CBA Develops Programs For Executive Education

Dean Hille believed executive education would be an important addition to the college's offerings. Such a program would not be confined to the Executive MBA program, instead it would be one that provided training and assistance to larger businesses in Omaha's metropolitan area. Faculty assistance came from Bill Swanson, Dennis Smart, and Louis Pol who were planning what might be seen as a mini MBA program for physicians. Good fortune speeded the program when a director of the Nebraska Health System (NHS) looked at the program and wanted to use it for members of his group. Effective medical care depends on business administration as well as a host of technical specialities and developments. The college, in collaboration with the College of Continuing Studies, responded to the physicians' need to have a working knowledge of business practices by developing a 50-hour curriculum. This special course of study provides basic grounding in subject areas such as financial planning, strategic management, information technology, and marketing. The program was so well received that planning is underway to develop an ongoing program to help physicians become better versed in the practice of management.

Dean Hille added support to the executive training program by pointing out that it would provide more visibility of the college by members of the business community. The result would be one of helping the college gain additional acceptance from members of the business community. While not an immediate objective, the program had the potential of adding significant income to the college's revenue stream. The program's success exceeded college expectations. In fact, its success has "burned out" small number of faculty who provide the needed training. This condition often arises because clients want the program geared to their calendar rather than a faculty member's convenience and also assigned to a named faculty member.

To alleviate this situation, steps were taken to broaden the faculty base for teaching in the program. This has been beneficial to many faculty members who have used the experience to expand their respective academic skills. Another benefit has arisen from executives who undertook the training who decided that the EMBA program would be helpful in advancing their business careers. In effect, the executive program has added enrollment to the EMBA