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by Kim Rector, MBA1
Many people
warned me that two years in business school would be two of the most challenging
years in terms of demands on my time. However, when I look into the future,
I see an even greater challenge--that of balancing two careers and a family.
My husband and I, like many of you who have spouses or significant others,
plan to be a dual-career couple. But I sometimes wonder if it is really
possible, especially in light of recent articles, notably the March Fortune
article entitled, "Is Your Family Wrecking Your Career?"
So, when I meet a couple who are working together and even thriving in this scenario, I am encouraged.
Jane Schindewolf and her husband, Eric Romano, are an excellent example. Jane, a 1991 graduate of the UMBS MBA Evening Program who works for DuPont in Troy, Mich., recently was named by Working Mother magazine as this year's "Working Mother of the Year" after being nominated by her husband, also a 1991 MBA Evening graduate. In being honored with the award, Jane was featured on the cover of Working Mother magazine and also appeared on the "Today" show in April.
Fortunately, I was able to grab a few minutes of Jane's time to speak with her about programs she has developed to address work/family issues, and to solicit her advice for MBA women and men who are, and will be, balancing careers and families.
Contributions
After the birth of Jane's first child, Lindsay, in 1991, Jane was grateful for the innovative parenting program offered by the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., but she noticed that something was missing. This program, which paired new moms with experienced moms who then provided support via visits and phone calls, lacked a seminar for parents making the difficult transition back to work. Therefore, with the help of the Parenting Program Director from Beaumont, Beth Frydlewicz, Jane co-created and currently leads return-to-work seminars for new parents.
This two-hour seminar focuses on career planning and flexible work practises such as job sharing and flextime. These seminars are offered four times a year, and parents can attend while they are expecting--or even several years after--the birth of their child. Interestingly, Jane noted that half of the attendees are couples indicating these issues are no longer strictly considered women's issues.
When I asked Jane what is the greatest challenge faced by working parents, she responded, "If you have flexibility, you can manage almost anything." Therefore, most of her discussions center on ways to increase flexibility in the workplace. However, Jane also believes it is important to be realistic when evaluating the current work environment. If the company is not as supportive as others, then "you have to decide if you want to be a pioneer and try to change existing policies."
Jane's commitment to her community does not stop there.
At work as a Marketing Manager with DuPont Automotive where she co-manages a team of 90 Field Marketing professionals, Jane also has been active developing a network for mid- and senior-level professionals and managers with colleague Patricia Debski. The group's goals are to provide a support structure for members and develop alternative pathways for career progression. According to Jane, "...there isn't just one formula to success. We must think differently now that corporate management structures are different, and I hope that more and more people feel comfortable with success rather than just titles."
In addition, Jane is DuPont's representative to a group called the Family Works of Troy, which provides a referral service and informational programs along with sensitivity training for management to member companies. The group is an excellent resource for smaller companies that cannot afford these services alone.
Advice
Jane's first bit of advice is develop the ability to plan, organize, and anticipate. Second, "Work together [with your spouse] to prioritize roles and nurture each other. It is important to work together and think about how your time and talents should be used."
She finds that those people who experience a high level of stress have not taken time to prioritize. Third, she encourages us to develop a support network that includes spouse, family, and friends that can lend a hand when something unexpected occurs such as a child's illness.
"Things don't always run smoothly. Little blips can really throw you off. Be proactive and don't let the little things paralyze you."
Finally, Jane is quick to attribute much of her success to the cooperation of her husband and their supportive partnership.
A Prestigious Award
The prestige and visibility of the "Working Mother of the Year" award has grown appreciably as balancing career and family has become a critical issue for society as a whole--an issue that possesses significant economic implications.
This is the ninth year of the "Working Mother of the Year" award. Last year's winner was an engineer at Ford Electronics & Refrigeration in Pennsylvania.
According to Catherine Cartwright, Associate Editor of Working Mother, "We are looking for [working mothers] who are role models, who have achieved something significant that helps other [working mothers], or who have overcome a particular work/family challenge. Jane appealed to us because she's in many ways an average working mom, but she's gone beyond her own life to help others. She has really made it her mission to help others balance work and family."
