Dalhousie Does Nanaimo: The 2017 MBA Games

February 10, 2017 Coburg Consultants Leave a Comment

The end of Christmas holidays each year marks the beginning of the MBA Games, an annual event that brings together some of the brightest minds from top MBA schools across the country. Now in its 21st year, the Games were hosted by Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, BC, where 30 students from the Rowe School of Business travelled to represent Dalhousie from January 2nd to 4th.

The Games feature a variety of events across three pillars: Academics, Sports, and Spirit. The competition gives students the opportunity to develop professionally and network with future leaders from coast to coast. Judges score teams on their creativity and innovation at spirit competitions, and their problem solving and presentation skills at case competitions. The sporting events are always a highlight as well, giving teams a chance to let loose and show off their school pride.

There was no shortage of talent in putting together this year’s “Team Rowe”. The organizing committee was hard at work over the summer securing sponsorship money, and hosted try outs in the fall for students hoping to compete. Preparation leading up to the Games included sports practices and involvement in intramurals, a heavy social media campaign, team case practices including an internal competition, and even dance practices to nail a routine at the opening ceremonies. Another staple leading up to the Games – and key way to earn points – is fundraising for a charity selected by the host university.

We spoke with Paul Best, a member of the committee this year about his experience competing:

The MBA games provided an amazing opportunity to connect with fellow MBA students. Everyone coming together to compete, raise money for charity, and socialize was a highlight of my first year in the MBA program. I look forward to going next year and hopefully bringing back a trophy! – Paul Best, MBA Games Sports Representative, MBA Class of 2018

It’s hard to grasp just how much time and effort goes into getting a team ready for this event. Co-Chairing the organizing committee this year were second year students Sarah Lahanky and Kayla Sabharwal. We spoke with Kayla about what she got out of fulfilling this role:

My project management, prioritization, and organization skills were put to the test more than ever before having to coordinate all of the moving parts of the team throughout this planning process. Even though the amount of work required was a lot to handle, I was always so happy to do it because I was working with my friends towards achieving something great for our school. During preparation for the Games, I got to see our team become closer as friends, as a family, and as strong competitors. – Kayla Sabharwal, MBA Class of 2017

Some of Team Rowe’s highlights include the HR Case Team placing 2nd after advancing to the final round, and the volleyball team’s heroic fight for silver in the championship game. Students were also treated to a dinner cruise around the Nanaimo harbor, and beautiful cabin accommodations at the Tigh Na Mara Seaside Resort. For a closer look at what students got to experience at the 21st Annual MBA Games, check out this video featured at the event’s closing ceremonies: https://vimeo.com/198160579.

CRMBA Winter Formal

December 11, 2015 Lauren Hunter of Coburg Consultants Leave a Comment

The end of November can seem daunting with final papers, projects and exam period fast approaching. Amid all of the chaos however, the MBA Society brings you the Annual CRMBA Winter Formal. This event gathers students, faculty, and staff members together to join the festivities. This year the formal took place on November 27th at Casino Nova Scotia. The venue was a circular room with a balcony overlooking Halifax’s famous waterfront. We couldn’t have asked for a better night – clear skies, stars shining, it was a picturesque evening.

The night began with a reception as guests arrived. A photographer was set up to take pictures of everyone dressed to the nines. A three course meal was served as two students who MC’d the evening kept the audience laughing and giggling all night long. As dessert was served, the award ceremony began. Each year, both cohorts vote for students to win awards such as “First to be CEO” or ” Most Likely to Commit Corporate Espionage” (I won’t tell you who won that). It was a walk down memory lane as stories were told about each award winner as they accepted their trophies.

The dinner finally concluded with the highlight of the evening – the MBA Games Fundraiser. Four jars were placed at the front of the venue at the beginning of the night. Each jar had the name of a professor who had agreed beforehand to take part in the fundraiser. Throughout the night, guests could place their loose change in the jar of the professor they wished to sing a Karaoke song at the end of the night. The professor with the most money in their jar by the end of the evening had to perform for the audience. We were regaled with our accounting professor’s rendition of “Man I Feel Like a Woman.” The fundraiser raised $280 for the Ronald McDonald House. The night ended with a dance where everyone was able to burn some calories destressing to Beyonce.

