Asian Study Tour Provides A 'Fantastic Educational Experience' For Students And Professors Alike
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| Photo by John Sullivan |
| Exchange Students: MBA2s James Vanderbeek, Patrick Griffin, and John Sullivan attended a reception at the Korean Stock Exchange. |
by John Sullivan, MBA2
Last May, from the 4th to the 19th, I was fortunate enough to be a member of the study tour to Asia directed by the Center for International Business Exchange (CIBE) of the University of Michigan. The group consisted of eight students, seven faculty members, and one alumni. It was led by Linda Lim, Professor of International Business, and Director of the Southeast Asia Business Program. We spent one week in Korea and one week in the Philippines where we met with and toured local and American businesses operating in the region, socialized with Michigan alumni, and had classes and discussions on the business, political, and social environments.
The combination of the two countries, provided an excellent comparison of two very different growing economies. After World War II, both countries were in relatively similar conditions, as neither had much indigenous industry, their infrastructure had been decimated by the war, land size and population were similar, and both had been newly liberated from long periods of foreign occupation. Economists in the 1950's, assessing the economic prospects of both countries, gave the Philippines a distinct advantage over Korea due to the fact that the Philippines was an American type democracy, with an English-speaking and well-educated population.
That assessment did not prove true, as Korea has been extremely effective in growing their economy steadily over the last thirty years to where they are now positioned to soon be one of the world's ten largest economies. The paths that these two countries have followed since World War II have been remarkably different in all aspects socially, politically, and economically. Our task on the study tour was to discover and analyze those differences.
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| Photo by John Sullivan |
| Presidential Photo: Members of the Asian Study Tour pose with Philippine President Fidel Ramos, U-M Law alumnus Rene Cayetano, and UMBS alumnus and Philippine Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo. |
Korea
The Korean economy is dominated by a handful of very large and vertically integrated conglomerates known as the chaebol. Because of the very good relationship the business school has with the Daewoo Corporation, we were able to explore many operations of this chaebol, including their auto and heavy equipment manufacturing divisions and Daewoo Securities. We also visited Samsung, Lucky Goldstar (LG Electronics), the Korean Stock Exchange, and a Procter & Gamble facility.
All of the companies we visited were extremely receptive, and at each facility the managers leading our tours were very open about sharing and discussing their strategies. The P&G visit for me was a very educational experience because I viewed the company as more of a marketer and distributor and less of a products manufacturer. P&G faces a number of distribution channel lock-outs and cultural hurdles in Korea that really illustrated to me the complications that a U.S. multinational faces in that region.
Koreans attribute their success to a number of factors including Confucianism and an aggressive personality that is likely rooted in their long periods of resistance to Chinese and Japanese occupation. The cooperation of the Korean government to develop industry since World War II has also been a key factor. Korea has been very upfront and proactive in realizing technological and production deficiencies, and their strategy to acquire these has been very simple.
An example is the experience of General Motors in Korea. In the 1950's, GM wanted to export cars to Korea, but the government would only let GM do so under the form of a joint venture. The Daewoo corporation learned from GM how to manufacture and distribute automobiles. In the late eighties, Daewoo ended their joint venture with GM. Later this year, Daewoo will begin selling cars in the United States.
Earlier in their development, Korea was able to compete abroad effectively based on their low cost of labor. Given that the Koreans have developed a bona fide core competence in manufacturing, they are able to take on huge industrial projects successfully now more than ever.
The group undertook a number of social activities in Korea including visits to the historic Korean palaces located centrally in Seoul, and a visit to the Korean Folk Village, which is a site that preserves and chronicles Korean life from the 1500's. At both locations, our group was typically mobbed by school children who found us pretty unique and loved to test their knowledge of American culture. One evening we had a fantastic discussion while visiting the Singaporean Ambassador to Korea, Dr. Pang Eng Fong, who is a friend of Professor Lim's. Another evening we sang karaoke with some Michigan alumni, which is a night few of us will forget as singing karaoke did not prove to be our group's core competency.