In a sense, through honoring Jane this year, the magazine is recognizing the accomplishments and service of all working mothers. Cartwright went on to note that the magazine has made the award an annual tradition "to show how much one working mother like Jane can accomplish--even while juggling a family and a job. We do it to inspire people to action."
by Andrew Frumovitz, MBA1
When my brother graduated from college, he compared the experience to watching the last car being produced at an auto production plant slated for closing. All the workers standing at the end of the line watching the last car roll off, popping champagne and cheering. Only to wake up the next morning without a job.
My brother is right about a good many things. But not about that. Graduation isn't so much an end, as it is a parting. A river splitting into streams.
Including high school, college, and graduate school, I've accepted a diploma three times. Each time the mortar board and tassel made my nose look big. Which leads me to conclude that either I have a big nose, or just a small rest of my face.
When I was in high school I wore a suit beneath my robe and by the end of the ceremony I might just as well have walked out of a sauna. In college, I wore shorts and the rayon robe didn't hold up under the blustery Rhode Island day. I remember freezing rain and an all-night party, neither apropos of much; certainly not each other.
By the time I was dressing myself for my master's degree, I considered going buck naked under the gown. But the fabric had a chaffing effect, and I settled on slacks and a sports-shirt.
I like graduating so much I plan on doing it two more times. I like the pomp more than the circumstance, though the circumstance itself isn't without it's charm. I never know whether to walk up to the podium with a straight face appropriate to the seriousness of the event, or to smile. Smiling makes my nose look big, but we've already been over that.
Lots of people cry at graduations. Grandmothers mostly. My father usually sleeps during these events, though he swears he's only meditating.
In high school, Olympic gymnast Peter Vidmar was the keynote speaker. He was a distinguished alumnus of my prep school. He's not that tall. His head was just barely visible over the podium. He gave an inspiring speech, though to this day I have no interest in partaking in even the most textbook cartwheel. Peter Vidmar has good posture.
On that coldest of May day's in New England, when I received my bachelor's among trips to the bathroom to alleviate the nausea from that all-night party, former-U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Edward Shevernadze was the speaker. He spoke in a low Russian monotone that required a translator. The translator was so good, he'd acquired the same inflection as Mr. Shevernadze. The effect on the frigid audience was akin to hearing two air conditioners in a humming war with each other.
The guy who spoke at my graduate commencement was so nondescript that I forgot his name before he was even introduced. He was a recent alum from my program in journalism, and he was a news reporter for a Los Angeles radio station.
He spoke for a while, though he didn't say much, and in the end made only one enduring point. He said that people who graduated from Stanford always seemed to find a way to get that fact into any conversation with anybody they met. For example, he said, "Somebody will ask you the time, and you'll say, 'It's three o'clock here on the East Coast, though it's three hours earlier out on the West Coast where I went to school at Stanford.'"
I didn't agree. I never tell anybody about getting my master's from Stanford. The Cardinal. That's Stanford University. Stanford, in Palo Alto, Calif.
As for Michigan, I'll be back next year and the year after. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Like a bad rash, or a case of the clap. But the MBA2s are graduating. Which makes me think about my brother's allegory and why he's mistaken.
Sure there's the cheering and the champagne and the tears when that last mini-van rolls off the assembly line. Sure there's the stark realization the next morning that the factory has packed itself up and moved down to Tennessee or Mexico or wherever.
But then there's the epiphany. The sudden understanding that with the degree, you are qualified to follow that factory down to Tennessee, or open your own. That your destiny stretches out before you and it's only a matter of choosing which stream to swim down. Choosing the stream, and not forgetting the river.
by Julian Chu, MBA Evening
Salute To Graduating MBAs
It must have been a great ride, folks. This is not a trivial program to go through, not to mention to get in. You all made it. Congratulations, grads, and my special salute to the evening graduating class. All the hard work, long hours of study and group projects, all those club activities, Saturday workshops.....they all pay off now. There was once in your mind: am I going to finish this never-ending evening program? There was a time when you just didn't know what a social life meant. And those were the nights when all you could have for dinner was a mouthful of nutritious bagel and drinks of high caffeine content to help you through the 3-hour active learning session after a 10-hour work day. What an experience. What an achievement. Congratulations, and go blue!
Welcome To New Students
With the pride we have in our graduation class, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome all incoming students to the U-M B-school. Throughout your studies here you will find a tremendous amount of challenges as well as resources to learn new things and meet exciting people. Classes are important. They give you a solid business training. Meanwhile, they are just part of the valuable resources you will find in UMBS.
