TMMBA Talk

TMMBA Alumni Golf Classic is a hit ;)

Aaron Lykken, Program Manager – Student Services

*Sigh* another Alumni golf tournament for the ages has come and gone, now I must wait until Spring for the next golf outing. TMMBA has two golf tournaments during the year, the Bettin Cup in the Spring and the Alumni Golf Classic in the late Summer. These are easily my favorite student/alumni events during the year, I especially enjoy the alumni tournament as it gives me an opportunity to hang out with a range of people from Alumni, recent graduates, and even current students. I’ve been with the TMMBA program for over 3 years now and my alumni base has grown quite a bit, especially with the more recent graduates (Classes 6-8), so it’s a real hoot seeing everyone again over some golf and enjoying lots of laughs.

The tournament this year was held at Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, WA as it has been for the past 4+ years that I’m aware of. I struggled getting up at 5:00 AM, but it was necessary so that I had time to stop by the office for a few things, pick up coffee and doughnuts, and get to Auburn early to setup. At my arrival I was met with some fairly serious fog in the area where the course is located but certainly still playable. The forecast was extremely favorable for the day (high in upper 70s) so I was confident that it would eventually burn off. I looked around the parking lot and was surprised to see about 7 alumni who arrived earlier than me! They helped me setup the registration table and we caught up as the others started to rapidly show. It was neat to see that a lot of former classmates carpooled together. One of the alumni agreed to watch the table while I zipped down to the driving range with one of our faculty to join a number of others warming up and trying to get those golf balls flying straight…ish. The call finally came from the clubhouse to gather for the group photo and to receive instructions for the tournament. With that we were on our way!

My team consisted of alumni from classes 1 and 3 (our fourth ended up being a no-show). We had a pretty nice blend of talent so that our team didn’t ended up getting into too much trouble. Personally I’m not that avid of a golfer, but I certainly do enjoy being on the course from time to time. I had a good time learning from my teammates and chuckling at the many ways that the game of golf can be so cruel and yet so rewarding. Since we were short one player we had a very easy time staying ahead of the 4.5 hr pace the club set for us for 18-holes. The fog held on for most of the morning but by the time we turned the corner on the 9th hole you could feel the temperature rising quickly and the visibility increase significantly. Typically I only play 9 holes or executive courses (par 3 only), so my golfing stamina was pretty low by around the 13th hole, but found a second wind late in the round. After we finished on hole 18 we all shook hands having produced an honorable finish of 2 shots above par as a team. As we walked off the green I couldn’t help but think about how golf should be a team game rather than individual, as most find it very difficult to play well. The tournaments that I organize are all in a scramble format so that even those who have little experience playing can join in on the fun.

Once off the course I find it interesting to watch the “leader board” in the pavilion as teams submit their scorecard to the clubhouse. For the most part, the lump of the team scores were fairly close to each other, however the winning team did post a score 3 strokes under 70 for the win. As everyone was enjoying a much anticipated post-event BBQ lunch I went to the front with a couple of the alumni who helped me create the event this year. We gave prizes for the standard Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, and 1st Place, however this year we had a fun time introducing a funny competition amongst new golfers called the “Best Beginner Back-swing” contest. All of those participating had to have 4 or less years/seasons of playing golf and had to line up and demonstrate their golf swing for the group. Evaluation was based on audience noise and the finals produced a winner from Class 8, a graduate from the program last Spring. It was very goofy but I think everyone had a good laugh from it.

After the awards I finished lunch and made my rounds to the tables in an effort to catch-up on what everyone is up to recently. Many of our golfers lingered 30-60 minutes following the event, involved in conversations, either catching up with old classmates or sharing their experiences in the program with current students. We all said our goodbyes and went forth to enjoy the remainder of a fabulous Sunday. As usual, I am looking forward to the Spring when current students will play together in the TMMBA Bettin Cup, a tournament named after a faculty member who is an avid golfer and plays with the group each year.