The Philippines
In quite a contrast to the Korean experience, the Philippines provided our group with a view of a country and economy once on a starkly different development path, one marked by decades of political turmoil in lieu of economic expansion. The Philippines became a Spanish possession in 1565, in a time where Asian discovery and colonization was dominated by the Portuguese and Spanish. It remained under Spanish rule for over three centuries until the American Navy defeated the Spanish in Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War in 1898. The U.S. has had a distinct influence on the Philippines since that time, particularly in the areas of government and education. Though the Philippines has the longest democratic tradition in the region, their democracy has been influenced by a traditional Asian hierarchy and centuries of Spanish feudalism. The Filipino concentration of wealth has been vigorously protected by a small number of rich Filipino families, a holdover of the outdated Spanish system. In addition, the Philippines' economic development was burdened by the Marcos regime which extended his power from that of a traditional presidential executive to that of a dictatorship.
Since the Marcos departure in 1986, the Philippines has been much more effective in getting their economic growth going. The Philippines has few indigenous multinational companies, with the largest being San Miguel, a brewery. Our group toured a job shop operation that made elongated jeeps, the main form of public transportation in the Philippines. This gave a clear contrast to Korea's development in light of the Daewoo tours.
The Philippines remain a fantastic opportunity for multinational companies expanding into southeast Asia, based on low labor cost and an English-speaking and educated work force. Federal Express has made the Philippines their hub for all of southeast Asia, and GM recently came very close to choosing the Philippines for a major plant site (Thailand was chosen). In the past, the Philippines has lagged the rapid growth of its other Asian neighbors, but that trend is changing. This year, the country will grow at 7%, outstripping most other Asian tiger economies. Our distinguished alumnus, Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo is given much of the credit for pulling off this turnaround.
In Manila, our group was met by a wonderful group of young Michigan MBA alumni, a number of whom were employed by Citibank. We had a nice reception at Citibank where we were briefed by their chief economist for the country. Our group also hosted a reception at our hotel for alumni and prospective students with Secretary Ocampo, as our guest of honor.
Living the first year corporate strategy Coca-Cola case, we toured a Coke bottling facility that accounted for 30% of the Filipino domestic sugar consumption and used returnable glass bottles, as glass remains the cheaper container in that country. We toured and met with the managers of a Sharp electronics plant, a Japanese multinational. The plant specialized in flexible manufacturing and produced a diverse line of electrical and electronic products for the Philippines and region.
One fantastic experience was a day trip to the decommissioned U.S. military base at Subic Bay. Upon the expiration of the Filipino lease, the base contained some eight billion dollars of infrastructure. The local government, led by Richard Gordon, whom we met with and is considered to be a potential Filipino presidential candidate, has been effective in transforming the base into a large free trade port, providing hundreds of jobs and economic potential. Subic Bay was recently the site of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, that was attended by President Clinton. As a direct result of the success of that summit, the Philippine government and private firms signed $2 billion worth of joint-venture deals with foreign investors.
Our group had the good fortune to meet with the current president of the Philippines, Fidel Ramos. This meeting was arranged by Rene Cayetano, his legal secretary, and alumnus of the University of Michigan Law School. Perhaps the most important development of the meeting with President Ramos for me, was the successful networking done by James Vanderbeek and myself. Also in attendance that day were members of the Philippines Golf Association, and it turned out that they were interested in hosting two American MBAs for golf. Our golf day later that week included a beautiful mountain course almost in the clouds, a chauffeured ride to and from the course, and multiple caddies, some that carried bags, others that carried umbrellas for the sun.
In conclusion, the trip was a fantastic educational experience for everyone. I will never forget so many of the interesting things we saw and the wonderful people we met. The trip was a huge success and I think this was due to a number of factors; Michigan has a fantastic network of alumni in the region, Linda Lim has an equally fantastic number of friends in the region, Heidi Dziak and the CIBE were unbelievably efficient in their organization, and the group as a whole shared an intense curiosity and willingness to learn about this area. This was a fantastic experience where great friendships were formed, and the value added to the MBA program, for both students and professors, is unquantifiable.