Although most of us get caught up in studying, it is always important to take a minute and breathe. Dalhousie’s CRMBA program excels at offering many types of events like the Winter Formal to bring the program together outside of class and enjoy a little study break.

MBA Society Elections

November 12, 2015 Lauren Hunter of Coburg Consultants 1 Comment

What do Justin Trudeau and first year MBA student Sean Butler have in common? Award-winning smiles to be sure. But both in fact were recently elected leaders of two important groups: Justin as Canada’s 23^rd Prime Minister, and Sean as MBA Society President.

Yes, last week was certainly busy as first years campaigned to secure one of seven positions on the MBA Society. And while only one may have the tune for “Hail to the Chief” stuck in their head, all are now part of something very special. For those incoming and prospective students reading this though, don’t feel left out! New students are allotted four positions of their own, with elections being held during the summer.

GOTEAM

What It’s All About: Student & Community Engagement

Collectively, these eleven students form our student government. Every year they are responsible for organizing social events, representing the student body, and engaging with the local community. And every year they manage to surprise us with new and exciting ideas. The social events in particular are always a highlight of the year and include favourites such as an annual Boat Cruise (very nautical of us), First Year/Second Year Dinners (MasterChef: MBA Edition), and Winter Formal (suit up!).

Besides making sure that we have the time of our lives though, the MBA Society also organizes events where students give back to the community. Last year, they led a trip to a food shelter where students sorted, packed, and distributed food to individuals in need. This year, they collected hundreds of business clothing items for local charities Dress for Success and Job Junction.

Finally, one of the most important roles of the MBA Society is acting as the academic voice for students. This entails attending curriculum meetings, ensuring that all student’s academic needs and interests are being met.

So please join us in welcoming and congratulating the newly elected 2016/2017 MBA Society! They are part of a proud tradition of giving back to their classmates and the community, and we expect great things from them. If you have a passion for change, a desire to be a leader, and pride in your school, consider joining yourself. It’s a great way to leverage your skill set, develop leadership, and get involved at the same time.

It’s all fun & MBA Games – Leadership in athletics and recreation

February 18, 2013 Evan Bannerman Leave a Comment

Michael Parcon is a second-year MBA student and the current Director of Athletics for the MBA student society. He was born and raised in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and graduated from Memorial University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Growing up, Michael played a variety of recreational and varsity-level sports, continues to be active on the local athletics scene and is an avid sports fan. Always looking for a new physical challenge, Michael completed his first full marathon this past May while on his corporate residency with the Royal Bank of Canada. You can read more about his personal story here.

What sports did you play growing up?

I was quite active in sports growing up, and played for my high school basketball, soccer and softball teams. During my leisure time, I was heavily involved with downhill skiing and became a certified ski instructor, and later a volunteer ski patroller. Once I got to university and, later, graduate school, I had the opportunity to join intramural and club level teams that competed in sports I never had the chance to play as a kid, such as wrestling, judo, ultimate frisbee, flag-football, volleyball and long-distance running. I even got the chance to apply my knowledge in these areas as the Logistics and Facilities Coordinator for the 2008 Newfoundland & Labrador Summer Games, where I oversaw the logistical operations of over a dozen different sports in six venues.

You are the Director of Athletics for the Corporate Residency MBA program. What sports did the Dalhousie MBA team participate in, and can you talk about how this experience has built strong relationships and adds value to the program?

For the fall semester, we competed in the flag football and ultimate frisbee co-ed leagues, and also participated in weekend tournaments for softball and 3-on-3 basketball. This winter, we’re playing in the basketball and volleyball leagues, as well as a dodgeball weekend tournament. We even fielded a floor hockey and basketball team to go head-to-head against other business schools at this year’s MBA Games in Hamilton. Always looking to give back to the community, we’ve participated as a team in charity fundraisers such as Run for the Cure and Inside Ride. On the recreational side, we’ve organized an inter-cohort dodgeball match, a surfing trip and a curling night.