Note: I hope to add photos taken by our photographer to the TMMBA Flickr account in a week or two, so keep your eyes peeled for shots of the action…or maybe a lot of heartache, anger, tossing of clubs/bags, etc. haha

Posted by tmmba - September 2nd, 2009 - 1 comment - Permalink

3 down, 3 to go

Aaron Lykken, Program Manager – Student Services

Summer quarter is drawing to a close and very soon TMMBA Class 9 will be enjoying about 2-3 weeks off from school responsibilities. As with all breaks in the TMMBA program, the range is dependent on when students choose to start preparing for the next quarter. On the closing week of classes for each quarter I equip the students with all of the course materials they will need for the coming academic quarter. In general this equates to a binder per course (normally 3 classes a quarter) containing their course materials such as syllabi, readings, cases, etc. and any assigned textbooks. While this is met with some joking dislike by the students (understandably most don’t enjoy thinking about the next quarter until the one they are in finishes), this is an excellent example of one of the many services that TMMBA provides to keep our students focused on their studies. Instead of having to go to the University Bookstore or picking up your course packet from a copy center, students instead are provided with everything they need in advance so they can decide for themselves when they need to get to work. After finishing 3 busy quarters of the program (with 3 more until they graduate) I know many will be heading off for a much needed vacation, and I’m well aware that none of the books I gave them for the Autumn are exactly easy reads for the beach.

Autumn textbooks and course binders

Posted by tmmba - August 27th, 2009 - 0 comments - Permalink

Summer after TMMBA Graduation

Tom Mackey, TMMBA Alum

Some of you current TMMBA students are probably wondering what you will do with all that free time after graduation. In my case, at least, the question is “What free time?” Heh — it is amazing how fast it gets filled in with bits of vacation, household tasks, the J.O.B. that helped fund your studies, and both new and old personal pursuits. Two weeks after graduation found us in Eastern Washington, specifically, taking a tour of the Hanford Site. They open up tour dates in April and the slots fill up in just a few hours. We have wanted to take a tour for several years, and this was our “post-grad” treat. Our roses and other landscaping had really suffered for the last 1.5 years, and this summer I have spent a lot of time getting things pruned, watered, fertilized, and watered some more. The hot spell this year made it extremely challenging to keep things alive without running up the water bill too much. It seems I’ve spent just as much time on the computer as before, only now instead of writing papers, I’ve been researching more personal interests and discussing possible business ideas with Marilyn. And finally, I’ve started back into painting the final interior pieces of our house, and I’ve already been informed that the laundry room, one of the first things I painted when we moved in, will have to be painted a different color soon! It reminds me of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco — when they finish painting it they shift back to the other end and start all over!

So what bits of knowledge from the TMMBA program have I been using lately? The things that come to mind, in no particular order are:

Macro Economics — the knowledge we got from Karma helps every day in understanding what I hear and read in the news. It’s nice to be able to explain what is really happening when we hear that the “Fed is printing money”. And did anyone see the article in the March 21-22 Wall Street Journal titled “Fed Doesn’t Need a Press to Print Its New Money”? I now keep it at work to show folks the difference between Federal Reserve notes and the overall money supply.

Wall Street Journal — I renewed my subscription on the student rate. If not offered next year, I’ll switch to electronic. I try to read it every day, but often have to skip all but the first section and then try to skim through the rest on the weekends.

Negotiations — I have to say that the Negotiations class was only a primer — I am getting my real education from Marilyn as we plan a purchase of an Airstream Travel Trailer in which to further explore this great country we live in. The one thing that she has made clear to me that the class did not is that as soon as you make contact with a new car or RV dealer, you have engaged in a war over the contents of your wallet. Pure and Simple, everything you say, and the way you say it, will be used against you if at all possible. Luckily we have some time before we get serious, so with one possible exception, my initial dealings have not had an impact on our wallet. In that one case, we will probably choose to exclude that dealer from our possibilities as he will probably remember a comment I made and know that we have a vulnerability in one area. More on this topic in a later post…

Leadership — Well, that’s something we can all improve upon, right?

Managerial Accounting — Has helped convince me even more that getting our home paid off is the best use of any extra cash we happen to have. Where else can you get a guaranteed 5% return on your money right now? And it sure is nice to see that “Interest Charged” amount go down with each extra payment made!

Marketing and Entrepreneurship — Every day Marilyn and I discuss possible business ideas — does it play to our strengths? How would we market the goods or service? Is it worth the time and effort required to make it work? So far, we have not come up with a winner, given our particular circumstances, but it could happen on any given commute, our normal “brainstorming” time.

Hi to TMMBA Alums. Happy Summer break to Class 9. Welcome to incoming Class 10+. Comments welcome!