It is unfortunate that I end this article by saying that the study tour will not be offered this year. Last year we benefited from the resources of the CIBE to organize and even subsidize the trip. This year, the CIBE is unable to offer such an experience but hopes to for next year. I think the trip is a great opportunity to enhance the second year at B-school, so for any first years that may think that you have missed out, I would like you to consider a few things; if it is offered next year, consider going as a graduation present to yourself, as the experience will still be great. If there is substantial interest in making a trip this year, an unsubsidized student run trip is a possibility. There is some business school in Philadelphia where a large percentage of the first years organize and run their own such study tours. This is obviously a big endeavor, so offered here is the aid of all of the student alumni of last May's study tour and the CIBE to help plan such a trip. Please find or email Patrick Griffin or Christine Campbell, MBA2s, to begin to facilitate a trip for this May. I cannot reiterate how wonderful a trip this was so I hope everyone interested will consider it for this coming summer, if not please keep it in mind for the summer after.
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by Andrew Frumovitz, MBA1
I agree with Marx on most political and social matters. Groucho, not Karl. Particularly when he said, "I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member." A rule ringing true from my experiences. But as with all homilies, this one too has an exception that proves it axiomatic. Caveat emptor. That exception sits off U.S. Route 12 as innocuous as a hay-stick in a needle stack.
"I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member." To this end, I have never voluntarily joined any group, party, society that has in turn afforded me a true sense of belonging. Until now, that is. But more on now, later.
As for my family and my religion, both give me tremendous satisfaction, and both chose me. I did not choose them. Which is a good thing, because knowing me I'd have ended up in the line of Windsor with a deep commitment to Daoism. My father would've had over-sized ears and a mistress named Camilla, and as for Daoism, those who know Dao don't speak of it, and those who speak of it, don't know it. Which wouldn't have left me with much to talk about.
Also, my UM experience has been notable for many reasons, not the least of which is the positive sense of belonging. But again, I don't consider my being here voluntary. Michigan chose me. Once accepted, matriculation wasn't a question. You don't tell four Publisher's Clearing House people who ring your doorbell with a fat cardboard check to stop bothering you at home, do you?
But as for voluntary organizations, until now, I haven't been satisfied by any. I have no political affiliation to speak of. I like liberals, not in the tradition of John F. Kennedy, but in the tradition of Estelle Kennedy who lived down my block where I grew up. Estelle Kennedy and her best friend Adam.
Adam was a parrot who looked like a raven. And Estelle was a linguistic fetishist with an unhealthy penchant for palindromes. That old lady passed her waning days repeating to her pet "Madam, I'm Adam," ad infinitum. Her efforts elicited a squawk and never more.
But the point is that she once told me she was a political liberal because she believed in her parrot's civil right to freedom. That's why she didn't have a bird cage. She let Adam fly about the house unencumbered and squawking. She was forever cleaning up his droppings. And she kept the windows and doors shut tight, lest he get outside and fly off for good.
I never had the heart to point out to Estelle the logical inconsistency of the bird's faux freedom. But Estelle Kennedy did teach me to admire liberalism for its inner verisimilitude, to wit, nobody keeps anybody but everybody is kept.
I also emulate conservatives like my older brother who, when we were boys, ate his M&M's one piece at a time. I, of course, ripped open the bag and practically swallowed its contents whole, giving the candies time to melt neither in my mouth, nor in my hands. But he conserved his for later, no tax-and-spend liberal. He saved them for the future, for the children, which we both were then.
I am, however, neither liberal nor conservative. Nor am I a post-modernist, as I live in the present and not one moment ahead. In this sense we are, all of us, not-post-modernists. That makes it a big club, the not-post-modernists, several billion strong on this planet. Too big to offer an adequate sense of belonging.
