Bob Gardner asks the question:
 
"I'm wondering whether any of you have experience running a
residential program to alumni of your MBA program.  I'm thinking about
offering a week-long "MBA UPDATE" for people who graduated from the
MBA program maybe 10 years or more ago...
 
Do any of you have experiences to share about programs of this kind?
Do you know of schools who offer residential executive programs to
their Business School alums?..."
 
I'm not aware of a residential version.
 
Northeastern University (my MBA is from NU) does a series (maybe 5 per
year) of update programs that are less than a day each that do many
of the things that you described in your initial posting.  They have
large evening, co-op, high-tech and exec. MBA programs and are
drawing from that local (Boston) base of alums.
 
Boston U. had, when I left in 1985, a post-MBA certificate program
that drew from their similarly large local base.
 
The mgt./exec. dev. programs (6-week residential & 12 day, 1 day
per week non-residential) of both schools regularly had a participant
mix that was 5% to 20% MBA's.  The MBA degrees were usually about 5
to 15 years old.
 
Consider the following issues (and others, of course):
 
    - Is an MBA degree usually sought as a personal choice?
    - Is an "MBA Update" a preferred financial choice by a company --
        over sending another manager to something else?
    - Would an MBA have to sponsor his/her own attendance?  Would the
        person be reimbursed?
    - Would a non-residential version make sense?
    - What's the geographical distribution of your MBA pool?
    - Could/Should/Would you be well-served to concentrate on a local
        (or non-local) pool of MBA's that are not just SMU MBA's?
    - If you concentrate on residential, and you convince your pool
        of the value of post-MBA development, would the pool choose
        SMU or conduct a broader search for other residential,
        management development programs?  What's your hook?
    - A local pool is often reluctant to be in residence locally.
        Other schools may appreciate your efforts to raise primary
        demand.
    - AACSB may have some ideas to help you.
 
Many of us have tried "alumni" programs -- usually for those that
have attended a management development program.  Although successful
at launching such a ten-day program at Northeastern U., I learned
that you must be careful about asking questions.  The potential
participants (program alums) are more than enthusiastic, but are hard-
pressed to get organizational support.  It tends to play out as an
opportunity cost issue -- how to organizationally get the biggest
bang for the few developmental dollars.
 
It's a difficult market -- in part because the decision-maker is now
the individual -- who must go forward for approval of superiors (vs.
being selected for the initial program).
 
Your version is almost the reverse -- but only as far as the initial
decision (the individual pursues the MBA).  The second decision --
for the update -- finds the individual still faced with the chore of
getting approval from above.  Maybe smaller chunks of programming --
that an individual can fit into a busy schedule -- would be to your
advantage.  Hard to tell without knowing your market.
 
I wish you well and hope that you'll share your experiences/findings
with the rest of the group.
 
Bric
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Bric A. Wheeler
Director, Center for Management Development
Richard T. Farmer School of Business Administration
Miami University, 114 Laws Hall
Oxford, OH  45056-1675
    Voice:  (513) 529-2132; FAX:  (513) 529-6992;
    E-mail:  [log in to unmask]
             [log in to unmask]
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