Being one of the many Evening MBA's, I am proud to give you a brief introduction of the evening program. In Fall 1961, U of M unofficially started offering the degree on a part-time basis in the Dearborn campus. There were 16 faculty members teaching 290 part-time students in 1963. Today, the full fledged evening program continue to evolve to respond to the ever-changing demands of businesses.
The Evening Program
The Ann Arbor main campus and the Commerce Park facility are the two locations for class meetings, workshops and research facilities. A total of 1100 evening students are currently enrolled in the program. New students are admitted every Fall and Winter term. Besides the 2 key differences in the Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP), which is only required for students enrolled in the day program, and one core class (the evening program requires Computer Information Sciences instead of International Business), the degree requirement for the evening program is very similar to that of the day program.
Students need to complete 10 core courses and could select, for the remaining 30 credits, courses in their own concentrations of interest. Normal work load for a student would be 2 courses (6 credits) during each full term, and 1 course (3 credits) in each Spring or Summer half term. With this non-stop pace, it will take 3 years and one full term to complete the degree. There are occasions when students get approval to take up to 9 credits in a full term
However it is considered a very trying process. Because all evening students have to work full time, classes are traditionally scheduled to meet once a week for three hours.
The same faculty expertise and university resources are shared by evening and day time students. All of them are eligible to apply for programs such as those in the William Davidson Institute and International Exchange. However, evening students may find their participation quite constrained most of the times by their job commitments.
Unlike day students, Evening MBAs are not divided into different sections to go through the same core course schedules. It is also characteristic for evening classes that lots of real life cases from students' work experiences are being discussed, thus giving them a flavor of enriched praticality.
The Communication Channels
The program is very responsive to student needs as well as changes in the business environment. Professor Valerie Suslow, the Academic Director of the Evening Program, has been very alert to student comments and needs. Changes have already been made: there are 7-week courses meeting twice a week; there are also accelerated courses meeting just a few days, each day having a meeting time of up to 8 hours during the weekend.
In addition, we have the "Meet the Deans" events at the Ann Arbor campus and Commerce Park facility each semester. These are very good opportunities for students to convey their thoughts and concerns directly to Dean White and Dean Snyder.
Other channels for obtaining information and voicing out include our Evening Student Representative to the Student Government Association. His name is Raymond Tad Godsil. Tad is taking over for Steve Ellis, a 1997 graduate whose contributions to the Evening program through his involvement in SGA, the web site of the evening program (www.bus.umich.edu/evemba/), and this MSJ column is unmatched. Given all the above, there is no need for you to keep silent. So please get involved.
Welcome to the ride! Tighten your seat belts ... the fun is about to start!
--Evening Students At A Glance--
| Undergraduate Majors:
Business...............................13% Economics............................ 3% Engineering........................ 65% Liberal Arts and Sciences..... 14% Other................................... 5% Full-time work experience.. 100% |
Mean Age........................................ 28
Women......................................... 22% Minorities..................................... 14% GPA (Middle 80% range)............ 2.9-3.8 GMAT (Middle 80% range)........580-710 Number of New Students.................. 275 |
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Soon-to-be-alumnus John Lipinski takes a reading break during a recent "broomball" match at Yost Arena--to read The MSJ. |
The 'MSJ In Wacky Places' Photo Contest is an ongoing photo contest whereby students, faculty, and staff submit photographs of The MSJ in the most unimaginable places imaginable. Each week's winner takes home a $25 prize. Riding ski lifts in Colorado ... under the sea in the Caribbean ... on beaches in Mexico ... in plazas in New Delhi. These are some of the winning locations from this year.
So whip out your cameras, and prepare your submissions for the Fall!
by Emilio De Pedro, MBA1
A
few MSJ issues ago, I read the excellent article by my friend and
sectionmate Geoff Philips-Rodriguez about what it means to be an Hispanic
American in the U.S.. Reading this made me start to wonder what it means
to be a Latin American in the U.S.(or in Ann Arbor at least)? But, first
of all, what is Latin America? And what is an Homo Latinamericanus?