But now let me tell you about my club, which does offer a more than adequate sense of belonging. I got turned on to my club by a friend who knew I was in the market for an electronic ear wax removal system. Not that I have now, or ever have had a problem with ear wax. Just that Valentine's Day is shortly upon us, and you never can be too careful.
This friend gave me the name of a club where she thought I might be able to find just what it was I was looking formaterially, and emotionally as well.
Let me put it this way. I discovered early on in my B-school indoctrination the Trinity of Management Jack Welch, Herb Kelleher, and Sam Walton. The third man, already a holy ghost; he's the president and founder of my club. The United States Senate has a president pro tem, and we have a president post mortem.
Once America's wealthiest man, and I'm in his club. It only cost me $25 for the year, and I put it high up on my resume "Sam's Club, member, September, 1996 - Present."
I have a Sam's Club Membership card. It's blue. I carry it up front in my wallet. Next to my Malibu Grand Prix license. That way, if a cop ever stops me, he may catch a glance of my membership. And if he too is a member, he'll give me a nod and let me go on my way.
There is an unspokeness about being a Sam's Club member. Like I understand exists with the Honorable Order of the Knights of the Dinner Table. But even more so. I've never discussed the intrinsic value of my Sam's Club affiliation with a fellow member. Never. There just aren't words.
I made my first real visit to the clubhouse yesterday. Spent four hours wandering the aisles. I didn't discover an electronic ear wax removal system, though I did walk out of there with a gross of Q-tips.
To get to the Sam's Club, take I-94 East to U.S. Route 12 South. Get off at the first exit and turn left at the light. Sam's is on your immediate left, behind the McDonald's.
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Latin America: Our Future
by Klaus Stadthagen, MBA2
"While the 1980s are often called the "lost decade" for Latin America, it is now becoming clear that the economic and social crises of those years have given rise to an ardent conviction and broad-based political backing that have opened the way to widespread political reforms and set the stage for new forms of development capable of withstanding outside competition."
--Enrique V. Iglesias, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (1993)
For many of us, the image we have of Latin America may be that of the "lost decade." A decade during which social gaps emerged or widened, the poor got poorer. Inflation quickened, infrastructure projects were postponed or abandoned, employment fell and productive investment experienced a drastic drop. It was this drastic drop that made the GDP of many Latin American countries go back to the levels of the 1970s. As Mr. Iglesias points out: "In Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Suriname, the decline in GDP returned these economies to their positions of fifteen years ago, while in Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, El Salvador, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, the decline reversed gains of more than twenty years." Definitely not a good panorama. In 1982, the yearly growth in gross domestic product in the region declined 0.8% and 3.3% in 1983. This figures contrast with the historical trend of GDP growth, which had risen from an average of 5.1% in 1951-1960 to 5.5% in 1961-1970 and 5.9% in 1971-1980.
The root causes for the decline in the standards of living of the Latin Americans during the eighties are several. In the opinion of the writer they included: poor political leadership (that served its own interests instead of those of the electorate), populism, corruption in the public sector, and in the more general sense, world geopolitics. It is no secret that the end of the cold war had an impact on the peacemaking processes in the region. By coincidence or by result, and just to mention some cases, in 1990 Nicaragua had its first free elections (after a decade of leftist and forty five years of rightist systems). In Colombia, the M-19 group turned in their arms to participate in the political life, as the FMLN did in El Salvador. This trend has continued, and last December 29, a peace accord was reached in Guatemala.
In this new reality of growing stability, new investment flows are coming to the region, calls for integration are arising (such as the discussions at the established Central American Parliament that would lead to the integration of a market with 30 million inhabitants), and efforts for sustainable development are no longer country efforts, but continental.
The 1994 Summit of the Americas Declaration of Principles states: "Social progress and economic prosperity can be sustained only if our people live in a healthy environment and our ecosystems and natural resources are managed carefully and responsibly." Under these principles, the 34 government heads present at the summit established three working partnerships on sustainable energy use, biodiversity, and pollution prevention. These partnerships are considered to be good starting points on the mission of stressing the interrelationships of economics, the environment and social equality, our challenges for the twenty first century.
