The Evening News

It’s hard to believe summer is already over and classes will be starting this Wednesday, September 9! We’re excited to welcome 165 new students to the Evening UST MBA program and we’re glad to have our returning students back on campus. There are lots of exciting events scheduled for fall term. (See the “Ask the Advisor” article below for more information.)

Be sure to contact your Program Advisor if you need assistance with anything. She can either help you or direct you to the best resource. The main number for Student Life is 651-962-4200.

Study hard and enjoy your term!

Posted by the Editor at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Electronic statement billing (e-billing) & electronic payment (e-payment) are coming to the University of St. Thomas beginning in the fall of 2009.

All charges to student accounts including tuition, fees, housing, meal plans and miscellaneous charges will be available via Murphy Online by entering your UST ID and PIN. All students are automatically registered to receive an e-bill. Effective August 2009, billing statements will be produced in electronic format only.

Benefits and advantages of e-billing and e-payment include:
- Saves the university money and helps keep tuition increases lower
- Saves time for students and parents, and provides additional account information
- Easy and convenient
- Private and secure
- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Available from any computer
- Unique login allows parent(s) or other authorized payers to pay on student account
- See current account activity since the last statement
- Quick access to view and print your most recent statements and billing history
- Make payments online using MasterCard, Discover and American Express with a non-refundable convenience fee of 2.75%. VISA is not accepted.

For further information, please contact
Business Office
651-962-6600
busoffice@stthomas.edu
www.stthomas.edu/businessoffice/

Posted by the Editor at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Master's Pub is a fun evening sponsored by the Office of Student Life. All graduate business students are invited to gather together for a short business-related presentation and social time. Food, beer/wine, and non-alcoholic beverages are served. You're invited to join in for the conversation, networking, and just plain old good time!

September 25, 2009: "Turning Corporate Green into Actual Green", Shawn Spott, Vice President, Manager of Marketing Research, RBC Wealth Management

Minneapolis Campus
Opus Hall, Room 201

Agenda
4:30 pm Social time
5:00 pm Presentation
5:30 pm Q&A
5:45 pm Social time

RSVP to cobptgradbiz@stthomas.edu

Posted by the Editor at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear Dr. Helpful,
I heard that St. Thomas is celebrating its quasquicentenntial year. That’s a mouthful! Can you elaborate?
Thanks,
Allison

Dear Allison,
Yes indeed. On September 9, 1885, classes began, and now UST is celebrating 125 years. The “quasquicentennial kickoff is planned for 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, in the upper quadrangle on the university’s St. Paul campus. A program will begin at 4:30 p.m. and refreshments will be served. The event is free and all are welcome.”

You are part of the University of St. Thomas history—in the making.
Sincerely,
Dr. Helpful

Dear Dr. Helpful,
Fall semester begins the first week of September. Are there any fall events that I should know about? I am busy going to work and taking courses and want to plan my schedule.
Thank you.
Michael

Dear Michael,
Programs have been planned especially for Evening UST MBA students. The fall 2009 events include:
• Master’s Pub (speaker and refreshments)- Fridays, September 25 and November 13, 4:30 – 6:30 pm
• Master’s Business (seminar and continental breakfast) - Saturday, October 3, 9 am to noon
• E-Trax (Elective Track Information Sessions) October 12 – 15, before classes
• Happy Half Hour (networking break with beverages and snacks) - October 12- 15, 7-8 pm

Detailed information is on Blackboard, Student Life. You need to RSVP for the Master’s Pub and Master’s Business. We hope you are able to attend the fall events.
Sincerely,
Dr. Helpful

Posted by the Editor at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Master's Business seminars are typically held four times a year on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. We invite speakers to give presentations on MBA-related topics. For example, during the 2007-08 academic year, we had presentations on networking, salary negotiation, LinkedIn, using the library's resources, time management, and writing skills.

Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - noon, Mpls campus

October 3, 2009: Graduate Business Career Services, First and Lasting Impressions – Strategies for Job/Career Fairs

RSVP to cobptgradbiz@stthomas.edu

Posted by the Editor at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Graduate Business Career Services (GBCS) has professional staff dedicated specifically to the career development needs of students in the Evening UST MBA. This staff helps students effectively match their talents with opportunities in the communities of their choice. GBCS is not a placement service, but it will provide you with the tools you need to compete successfully for jobs that match your interests, goals and dreams.

Graduate Business Career Services is located in Suite 251, Terrence Murphy Hall, on the Minneapolis campus. The suite includes staff offices and career resources. The office is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. You may reach the GBCS office at (651) 962-8807 or gradcareers@stthomas.edu.

Continue reading "Career Coaching Available" »

Posted by the Editor at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Regarding fall 2009: If you need any assistance selecting classes, registering for fall term, or dropping classes, be sure to contact your program advisor. If you are planning on taking fall term off, please submit a Leave of Absence Request form to your academic advisor. The refund schedule for fall term is posted on our Student Life community site in Blackboard under “Calendar.”

Mark your calendar: Registration for J-term and spring 2010 will be the first week of November 2009. You will be emailed in October with your exact date and time.

Posted by the Editor at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following are either new courses or they are courses the professors have asked us to promote.:

MGMT 707 - Careers in the 21st Century (new course number )
FINC 714 - Fixed Income Securities
MGMT 714 - Healthcare Quality and Safety
ENTR 714 - Tech Based New Venture Strategies
MGMT 714 - Strategic Overview of the Health Care System
MKTG 577 – Direct Marketing

Continue reading "Highlighted Courses for Fall 2009" »

Posted by the Editor at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Application materials are posted online for the UST MBA Study Abroad Programs for January 2010 at www.stthomas.edu/business/degrees/ustmba/studyabroad.html

Spaces are still available for:
• FINC752: Global Financial Services (Hong Kong)
• FINC753: Risk Leadership in Global Firms (London)

The final application deadline is October 2, but we recommend you submit your materials as soon as possible. Interest in these programs is high. Please review the online materials and contact your program advisor or the appropriate contacts listed for each program with questions.

Continue reading "Spaces Still Available for Study Abroad J-term 2010" »

Posted by the Editor at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Any degree-seeking graduate student taking nine or more credits must provide health insurance information each semester. Students not covered by other policies have the option of purchasing the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan. The Aetna plan costs $429 per semester and coverage for fall semester is from 8/15/09 through 1/14/10. Students will receive a mailing in early August with more detailed information on the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan.

Students are to enter their existing health insurance information or purchase the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan using the following instructions:

1. Login to Murphy Online at http://banner.stthomas.edu with your student ID and PIN.
2. Select Student Services.
3. Select Student Health Menu.
4. Select Student Health Insurance option and follow the prompts to either:
a. Enter your existing health insurance information (the name, policy number and phone number of your current insurance provider) OR
b. Purchase the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan and print a temporary ID card.

Please note: Students taking nine or more credits must enter their existing health insurance information before September 23, 2009, or they will automatically be enrolled and billed for the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan. This health insurance verification process will take place each semester the student is enrolled at UST, and Student Health Service will send messages to the student’s UST e-mail account with reminders.

Please contact the Student Health Insurance Office for additional questions or assistance at stuhealthins@stthomas.edu or (651) 962-6752.

Posted by the Editor at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Opus College of Business and UST MBA programs are reaching out to the corporate community and conducting onsite presentations for various companies and employee resource groups within organizations. Bill Woodson, assistant dean for UST MBA programs, and Corey Eakins, director of the Evening UST MBA program, were at Best Buy on Wed., July 22. They spoke with eight Best Buy employee business networks about the impact graduate education can have on individuals and their careers, and how to select the best program for their personal and professional goals. The UST MBA was also recently at 3M for a similar program that was well-received by the audience.

Please contact Corey Eakins at cmeakins@stthomas.edu if you would like to discuss the possibility of a similar presentation for your organization.

Posted by the Editor at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do you have an extra room (or two) in your house or apartment? Looking for a roommate or someone to lease the space from you? You might want to consider posting a notice on UST’s Commuter Center Website: www.stthomas.edu/commutercenter/offcampushousing. Frequently, students are looking for a place to live, especially places close to the St. Paul or Minneapolis campuses. This resource is a free, easy way to connect with interested students.