-TomM

Posted by tmackey - August 24th, 2009 - 0 comments - Permalink

Information for Applying for Financial Aid

Nhi-Huong, TMMBA Fiscal Specialist

Hello,

I received some emails asking about the following financial questions:

1. I need to apply for student loans to cover my tuition for the TMMBA program. Can you provide me some information on how to get started with the application process?

2. What I need to do after I submitted the FAFSA?

3. Who is eligible to apply the financial aid?

4. Do I need to fill out the Summer Quarter Application?

5. I would like to know about my application status. Who should I contact?

6. What I need to do for complete my application?

7. Why I am not qualified for Financial Aid?

So here are the information that I gather from the Financial Aid website. Hope you find it helpful for getting the Financial Aid.

Good luck,

Nhi-Huong

A. Who is Eligible to Apply:

Most University of Washington Technology Management MBA students qualify to borrow up to $20,500 per year through the Federal Stafford Direct Loan Program. To apply, you must be a permanent U.S. resident, must not be in default on a prior federal student loan, and must have registered for the draft if required by law to do so. Otherwise, this program is not based on need, income, or credit. Depending on credit worthiness, TMMBA students may also qualify to borrow up to the full amount of tuition through the private MBA Tuition Loan Program. Foreign residents may apply for this loan with a U.S. citizen co-signer.

B. How to Apply:

To apply for a Federal Stafford Direct Loan, fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on line at www.fafsa.edu.gov. If you are offered admission to the Technology Management MBA Program and your FAFSA is approved, the University of Washington will send you a financial aid eligibility letter and a promissory note asking how much of the annual maximum you wish to borrow. You will need the University of Washington’s federal financial aid code for the FAFSA: 003798.

For information on private loans and/or credit programs for students, please visit www.washington.edu/students/osfa/gradaid/alt.loans.html.

For check your application status or complete information, contact the UW Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA).

Office of Student Financial Aid
University of Washington
Box 355880, Seattle, WA 98195-5880
Phone: (206) 543-6101

Email: osfa@u.washington.edu
Web: www.washington.edu/students/osfa

C. What to Expect After Submitting Your FAFSA:

After we receive your application for aid and you are admitted to the University of Washington, we send you an award letter if you are eligible, detailing the types and amount of aid for which you qualify. We start awarding in the spring before the next academic year begins. Please follow the checklist below to ensure that your aid will be ready for you when you start the school year.

You may receive a “Notice of Preliminary Award” which is an estimate of your eligibility for aid. If you accept this initial award, we will then complete the review of information you provided on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you receive a “Notice of Award,” then your application has been reviewed and your eligibility confirmed. However, you must return the letter by the date indicated or accept your award online at MyUW, to reserve your aid. Please follow the instructions below to keep the process going:

Check for errors in address, Social Security Number, or other information about you.

Read the assumptions in Section II (state residency,* enrollment status, number of quarters you plan to attend this year). Cross out incorrect information and write the correction next to it or if online, indicate in the box provided. If you will attend only part of the year (e.g., Autumn and Winter quarters only), so indicate.

* If you are not a Washington resident but pay resident tuition because of a departmental appointment or Armed Services status, note the tuition benefit in the other resources section of the award letter.

Accept or reject each form of aid listed.

You are under no obligation until aid is disbursed; you may accept an award now and change your mind later. But, if you reject an award, or if you don’t return your acceptance letter, we will offer it to another student and may not be able to restore it later if you decide you need it after all. *You may accept or reject aid from any fund without losing the other aid offered in your award letter. If you would like us to replace one kind of aid (e.g., Work Study) with another (e.g. a federal loan), then let us know that when you accept your award.

* Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans and Federal Direct GPLUS Loans can usually be reinstated.

Determine how much you want to borrow.

You may be offered a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loan or a Federal Direct GPLUS Loan to help meet your financial need or if you are not eligible for need-based assistance. These loans do not include a federal subsidy, so interest begins to accrue after the loan proceeds have been disbursed to you, and repayment on the GPLUS loan begins 60 days after the last disbursement. These loans should be used as a last resort in financing your education and require additional responsibilities from you, the borrower. You may want to review Requesting Changes to Your Award to determine if your eligibility for need-based assistance should be revised before you borrow from these loan programs.