The twenty-first century is going to witness the come back of a continent that is alive. Millions of individuals who will work hard to preserve the democracy, peace and sustainable development we are just starting to consolidate. The challenges we face are described by Mr. Iglesias, who says: "... The region faces a formidable challenge. It will be possible to sustain and build upon gains in the recovery of democratic institutions only if they are accompanied by a palpable improvement in the socioeconomic conditions of the most numerous population groups in each country." This is the challenge, and this is our future. A future that will bring to us new opportunities in a more equal world.
Do you want to stay with the image of the "lost decade," or instead start considering the image of our new century?
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by Michele Wise, MBA1
Have you ever wondered why they accepted you to the MBA program here at Michigan? Can you really say what set you apart from the other four people who wanted your spot? Apparently, the Admissions Committee looks for many of the same qualities that recruiters look for in job applicants, except no interviewer has asked me about grades.
Judith Goodman, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Services, said that academic strength, full-time work experience, leadership and the potential for leadership are the primary criteria by which applicants are judged. The Admissions Committee also looks for that something special that makes the applicant unique.
I have a few classmates who have had very unique experiences that must have really impressed the Admissions Committee. One individual arrived an hour late, without a tie for his interview he forgot about the time difference between Ann Arbor and Chicago. I guess that set him apart from the rest of the crowd because they let him in.
The MBA class of 1999 is in the application process now, and according to Assistant Dean Goodman, is even stronger than the class of 1998 (can it be?!?) based on academic indicators and work experience.
As of February 4, applications were up 44% over the same time last year. Admissions believes the increase was primarily due to the #2 ranking in BusinessWeek. While they did expect an increase, Assistant Dean Goodman said they did not know how to gage exactly how large the increase would be. She pointed to the Admissions Committee's ability to work as a team as a critical strength in helping them review all the applications. Continuity within the committee from year to year helps them know what to expect from one another and from the applications.
Applicants faced a few changes in the admissions process this year. Instead of two submission deadlines as in previous years, applicants had a choice of three this year. Applications received by December 1 will be notified by February 15. Applications received by January 15 will be notified by March 15, and those procrastinators who get their applications in by March 1 will be notified by May 1. Some students are considered even when they miss all the deadlines.
Assistant Dean Goodman said the most interesting aspect of the process will be next fall when the Admissions Committee can see the composition of the incoming class. While there are no numerical targets for diversity, the Committee strives to have a reasonable balance of academic backgrounds, international students, women and minorities. The strongest candidates are admitted, which may not be representative of the application pool as a whole.
The Office of Admissions and Student Services does track diversity statistics from year to year and also participates in a private voluntary benchmarking survey with numerous other schools, including University of Chicago, MIT, Duke and NYU.
Also, through the GMAT Search Service, various groups are targeted to increase their interest in the University of Michigan Business School. Individuals receive materials encouraging them to apply for admission based on GMAT scores, work experience or minority status.
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I Lost My Eye
by Joe Altieri, MBA1
I have lost my eye
don't ask how or why
but an empty socket stares back
from my mildewed mirror.
"Have you seen my eye?"
I ask the mortified shopkeeper
No, he retorts, and returns
to picking his nose.
"Where could it be?" I ask
"where did you see it last?"
my mother answers, and begins to cackle away
"har, har", I reply, everyone it seems
is a comedian these days
"What is that smell?"
could it be that the flesh in my empty socket is beginning to decompose?
"get some deodorant spray boy!" my mother
yells from across the room, a bit miffed
"you are always thinking about yourself. I guess I didn't teach you anything."
Enraged, I grab an Ax, conveniently
laying on the floor in front of me
forward I dash to the couch, off with her head!!!