Probably all of you have already met at least one Latin American, and thus have a vague idea of how Latin Americans are a strange, usually very friendly group of people who listen to and dance frantically to salsa, merengue, mambo and other hip-breaking dances, and that drink shots of tequila, or pisco, or unleaded gasoline, in the worst cases, (so far I haven't yet sunk that low) at the slightest provocation. You've also heard them once or twice bringing nostalgic memories of evergreen, hot, inflationary countries, praising soccer highly and despising football (some of them even call it American football to differentiate it from the object of their cult). Finally, we know that they speak a 1000-m.p.h-type of Spanish (how can't I understand you if I took four years of Spanish at high school?), and eat all kinds of spicy stuff.
We also have a more or less clear idea of what Latin America is a big, vague zone of the world that begins at the Texan border, is full of rain forests, volcanoes, white sanded beaches and mountains. boast a temperature that is always over 100 degrees and sometimes has earthquakes, eruptions, revolutions and other phenomena natural of the region (although the weather is changing in such a way that revolutions tend to be less and less frequent).
So, this is the stereotype of Latin Americans and Latin America, isn't it ?
Well, it happens that, like many stereotypes, it is partly true, but not entirely. Almost all these Latin American guys and gals that you know are more than simple, happy people; they are a tough, hardened bunch that adopted the U.S. as their country for many reasons, not all of them pleasant, but all of them reasons that required guts to be faced.
Some of them came here escaping from starvation, poverty, or political persecution. Others (MBAs included) wanted to further enhance their academic knowledge, or were looking for the ultimate life challenge to thrive and succeed in the biggest country in the world, in one of the most hard working and talented societies that has ever existed. So, these guys can be really nice and funny, but their smile is an iron-teethed one. (Wow! How metaphoric I am becoming!)
It also happens that Latin America is a huge region full of rain forests, volcanoes and so on, but the fact is that it is far more complex and richer than the stereotype. Our native land is a wonderful puzzle of different regions and weathers, shared by so many different peoples and cultures that, if it weren't for the common Iberic heritage and language, it would be almost impossible to keep all of them bonded and recognizing each other as brothers. It is a land where culture is a living thing, from the remnants of the Inca and Mexican civilizations, to cities, churches and monuments dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, to world known writers, artists, politicians and athletes, to some of the most wonderful museums. It is a region in which you can find some of the highest mountains on the Earth, and also some of the widest prairies where the evergreen, hot Amazonas rim coexists with the Ann-Arbor-like Patagonia (well, actually, the Patagonia is not that cold).
And finally, and most importantly, it is a huge melting pot (that metaphor wasn't very original, huh?)in which the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors mixed so inextricably with the Indian and African population (and later with the 19th century European immigration) that today, the very concept of racism is really difficult to understand (let alone to share) for the vast majority of our population. And it is a land so rich, so beautiful, that despite some hardships (like revolutions, inflation, or other disasters), it makes it easy for the soul to be happy and relaxed.
So, next time you listen to CNN and see any Latin American news, you'll probably have a better idea of what they are talking about. And more importantly (and finally!) each time you meet a Latin American here, think about him/her not only as a happy, funny-accented guy/gal, but also as a tough, determined person that, despite his or her own rich proud heritage and land, has chosen your country and society as the place where to pursue his/her dreams. And then, raise a glass of tequila (or pisco, or cana, or rum, or mojito, or pulque, or caipirinha), and toast to this!
by Kim Rector, MBA1
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Funny Profs: Armed with different senses of humor, Core Accounting faculty members Richard Frankel (above) and Bill Lanen (below) teach two very different accounting disciplines. Photos by Chopo Gomez-Zoebisch
In the fall, when I walked into Financial Accounting, I had prepared myself for 14 grueling weeks of boredom. To my surprise, and contrary to my stereotypes (yes, I know these are dangerous), the accounting professor was not what I had expected. Richard Frankel, Assistant Professor of Accounting, had a sense of humor and peppered jokes throughout his lectures--which made Accounting almost bearable.
However, as I prepared myself for my second accounting course, Managerial Accounting, I rationalized the experience as pure luck: there had to be some crazy reason why Frankel entered the field of accounting. Maybe he had to carry on the family tradition or maybe it was something crazier that involved alien experiments. There had to be some reason because, in my mind, Accounting professors just couldn't have a sense of humor. It just wasn't part of their genetic makeup.
Imagine my surprise when I walked into Managerial Accounting and met Professor Bill Lanen. Two accounting professors, each with a sense of humor (and yes their jokes are good). It just didn't compute. I couldn't make sense of it. There had to be a story. So Steve Pessagno and I invited Professors Lanen and Frankel to an innocent lunch (or so they were led to believe) at Ali Baba's, with the hopes of getting some juicy stories.