The thing that’s great about an intramural sports environment is that we each get to reveal a different side of ourselves on the sports field. Though we often get closely familiar with our fellow classmates and their respective personalities in an academic and social setting, athletics and recreation fosters our competitive spirit and allows us to interact with each other through ability, teamwork, determination and heart. The majority of our MBA candidates are Type A personalities who are instinctively competitive, and we all relish any opportunities to bond as a team and compete against another school or program on the sports field. This has resulted in a stronger sense of community in our school. Though ours is a close-knit program, friendships are sometimes forged and strengthened between two people who may not necessarily be close in the classroom or at a social activity, but have something in common in athletics or who work well together as part of a team.

Can you tell us how intramural sports have helped you develop as a leader, both inside and outside the classroom?

As Director of Athletics and captain of the intramural teams, I learned a lot about the difference between ‘management’ and ‘leadership’. In my role, the concept of ‘management’ involved deciding what leagues to play in, getting registered with league officials, recruiting team members, liaising with other teams and making sure everyone has all the information to show up to our games on time. This type of team management required me to stay on task, be organized and communicate effectively with all involved.

‘Leadership’, however, represented more intangible aspects of the role. As captain and leader, I’m often faced with motivating our team toward a common goal, leading by example with a basic strategy to win, and walking a fine line between ensuring everyone is having fun and being competitive enough that we represent our school well. My central philosophy regarding athletics and recreation for the program is that we are all “students first, athletes second” so the academic demands of the program take precedence over anything else. My role is simply to provide a fun outlet for our students to relieve some stress on the sports field and foster a sense of teamwork and competitive spirit. In order to fulfill my role, I have had to develop the right mix of ‘management’ and ‘leadership’ that works for the team.

MBA students are constantly developing and honing their leadership skills, and the lessons I’ve learned with sports have helped me tremendously both in an academic and professional setting. Values such as learning and practicing new skills and abilities, triumph through teamwork and achieving your goals in the face of adversity with hard work, self-motivation and determination have all been transferable off the sports field. As a student, you are constantly challenged to learn and apply new material in a fast-paced environment; group projects and case competitions require tremendous amounts of teamwork and the cooperation of strong personalities; adapting and adding value to a new setting such as a corporate residency requires hard work, self-motivation and determination.

How has your experience with sports and recreation shaped your view and approach to the Corporate Residency MBA Program with Dalhousie?

When I was last featured in this blog, I spoke of how I was in the midst of my corporate residency with RBC and training for my first marathon that I ran in May. I ultimately concluded that training for such a physical challenge is the perfect analogy I can make when talking about my experience with the program, and it’s a view I hold to this day. Getting your MBA is a lot like training for a marathon: both are completely new experiences requiring you to learn and adapt to new skills, work harder than you ever have before, pace yourself and focus on a long-term goal, no matter how hard it may get. Some days will be good and others will be bad; some days can feel like a race to the finish, while other days you’ll find that slow and steady wins the race; some days you’ll feel like the task in front of you is impossible, and then you feel a sense of pride in your accomplishment; and sometimes you’ll question what you’ve gotten yourself into, but most times you’ll feel that you made the right decision. Ultimately, no matter what happens, the overall fulfillment comes not just from reaching the “finish line”, but from the overall experience itself.

The President’s perspective – Christie’s story

September 30, 2012 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Scott A.E. Smith.

Sean Sinclair is on exchange at Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, but he managed to have a chat across the pond with Christie Lang, who recently returned to campus from her Corporate Residency with Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI).

Christie was elected by her peers as the Dalhousie MBA Society President for 2012-2013, a role in which she is thriving today. Just last week, she spoke at a special ceremony announcing the christening of the former School of Business Administration as the Kenneth C. Rowe School of Business, modelling a brand-new Rowe School of Business sweater and presenting Mr. Rowe with a gift signed by many of the school’s students.