If you have been offered loans and you do not wish to borrow the full amount offered, you may indicate the reduced level to us. If you want to borrow more than we have offered, to replace your family contribution, please indicate the increased amount keeping in mind the annual loan maximums listed in the Student Loan Program Chart. To view additional information, please see Completing Paperwork for Loans.

Make sure your award letter correctly reflects any benefits, scholarships, outside awards, and other resources you will receive or think you may receive, even if it comes from another UW office.

You must report now any information about your resources (and, if married, your spouse’s) that you have not already formally reported to our office. It is imperative that our office has current and complete information on your resources throughout the year; otherwise, you risk being over-awarded and having to repay aid.

Understand your obligations as an aid recipient.

In particular, make sure you understand your obligations to:

- Enroll full-time each quarter and attend all your classes (10 credits for graduate students and 12 credits for professional students) unless less than full-time attendance is specifically noted in your award letter.
- Pass sufficient credits to maintain satisfactory academic progress. See Satisfactory Academic Progress.
- Repay all loans.
- Report new sources of support and changes in personal circumstances (e.g., changing from non-resident to resident status, divorce, moving to parents’ home) as soon as you learn of them.
Sign and return your paper award letter or e-sign your MyUW award before the reply date.

If you do not return it by this date, we will cancel your aid in order to offer it to another student. Keep the yellow copy for your own records. Mail the white copy back to us, or put it in the drop box outside 105 Schmitz Hall or accept your award in MyUW. Once you respond, we will continue processing your application, and you may receive revised award letters reflecting changes in your contribution and your award. Review these revisions on MyUW and sign and accept or reject any new aid that has been offered to you.

Complete your file.

You must still respond to any requests we make for certification statements, tax returns, or any other documentation needed to finalize your award. Since we cannot disburse any funds until all required information is submitted and reviewed, please reply promptly to any correspondence from us

Apply for Aid for Summer.

If you plan to attend Summer quarter, you will need to complete your FAFSA and a Summer Aid Application. You’ll need your UW NetID and password to apply online for summer quarter aid.

Remember, you’ll need to re-apply next year for aid!

D. Receiving your Aid

Clear all holds – If you have any holds on your student account, your aid will not disburse. If you have been asked to provide documents or information or have been told that the Financial Aid Office is reviewing your eligibility, follow up with them as soon as possible. You can tell what aid is available to you, what has been disbursed and whether or not there are any holds on your aid by using the Financial Aid Status Service in MyUW.

Aid Disbursement – Financial Aid is disbursed first to your University student account to pay your tuition, late charge, and other university fees. If the amount of your aid is greater than the charges on your student account, the difference will be sent to your bank account via direct deposit.

E. Reasons for Disqualification

Fail to submit required documentation
Fail to achieve satisfactory academic progress (http:///www.washington.edu/students/osfa/sapleaf.pdf)
Have a conviction for a drug-related offense

Posted by tmmba - August 24th, 2009 - 0 comments - Permalink

Practice Makes Perfect

Tina Bassir, Program Manager

TMMBA students have lots of opportunities to practice and improve their presentation skills during their 18-month journey. Each quarter, students have the opportunity to practice at the Presentation Skills Workshops. Each workshop has an educational focus such as speech organization, catchy openings, or impromptu speeches. Students receive feedback and suggestions for improvement. In addition to these optional workshops, students get to practice their presentation skills in the classroom with team and individual presentations. As they say, practice makes perfect…

Posted by tmmba - August 19th, 2009 - 0 comments - Permalink

Hello from Career Services

Susie Buysse, Career Services Manager

In my work, I’m fortunate to partner with Ann Girarde, my colleague from the Executive MBA program. We hold various Executive Networking events for both student populations. Recently, we hosted:

May 2009: Personal Leadership with Jan Dwyer, Founder of Boundless Results

It was a lively night with a wealth of practical information. The goals & takeaways were:
o Discover ways to become more self-aware and objectively assess your leadership potential
o Identify how a high “EQ” (Emotional Intelligence) can accelerate your leadership with others
o Identify ways to create meaningful relationships with others

June 2009: Orville Pierson of Lee Hecht Harrison joined us for an informative morning on Highly Effective Job Search Using Highly Effective Networking. He shared tips and techniques on how to:
• Speak effectively and comfortably with your networking contacts.
• Leverage even a small network to reach insiders and decision makers before the job opening is announced.
• Get the right message to the right people.

