July 19, 2004
Stressing the soft skills | Rick Borgman oversees a revision of UMaine's MBA program
By Dorothy Ogrodowczyk
It's not enough these days to graduate from business school with solid knowledge of finance, accounting and management. According to Rick Borgman, newly minted MBAs also need to master the so-called "soft skills" ˆ leadership, teamwork and critical thinking. That's why Borgman and his colleagues at the University of Maine at Orono have spent the last two years revising the school's MBA curriculum to include a residency week, an internship/consulting requirement and an international consulting trip. "We have a solid program," says Borgman of the UMaine MBA program. "[But we] wanted to do better atˆ
the soft skills."
A professor of finance at Orono since 1995, Borgman, 52, spent the last three years as director of business graduate programs, where he administered the school's MBA program. (He's currently curriculum coordinator and chair of the business school's graduate committee.) When business school faculty began pondering an update of the program, they decided to take a look at executive MBA programs and MBA programs at top business schools such as the University of North Carolina and the University of Tennessee, which recently were revised with soft skills in mind ˆ adding components that give students hands-on training solving real business problems. Though the changes sound similar to those at UMaine, Borgman insists his program is not a carbon copy of any other school. "We looked at the process [other schools] went through [to arrive at the] revisions and some of their goals," says Borgman, "and we tried to come up with something that was best for us and best for the student."
Currently, UMaine admits 30-40 MBA students each year. About half are in their 30s, working in management- and executive-level positions, a third are full-time students coming out of an undergraduate program and the rest are international students. Graduates of MBA programs make good hires, according to Borgman. The reason: An employee without an MBA may know what to do, he says, but an MBA graduate understands why. MBAs also are trained to think strategically, come up with innovative solutions and act as leaders ˆ skills Borgman says MBA programs need to emphasize even more.
That's why he and his colleagues bulked up the program with additions such as residency week for incoming students at the beginning of the school year. Students spend that week getting to know each other by working together examining business case studies.
The internship/consulting requirement expands a relatively new program in which students do project-based consulting for firms, most of which are local. Students have helped Stillwater Scientific Instruments in Orono introduce a new product, and advised Kenway Corporation in Augusta on moving into new lines of business. Now, students in the program will spend an entire semester addressing larger, more complex issues faced by firms, then present their findings to the firms' management.
The international consulting trip also was offered as an elective, but its success prompted Borgman and his colleagues to make it mandatory. For the 10-day trips, students are grouped into teams that include students from another country and assigned projects for firms in that country. It's designed to be a cultural as well as a business learning experience.
Borgman is confident he'll start seeing results from the revisions ˆ which take effect when students enter the program next month ˆ early on. He hopes they'll attract more high-quality applicants, allowing the program to grow and enhancing the school's competitive position. Ultimately, though, he's interested in getting better-trained people into the business world. Business schools, he says, "are all trying for the same thing, and that is a closer connection between the program and business."
A professor of finance at Orono since 1995, Borgman, 52, spent the last three years as director of business graduate programs, where he administered the school's MBA program. (He's currently curriculum coordinator and chair of the business school's graduate committee.) When business school faculty began pondering an update of the program, they decided to take a look at executive MBA programs and MBA programs at top business schools such as the University of North Carolina and the University of Tennessee, which recently were revised with soft skills in mind ˆ adding components that give students hands-on training solving real business problems. Though the changes sound similar to those at UMaine, Borgman insists his program is not a carbon copy of any other school. "We looked at the process [other schools] went through [to arrive at the] revisions and some of their goals," says Borgman, "and we tried to come up with something that was best for us and best for the student."
Currently, UMaine admits 30-40 MBA students each year. About half are in their 30s, working in management- and executive-level positions, a third are full-time students coming out of an undergraduate program and the rest are international students. Graduates of MBA programs make good hires, according to Borgman. The reason: An employee without an MBA may know what to do, he says, but an MBA graduate understands why. MBAs also are trained to think strategically, come up with innovative solutions and act as leaders ˆ skills Borgman says MBA programs need to emphasize even more.
That's why he and his colleagues bulked up the program with additions such as residency week for incoming students at the beginning of the school year. Students spend that week getting to know each other by working together examining business case studies.
The internship/consulting requirement expands a relatively new program in which students do project-based consulting for firms, most of which are local. Students have helped Stillwater Scientific Instruments in Orono introduce a new product, and advised Kenway Corporation in Augusta on moving into new lines of business. Now, students in the program will spend an entire semester addressing larger, more complex issues faced by firms, then present their findings to the firms' management.
The international consulting trip also was offered as an elective, but its success prompted Borgman and his colleagues to make it mandatory. For the 10-day trips, students are grouped into teams that include students from another country and assigned projects for firms in that country. It's designed to be a cultural as well as a business learning experience.
Borgman is confident he'll start seeing results from the revisions ˆ which take effect when students enter the program next month ˆ early on. He hopes they'll attract more high-quality applicants, allowing the program to grow and enhancing the school's competitive position. Ultimately, though, he's interested in getting better-trained people into the business world. Business schools, he says, "are all trying for the same thing, and that is a closer connection between the program and business."
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