But alas, a one-eyed man has poor depth perception
I scream as I trip over the coffee table and
slide across slippery linoleum, only to have the Ax
lodge itself into my groin.
"Is that Ax loaded?" My father asked sardonically
"damn my luck," I mutter. One more body part
that I can't find.
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The Column For MBA Evening Students
by Steve Ellis, MBA Evening
The voting for the four primary student government positions takes place this week. These four positions, Student Government President, VP of MBA Affairs, VP of Finance, and VP of Communication, constitute the Executive Board that guides the policy and direction that affect the entire student body.
As MBA Evening students, we have to be involved in the process to ensure that our concerns and issues are addressed. It is important for us to select candidates who are interested and knowledgeable about the MBA Evening Program. I sincerely feel that this year's Executive Board has been quite supportive of the evening program through its sponsorship of the networking socials, the fall tailgater, and this semester's OCD/SGA events. We owe it to ourselves to make sure that we support candidates who can show that commitment to the evening program.
I realize that most of you probably don't know the individuals who are running for these positions. However, I encourage you to read their statements which are included in this week's MSJ. I also suspect that some of them will be using e-mail and other sources to communicate their ideas and goals to us. Listen to what they say and make a decision using your intuitive judgment. Any of these candidates can be reached at the following e-mail address: FirstName_LastName@mtrack.bus.umich.edu.
In order to vote, there are two options available: (1) If you use your M-Track account, you should plan to vote using M-Track. On the main window of M-Track, there is a section for "Surveys." Choose this option and make your selections. (2) If you are not able to use M-Track, voting can be done through e-mail. Send me an e-mail message at scellis@umich.edu and list your choices from the following selections. You can vote for as many or as few of the positions as you feel comfortable. I will forward your e-mail messages to our official counters. Voting ends at midnight, Monday February 17. [Editor's note: Please see pages 12-15 for postition statements of the candidates.]
As for my position of MBA Evening Student Government Representative, we will be discussing our plan for elections next week. Any of you with an interest in this opportunity should begin to consider the job. If anyone would like to talk with me about the job, I can be reached at the e-mail address listed above.
M-Track MBA Evening Goal
Many thanks to the more than 50 classmates who e-mailed me last week about signing onto M-Track. By now, I should have answered everyone's questions. Please, if you still have questions, send me an e-mail and I will get back to you about M-Track.
We have had 12 more people sign onto M-Track so that we now have 503 of our classmates logged onto the system. However, in order to reach our goal of 775, we still need 272 more people to log onto the system by the end of this semester. Don't be an M-Track Slacker!
Number of MBA Evening students signed on to M-Track:
Last week's number 491
This week's number 503
End of Winter Term 775
1997 Goal
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Words Of Encouragement Abound As MAP Edges Near
by Ryan Nordberg, MBA1
Second in an occasional series
Those nutty second-years are still trying to get us scared with their silly MAP stories. Follies featured a MAP Massacre video (it's obviously not true cause the people who died are still taking classes) and a top ten list that Lew Echlin forgot to read. I have also received some personal words of encouragement about MAP, including "I already knew how to work with jerks," and "you'd better write something funny about MAP now, because nothing will be funny in several weeks."
And now they've got the faculty involved. An anonymous finance professor from Canada is providing MAP tips during class. One of his or her (to ensure anonymity) first tips was not to meet with one's MAP group until MAP starts, since we'll get sick of each other sooner. He must not realize that OB is part of the core!
With all the conflicting reports, our team was quite confused. We called on MAP Friends' Psychic Advisor (1-900-HELP MAP). He was very helpful, and the first two minutes on hold were free. We knew he understood our problems because he knew so much about our team. He knew that we had either two or no women, at least one international student, and too many men. He also knew that we were struggling with a big decision. I'd recommend him to all my friends.
Anyway, based on our advisor's advice, our team met for a home-cooked dinner at Paul D'Alessandro's house. The dinner was great, and we even made some critical decisions about our goals, roles, process objectives, and diversity issues.