When I pressed down the "record" button on the recorder, Frankel joked, "A tape recorder? I should order something that's an endangered species." He settled for lentils. "What's a majadara sandwich?" he queried. "Sounds dangerous to me!" Lanen, a self-proclaimed "health freak," settled on a safer choice--a shish kabob sandwich. FYI: Lanen shares Neil Armstrong's personal philosophy: "Man was born with a finite number of heartbeats, and he'd be damned if he used them for exercise .... Words to live by!"
Their beverage selections were a bit more exotic, with Frankel going with carrot juice and Lanen selecting the bolder carrot/OJ combination.
Different Paths To A PhD
Frankel, who enjoys playing ice hockey in his spare time, went after a PhD in Accounting because he desired a profession--mainly as opposed to a dreaded career in (furniture) sales. "Accounting developed out of an interest in the stock market and trying to figure out what companies are worth," he explained. "Financial statements are the single most important information source."
Frankel studied at the University of Illinois, where he received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Accounting. Before finishing his PhD in a mere four years, Frankel spent a short time at a public accounting firm. I emphasize the point "short term" as he related the most important lesson learned from the experience: "Make sure the Wite-Out dries before you use the copier."
The path for Lanen--an avid hiker and camper--was somewhat less direct. He received his Bachelor's degree in Economics from UC-Berkeley and a Master's degree in Economics from Purdue. He was actually on his way to getting a PhD in Economics when he was called away by the army (I am under oath not to disclose which war). "After spending a few years defending the border in Arizona," Lanen then served time working for an economics consulting firm in Princeton, NJ. However, he made the career change to a PhD in Accounting after developing a taste for applied economics and cost accounting while working for the controllers office in the army.
On Teaching
OK ... so maybe there were no stories behind why they got into accounting. But there had to be stories about how their teaching approaches have developed over time. I was sure they must have spent several hours a day rehearsing jokes with each other. When I asked them about their goals and challenges as they related to teaching, I fully expected to hear a barrage of jokes. However, the barrage never flew back and forth across the table.
Frankel spoke seriously about his goal of trying to balance the need for details with the importance of preserving the big picture. Frankel tries to convey the basic logic and to teach Financial Accounting's details as the students move along through the course. "It is important to realize there are a lot of rules that don't necessarily measure how a company is doing."
Lanen, who addressed the challenges of instructing, discussed the expectations of MBAs as they relate to accounting courses. "When MBAs come into accounting, the expectations of how interesting and/or how relevant the course will be are low. In Managerial Accounting, there is a tendency of people to think, 'I already know this' and, therefore, it can be harder to motivate people in this type of course." Although lectures represent a more efficient form from the professor's perspective (in terms of transmitting knowledge to students), Lanen has settled on the case method because it is the most effective from students' standpoint (in terms of how much knowledge they receive).
Despite any differences in their teaching styles, personal philosophies, and eating habits, Professors Frankel and Lanen would definitely agree on the criteria for a successful stab at humor. As Frankel put it: "If it bends, it's comedy. If it breaks, it's not comedy." Words they live by ... words they practice.
By Tracey Walker and Kate
Wilson, MBA1s
10. You physically shake if separated from team members
for more than an hour.
9. Your team leader and facilitator now resemble each other.
8. You would rather read the project plan than watch NBC's Thursday night lineup.
7. You now believe that group work is more efficient than individual work.
6. Your team members have replaced friends and family on your speed dial list.
5. You know more about your team members sex lives than your significant other's.
4. You are starting to dress alike.
3. You have ordered a white board for your living room.
2. A gilt-framed picture of your team is next to your bed.
1. Although you swore you never would, you now use the phrase "crunch the numbers."
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| Dial 'M' For 3-D: The MSJ sponsored a night of the Mighican Theater's
month-long 3-D Film Festival, raising well over $5,000 for the Ann Arbor
landmark. Showing "Dial 'M' For Murder," the Theater entertained
hundreds last Friday evening. At left are Deanna and Mike Ferrante, really
getting into the action of the flick. At right are Sherleen Ong, Gene Rigoni,
and Stephanie Stanberry, looking fabulous with their temporary specs.
Photos by Michael Krivan |