Posted by the Editor at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The UST Chapter of the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA) has been instrumental in the launch of a new Minneapolis-St. Paul Professional Chapter and is seeking membership from the Evening UST MBA program.
NAWMBA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women MBAs in order to propel more women into leadership positions in corporate America and to enhance the diversity of the nation's workforce.

If you are a professional in the Minneapolis or St. Paul area, then consider joining our chapter! Simply visit the NAWMBA membership (http://tinyurl.com/JoinNAWMBAMSP) site to register. Click on the Minneapolis- St. Paul Professional Chapter, and follow the Web site directions. There will be many great opportunities locally to connect with other women in business through a variety of fun and educational activities in addition to the following benefits:
• A one-year subscription to BusinessWeek
• Career counseling from IVY Exec, a premier (and free) career counseling company that connects top companies with professionals (ivyexec.com)
• Monthly NAWMBA newsletter
• Access to the national job posting database
• Monthly career advising webinars for only $10
• Deep discount to attend the national conference this fall in Anaheim, CA
• Networking events

If you have further questions, please contact Breanna Vanstrom at bvanstrom@hotmail.com or Ellen Cleary at ellen_cleary@hotmail.com.

Posted by the Editor at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Keep reading for information about Social Nights, membership news, volunteering for the 2009 Conference....

Continue reading "NSHMBA – Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter Events" »

Posted by the Editor at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NABA will be co-sponsoring a Diverse Students Career Forum on Saturday, September 19 from 9am to 3pm at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN with The Twin Cities Chapters of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance & Accounting (ALPFA).

The Diverse Students Career Forum will provide students with opportunities to:
• interact with some of the top companies in the Twin Cities
• attend a career fair for internships and full-time employment in accounting, finance and business fields.
• participate in mock interviews
• receive resume feedback
• participate in professional development workshops
• attend a luncheon with the keynote speaker Jose A Rodriguez, JR, author of the book Not Intuitively Obvious – transition to the professional work environment.

Registration information and the tentative agenda can be found at www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=188717.

The National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), Inc. Central Region invites you to register to attend the 2009 Central Region Student Conference (CRSC)

Conference Registration Fees
Regular Online Registration Fee: $75 (members); $95 (non-members)
On-site Registration Fee: $100 (members); $120 (non-members)

Hotel Room Rates
$110 per night

Deadlines

September 10, 2009 - Deadline to book hotel rooms
September 10, 2009 - Deadline to register online

DATE: October 1 - 3, 2009
Location: Hyatt Regency Indianapolis
Address: One South Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis Indiana 46204
Phone: 1-800-233-1234
Register Now!!! www.nabacronline.org
When you visit the conference Web site (using the link above), please click on "Register for a Conference." Before clicking on "Continue to Conference Registration" to access the conference registration page, please click on the "Conference Instructions and Preparation" link to download the conference registration instructions, which will provide assistance during the registration process. After you have downloaded the instructions, please click on "Continue to Conference Registration" to proceed to the conference registration site.

Please contact the NABA Central Region Student Registration Team with questions.
Email: Studentreg@nabacr.org
Phone: (646) 235-4448

More information about NABA can be found at: www.nabamn.org
Email: Naba.membershipminneapolisstpaul@gmail.com

Posted by the Editor at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ALPFA is co-sponsoring the Diverse Students Career Forum on Saturday, September 19 from 9am to 3pm at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN with the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). See article above.

More information about the event or ALPFA can be found at: www.alpfatwincities.org

Posted by the Editor at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Learn from top Twin Cities’ business and community leaders as they share their leadership stories and advice to connect the dots between our economy, our community and you. Each event integrates themes of leadership and community engagement into unique learning opportunities. Expand your leadership abilities by developing ways to directly impact community issues of the Greater Twin Cities region.

Mark your calendar for these upcoming series events:

September 17—Dave St. Peter How the Twins LIVE UNITED
November 3—Laysha Ward Building Families, Communities and Brand Loyalty at Target

Graves 601 Hotel
6 – 7:30 p.m.