GOALS. We set our goals high. Our only goal is to not hate each other. Therefore, we have implemented an action step at the end of each meeting where each team member says, "I do not hate Erin, I do not hate Stehpan, etc." The meetings will not end until we know no one is hated. What an excellent idea!
ROLES. Our roles are coming in beautifully. We have neither a team leader nor facilitator yet, but one member said, "I'll be the team computer geek." Another has asked for the role of team prince. Or was it the role formerly known as team prince? Anyway, with these roles identified, I don't think we even need a leader.
PROCESS. I am pleased to announce that we are truly committed to the MAP process. The following quotes show that we are not interested in cutting corners: "We should do the soft stuff even if it doesn't mean anything." "Yeah, I've heard that Susan Mills actually grades the project." However, one member stated, "That was Susan Mills' idea, we don't need to do it," so we sent him back for MAP training with Susan.
DIVERSITY. Our attention to diversity issues and showing empathy for other team members has really brought this team together. While talking about TMI, one member said, "It's exactly like regular interviewing...EXCEPT WE'RE GUARANTEED JOBS." See how we're concentrating on the similarities! Another comment, "That is so un-American...oh, you're not American," shows how much we are learning from each other. To minimize any unacceptable behaviors and potential lawsuits, we decided against co-ed project review teams for last Friday's "Meet Your MAP Mate" affair.
The results have been fantastic. When we met to rank projects, and we were able to identify critical rating factors. Factors included the promise that if we go to McDonald's, we can get tickets to opening day at Wrigley Field. Also, if we chose the HR project one member would be like the "pouty guy" who didn't get his way that Susan Mills talked about. So it's off to improve the McLean Deluxe!
The team development stuff is working out great. We have really bonded. We decided to get MAP Team tattoos, rent a 6-bedroom apartment for MAP, and go camping together in Iowa for spring break.
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www.umich.edu/~msjrnl
by Michael J. Ferrante, MBA1
If you're reading this article on the paper copy, you might not know that The Monroe Street Journal also puts out an online version every Sunday night. And this Sunday night, the staff members put out an updated version of the online paper. Started in 1995 by Joerg Windbichler (MBA '96), the online version not only includes all the editorial content of the hardcopy MSJ, but also features exclusive photos and articles as well as in-article links to most companies referenced in any given issue's articles. Also, at the end of some articles, the MSJ online gives related Internet sites. In addition, the MSJ online will soon be providing a site where students can register their webpages.
For those students going away for MAP, stay up to date with things at the UMBS by checking out the MSJ Online every Sunday night after 10 p.m. as well as throughout the week. In addition to providing the electronic version of the Monroe Street Journal, one goal of the MSJ Online staff is to be the "one-stop shop" for UMBS links and web pages.
The MSJ Online staff is always looking for volunteers interested in honing their skills and in helping to produce the online product. Please feel free to contact me for feedback or suggestions for the MSJ Online at ferrante@umich.edu. Check it out: www.umich.edu/~msjrnl.
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| Photo by Chopo Gomez-Zoebisch |
She's Colleen Connor......the MSJ's new Advertising Manager.
Colleen, a U-M School of Education graduate student, joined the MSJ staff last week to assume managerial responsibility previously held by Jessica Heard, who now manages the Selo/Shevel Gallery on S. Main Street.
Please welcome Colleen when you see her--and be sure to give her your advertisements!
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Top This!
OK, So It's Not Really A Photograph...
...But it is wacky.
In a move that smacks of nepotism, the MSJ is awarding this week's
'MSJ In Wacky Places'
contest winner to its very own Associate Editor of Photography, Andres Piacentino. A techno whiz kid, Andres created this work of art and then
transmitted from his
own homepage straight onto these pages.
And don't forget:
the contest is ongoing!
Next week's winner is already selected...but you could win the $25 booty the following week. And with Spring Break just around the corner (thank goodness!), many new wacky places are awaiting the paper. So put on your thinking caps, kids!
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