Christie Lang, the Dalhousie MBA Society 2012-2013 President, noted curling fanatic, and recent NSBI Corporate Analyst. Can you start off by telling us something that we don’t know about you?

A fun fact about me that very few people know is that I can play the drums on Rock Band like it’s no one’s business! However, my musicality is definitely limited to rhythm as I am, quite probably, the most tone-deaf singer you will ever meet. And unfortunately for me (or them, depending on your perspective), there are quite a few of my classmates who would attest to that fact!

Describe the path that led you to pursue a Corporate Residency MBA degree from Dalhousie.

[Read more…]

Finding his and others’ careers – Jeff’s story

May 13, 2010 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

The ambitious Jeff Pond is originally from Ancaster, Ontario. He completed a BA in Sociology here at Dalhousie before deciding to tackle the Corporate Residency MBA. Currently, he’s not only managing a unique corporate residency at Wilson Executive Search and CareerWorx, but he’s also the President of the MBA Society, putting together a Dalhousie Football Club and helping to organize the annual A Toast to the Coast (a charitable event that raises money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation). Whew! And I thought I was busy.

I met Jeff at his office to interview him. It’s an interesting place: one of those big old houses you often see in Halifax, converted into a suite of offices and boardrooms. It’s got a very homey feel to it, which reflects the atmosphere and work culture at Wilson Executive Search and CareerWorx. As a Recruitment Specialist, Jeff says, “one thing that I like [about the job] is that we treat you like you’re in our home.” What does a Recruitment Specialist do, you might ask? Simply put, companies outsource their recruitment efforts to companies like the one Jeff is working for, then Jeff helps find and assess candidates for positions ranging from middle- to top-level management. “Reviewing résumés, conducting interviews and completing reference checks are a big part of what I do. I also have get a good gauge of the job marketplace. This has been an experience second to none… I’m meeting with senior level executives, founders of multimillion dollar companies. At 24 years old I didn’t think that was going to be the case; it’s been a real eye opener.”

Not unlike some of the other students we’ve spoken to who are in the financial sector, Jeff is getting exposed to a lot of different industries. But in a fundamentally different way: “We’re in the business of people. Meeting with folks of different calibre, from small business to multinational, and from industries such as accounting, architecture, engineering, and manufacturing gives great insight into the business world.”

Take a guess as to whether or not Mr. Pond is enjoying his corporate residency. In case you’re having trouble deciding, here’s a bit more: “I don’t know what to expect on any given day – human behaviour is unpredictable, you don’t know what a person is going to do or say or how they’ll react. It leaves you on the edge of your seat at times. But I’d say the most exciting experience I’ve had so far was when I completed my first search – in other words placed my first candidate. Recruiting people for companies isn’t the easiest thing; if it were easy, everyone would do it.”

Still not sure? Well here’s the answer: “It’s not often that people come to work and enjoy it more and more every day. It’s funny, this wasn’t something that I thought about when considering my work options last summer, but it’s something that I could definitely make a career of.” To add to his incredible experience, Jeff also gets to work shoulder to shoulder with the company’s President and Founder, Jim Wilson. “It’s a very horizontal organization. This office has fun, and one of the best parts of it is being able to work in proximity with someone [like Jim].”

Jeff also shared with me some of his goals as President of the MBA Society. “We’re getting things set up for the incoming cohort, such as planning some social events. We want the incoming year to be as engaged and involved as possible and really bridge the gap between first and second years.” That’s an important goal, as many of us in the program feel that the bond that was created between the first group of forty is some special. In Jeff’s words: “It’s not often you get put together into such a large group of people from different backgrounds and are able to grow together. We’re like a big family. So when you spend that much time with each other you need to be comfortable where you are. It really entices students and gets them engaged and participating in the program. So to the new students: keep your eyes and ears open, learn from every experience you have, learn from your peers and be ready to jump in headfirst. The learning experience will be meaningful and the relationships you form will last well after the program has finished. Those who want to can really have one Hell of a time here.”

He’s one hundred percent right; I couldn’t agree more. We’ll see you next Thursday!

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