How the Twins LIVE UNITED

Join us on Thursday, September 17 for a progress report on the Twins season and an update on Target Field from Dave St. Peter, president of the Minnesota Twins. He'll discuss his personal leadership story, the Twins Community Fund and how corporate citizenship integrates into a successful business plan for a major league sports franchise.

To RSVP: www.unitedwaytwincities.org/eventrsvps

Posted by the Editor at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

YMCA Membership

The Downtown Minneapolis YMCA has extended their student discount to evening MBA students. They are offering the following perks:
• Pay no joiner’s fee (a $150 value)
• Discounted student membership price – pay $150 a quarter (approximately 20% off the normal price). You will need to show a student ID. There is also a personal pricing plan available, which is a membership based solely on income. With this plan, the YMCA covers up to 60% of the membership. You will need to share tax returns or an income statement.
• Free fitness consultation and assessment with a personal trainer (a $99 value)
• Full access to any of the YMCA’s 22 metro locations

Contact any membership services person at the Downtown Minneapolis branch, 30 S. 9th Street (right next door to UST in downtown Mpls). Phone: 612-371-8750

Restaurant discounts

Erbert and Gerbert's, Salad Creations and Dancing Ganesha all offer discounts for UST students! Erbert and Gerbert's is located on the skyway level of the LaSalle Plaza near the YMCA and offers a 10% discount with your student I.D. Dancing Ganesha is located at 11th and Harmon and offers a 20% discount on food. Salad Creations, located in the skyway next to Target, offers a 10% discount with your student I.D.

Financial Aid for 2009-2010

Students who are interested in receiving financial aid for the 2009-2010 academic year are encouraged to apply now by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. For more details about the kind of aid available, the financial aid application process and general financial aid information, you should visit the St. Thomas Graduate Financial Aid Web site at www.stthomas.edu/financialservices/graduate.
The Web site has all kinds of helpful information, including contact names and numbers!

Refunds from excess financial aid will be directly deposited into student checking accounts (if a direct deposit form is on file with the Business Office) or mailed to the student's billing address. For more information about setting up direct deposit, go to www.stthomas.edu/businessoffice/students/forms/directDepositAuth.html.

Discounted Movie Tickets

The Life/Work Center has discounted movie tickets for the AMC, Carmike, Mann and Regal theaters. Please stop by the Life/Work Center in TMH 110 to purchase tickets.

LIFE/WORK CENTER

1000 LaSalle Avenue, TMH 110, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Phone: (651) 962-4763 Email: lifework@stthomas.edu

Fall term hours:
Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 9am – 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am – 6:30pm
Friday 9am – 4:30pm

Posted by the Editor at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Policies and procedures are always being reviewed and introduced. Keep reading to find out about changes or updates to policies such as:

- Tuition Refund Policy
- Alumni Registration Policy
- Student Health Services News (i.e., Health Insurance and Immunization Information)

Continue reading "Important Policies" »

Posted by the Editor at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Highly motivated working professionals have the opportunity to complete their M.B.A. in just three years without sacrificing quality or comprehensiveness, thanks to the Evening UST MBA “Degree in Three” plan at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business.

The Degree in Three plan allows students to fast-track their studies, taking classes in the summer and January terms as well as the traditional fall and spring semesters. In addition to earning the credential faster, students enjoy increased connectedness and continuity among courses.

All students interested in this intensive program should consult early and often with their academic advisors to make sure their degree plans fully support personal goals and meet prerequisite requirements. Proper planning and course sequencing is critical to the Degree in Three strategy.

Course waiver exams afford students with an undergraduate business degree or appropriate professional expertise an additional option to accelerate their degree completion. Students may take the exams once admitted, and if they demonstrate an acceptable understanding of core course subject(s), the course is waived from their degree requirements.

Sample Degree in Three course plans are available for students beginning their studies in either the fall or spring semester. Your individual plan may vary. Contact your academic advisor to find out if Degree in Three is right for you and put together a plan that works for you!

Posted by the Editor at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)