systems. Instead of reaching for the mark, reach for a greater prize:  scholarship. That choice has made all the difference in my world.”

Fast forward to Winter 2017

“I am now 25 years into my career as an academic and the one thing that I know is that you never finish anything completely.  This may seem strange, but for me I feel I am a “practicing academic”.  No lecture or paper is ever perfect; they can always be improved. 

My teaching has evolved, and hopefully improved, to address the ever-changing student body.  When I began teaching in the MBA-FS program the majority of the students knew of a life before the internet, today the majority know of no life before Google or Amazon (not the river).  When I began, students in our program “faxed” their assignments into the OEGP office, today everything is done thorough our learning platform Brightspace.  I have had to adapt and to adopt new ways of teaching and connecting with students.  What has not changed is my belief in the power of ideas, the written word, and setting aside time to think.  I always start the intensive for capstone course with this: “What I want this week to be is a time for reflection, a time to think about the past number of years you have spent in the program, and time to ponder the challenges and great opportunities that lay ahead.”  This is what I hope for our Alumni, that you have continued to carve out time to think.  Time to sit with a problem, an issue, an idea.  Time to let your thoughts percolate.  Time to let your mind wander. 

When I look at my research over the years, I also see it has evolved.  My early days were spent trying to get parts of my dissertation published.  My dissertation was the largest research project I had ever completed. It was also the worst because it was the first.  Today, and three dozen articles later, and I can say I am better.  I am better at articulating my ideas, better at structuring research studies, better at reaching my intended audience.  My doctoral supervisor once said to me that I was entering the most wonderful profession, “They are going to pay you to think, to write and to disseminate what you find.”  He was right, but what he failed to tell me was the enormous obligation to get it right. So, I continue each day to “practice”.  To think and re-think an idea.  To write and re-write and re-write, again, a paper.  To present paper after paper until my ideas are heard.

To all of our students and Alumni, I want to encourage you to continue to practice all that you learned in your time with us. Always take the time to reflect and appreciate all of your accomplishments.”

Take Care

Dr. M

Dr. C. McLarney
Professor
Faculty of Management
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

From the CEGE Connection Archives:  First published March 21, 2017

Friday Reflection

“Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.”

Dorothy Height, Educator and Social Activist

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Duane Jones: Why I’m A Podcaster

“I’m excited to announce that Art Pays Me is partnering with East Coast Creative Collective to bring the first live recording of Art Pays Me. I’ll be interviewing Halifax based artists Geordan Moore of Quarrelsome Yeti and Élana Camille Saimovic of Élana Camille Creates.

Much like a musician, I began by recording my thoughts on various topics to develop my voice as a solo artist. Most of those recordings will never be released, but they were important for my growth as a podcaster. Eventually I felt more comfortable with the idea of stepping out on my own and launched the Art Pays Me Podcast, a podcast where I get to explore my passion for that grey area between art and business.”

Duane Jones, MIM Class of 2014

Duane Jones MIM Class of 2014

Duane Jones (MIM Class of 2014) is a visual branding, graphic design and information management specialist.  Our first meeting was at the 2018 ARMA Conference held in Vancouver, which gave me the opportunity to invite him to join the CEGE Connection conversation.   Duane is an artist and the fashion designer of his clothing brand, Art Pays Me.  His competitive advantage comes from a unique ability to bring together information management with the creative world of art and graphic design.  His clothing collections are featured at Atlantic Fashion Week and recently, in a successful solo fashion and art show at the Halifax Central Library.

Duane is host and creator of a podcast called, The Art Pays Me Podcast, which made it to New & Noteworthy on iTunes. He is a guest speaker at events such as Canadian Conference on Medical Education, Podcamp Halifax and Social Media Day Halifax.

The Art Pays Me Podcast made it to New & Noteworthy on iTunes

The Art Pays Me Podcast made it to New & Noteworthy on iTunes

CEGE Connection reached out to Duane, asking him to share his insights on why he podcasts, and how he builds upon information management knowledge to transform the way in which we connect within a virtual community.

