Page 1 2
3 4
Winning with Good Customer Service
In addition to the support group she’s found through the
PMBA, Frances has been impressed with the level of service
she and her classmates receive from the faculty and staff.
“I started my career as a flight attendant, so I know the
importance of good customer service,” she said. “Not only has
the staff here been great, but the faculty has been incredibly
accommodating to my travel schedule, which can sometimes
be a bit overwhelming.”
 “We run the PMBA program like a business,” said Angela
Raub, director of the PMBA program. “As in any good service
business, customer service has to be the top priority. We
do everything we can to make the program turnkey for our
students and make sure that they know that their input is vital
to our success.”
Some of the perks in the PMBA program mirror most
EMBA programs, including catered breakfast and lunch,
staff liaisons, and hassle-free admissions, which means the
program provides all books and handles all registration
paperwork for each student.
Paying Dividends
But the most important element of the PMBA program is
the curriculum. “When we designed the program, we knew
that we had to maintain the same rigorous curriculum that
has kept Robinson in the top 10 of U.S. News rankings for
the past 12 years – there was no room for shortcuts,” said
Mutchler. “Our admissions standards needed to be as high if
not higher than our FLEX program.”
According to Langford, that hasn’t been a problem. “The
PMBA students are at a point in their careers where they
know that an MBA program is for them and they realize
how it’s going to help them. You can see it in the way they
approach assignments.”
“Work experience is different than managerial experience,
and when you’re working with a class where everyone has
at least four years of leadership experience, the discussion is
automatically at an advanced level,” added Sevcik. “They’ve
had more exposure to the topics and generally have a better
understanding, which forces everyone to bring their ‘A’ game.”
 According to Raub, the program has already paid off for
several of the students. “In just one year, 25 percent of
our students have had an increase in salary or received
promotions which exceeded the cost of the program.”
Adamo, the Coke executive, will graduate from the program
this December and has already received a promotion to
director of revenue growth management for the company’s
Latin America Customer and Commercial Development
Group. Gary Richey, who recently returned from nine
company visits through a study abroad in the Mediterranean,
will graduate next December and plans on taking his
experience into the nonprofit arena with the goal of one day
becoming a CEO.
Through the PMBA program, the Robinson College
identified a need, filled the void, and in the end carved out
a niche in the marketplace that has allowed the College to
achieve its goal of engaging students while staying one step
ahead of the competition. Continued on next page
 Previous Page | Top |
Next Page 
|