Duane Jones:

I’m a voracious consumer of information. I enjoy reading but I have to read very slowly to absorb what I’m ingesting. I fell in love with podcasts because they made it easier for me to satisfy my craving for consuming knowledge without the same level of time commitment. I could learn about all kinds of things while driving or even doing housework. I was able to connect with experts on obscure topics who were just as passionate about them as I am.

Over time, listening was not enough, and I found myself wanting desperately to be involved in the conversations. After all, most of the topics I listened to were things I had deep knowledge of and passion for. It then dawned on me that I needed to be a guest on some shows but when that happened, I still wanted more. I believe in the power of manifestation so I started to make it known that I was interested in starting a podcast of my own and the universe led me to Peter Hemsworth, Terrence Taylor and Lauren Sears who would become my co-hosts on a podcast called Changing the Narrative.

I worked on that podcast for a little over a year but my life outside of work and my business revolve around the needs of my family, so I needed to be able to record on a schedule that respected that. The break I took from podcasting was much needed but after about a month away I missed it. In particular, I missed the dialogue and the community that podcasting helped me to build. I also had a number of stories that I wanted to share, so I imagined what a podcast with just me would look and sound like.

Much like a musician, I began by recording my thoughts on various topics to develop my voice as a solo artist. Most of those recordings will never be released, but they were important for my growth as a podcaster. Eventually I felt more comfortable with the idea of stepping out on my own and launched the Art Pays Me Podcast, a podcast where I get to explore my passion for that grey area between art and business.

Here are some of the key things that I considered before starting:

  • What do I hope to get out of podcasting?
  • How much time and money am I willing to invest in my podcast?
  • How often do I plan to release my podcast, and will it run indefinitely or have defined seasons?
  • How long will each episode be?
  • Will my podcast have regular guests or mostly focus on me?
  • Where will I host my podcast and what platforms will it stream on?
  • What metric will determine if my podcast is successful or not (Is it worth continuing?)?

With most of us having access to advanced smart phones, the ability to cheaply record and edit a quality podcast is literally at our fingertips. You can spend thousands on recording equipment and software or spend $80 on a decent mic and use free software that’s preinstalled on your computer like I do. My opinion is that great content trumps everything so I’m not against taking a hit on quality temporarily if your means are limited but you have a great story to share. As a rule, the quality of your recording will depend on your personal standards and what your audience is willing to accept. Always strive for the best quality possible but don’t let that be a barrier to starting.

There are many services that offer online podcast hosting for free and paid subscriptions. I’ve done both. In my experience, the more I pay, the more tools that I have at my disposal like analytics, storage space and automatic uploads to major podcast networks like iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. iTunes and the like do not offer much information about who’s listening to your show so if this matters to you, your hosting platform will be where you collect most of this data. As information professionals we love data so I would recommend investing in a paid service that offers you as much information as you can get.

As far as time investment goes podcasting can be very time consuming. Listen to podcasts that are similar to what you want yours to be and determine what episode length works best for you. Some shows consistently release 2 hours of content and their audiences lap it up happily while others stick to 10 or 15 minutes and deliver content that gets right to the point. There is no right or wrong when it comes to podcast length but consider that longer podcasts require more time not just for recording but editing and uploading. Many people pay producers to handle that so they can stick to coming up with content.

Podcasting has many professional benefits as it can position its hosts and guests as thought leaders in their respective fields, spread their message to audiences outside of their own and can be monetized through advertising and subscription models. While these benefits are enticing, my biggest piece of advice is to make sure that you first enjoy doing it. If you don’t enjoy the process, you’re most likely not going to stick with it and to be honest… No one wants to listen to a person who’s not excited about being there.

You can listen to me being excited about being there on iTunes and Spotify on my podcast called Art Pays Me.

CEGE Connection is delighted to advise that Duane has graciously agreed to be a repeat contributor on CEGE Connection

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