I especially liked his step-by-step process and tips for networking with professional contacts:
1. Determine who you want to meet
2. Map their networks
3. Look for overlap with yours
4. Locate someone to introduce you

Remember to be interested & be interesting! How to be interesting:
o Do your research
o Share information on organizations, industries, people, best practices in your profession

Remember, networking is about information exchange on topics that interest both of you.

I took away some valuable notes. Topping the list was to make people comfortable with my request ensuring them that I don’t want them to find a job for me, but simply want an introduction. The other revelation that was helpful is the vastness of my network when I broaden the parameters.
TMMBA alumnus attendee

Posted by tmmba - August 19th, 2009 - 0 comments - Permalink

Study Teams

Tracy Gojdics, Director

As you probably know, students in the TMMBA program are assigned to study teams of 4-5 people. One question that I often get is, “how do you form the study teams?” I’d be lying if I told you that we had the perfect formula for creating the teams, but our method has worked reasonably well thus far.
Method for creating study teams:

1. New students are required to complete and submit a learning styles and personality-type assessment. Of course the output of the assessment is only as good as the input so it is important to answer the questions honestly. One way this information might be used includes – ensuring a team has a good balance between “introvert” and “extravert” tendencies or that the team is balanced in their ability to feel comfortable with ambiguity.

2. In combination with the above step we want to also make sure there is diversity in each team with respect to companies and job functions, i.e. no team shall consist of all software engineers from ABC Company.

3. Next look for geographic situations that might be an issue. For example we would not put an Everett person with a Tacoma person as this could make for difficult meeting logistics.

4. Lastly, we take a look and make sure that the composition (based on what we know of people) makes sense.

Are most teams success, i.e. high-functioning, collaborative and adaptable? Yes. What is the secret to their success? Open Communication, honest communication, continual communication and a mutual respect for each other. What do I mean by communication (after all I stated it 3x!)?

The exchange of thoughts, information, and ideas. The process of being thoughtfully direct and upfront with regard to issues, conflicts, concerns and praise. A system such as email, in-person, phone or IM for sending and receiving messages so that everyone is on the same page with projects and deadlines.

There you have it – the formula for creating teams and the formula for a successful team!

Posted by tmmba - August 18th, 2009 - 0 comments - Permalink

TMMBA Contributes

Tracy Gojdics, Director

Saturday, August 1 a group of TMMBA students, alumni and staff headed to West Seattle to help out at a Habitat for Humanity site. Around 9:30 we were all feverishly nailing down the second story floor of a townhouse unit. Later some of us hulled wood, picked up trash, constructed walls and one of the students constructed the landing to the staircase. Did I mention that it was hot? So why did we do this? We have had several students express interest in doing charity-related, philanthropic activities as a TMMBA group and this is the third such event this year.

Over the holiday season the TMMBA program adopted Seattle Children’s Hospital as our benefactor for toys, movies, donations, etc. Then in the spring we adopted Treehouse (http://www.treehouse4kids.org/) as our annual Bettin Cup Golf Tourny charity. Students raised money and donated various items.

Thank you Mikaela Houck for organizing TMMBA Contributes events!

What’s next? Check back to see.

Posted by tmmba - August 5th, 2009 - 0 comments - Permalink

Procrastination

Teagen Densmore, TMMBA Student

Procrastination.

The sound of the word makes me cringe, it’s the monkey on my back that I don’t seem able to shake.

I’m a sufferer of procrastination…sometimes. Starting large and complicated projects/assignments/tasks with due dates attached is a personal puzzle.

Luckily, I like solving puzzles. Solving this particular puzzle is a goal I had in sight when I started the TMMBA program back in January because grad school involves lots of big projects with big, hairy due dates. Grad school also involves a lot of work. All nighters are not fun if you have to get up and go to work and school the next day…and the next day.

And to top it off, team members are counting on you.

Despite trying several different solutions to my procrastination puzzle, I have yet to hit upon one that works for me. Like any good puzzler, I’ve been learning and refining my strategy with each attempt–getting closer and closer to a solution that works.

I think my current solution (”Procrasti-Can 3.0″) might be gold, so I wanted to share it with you all.

Here, I’ll lay out what I’ve decided are the important clues that led me to this solution:

Clue 1:
No due date? No problem. I’ll happily chip away at the project in small chunks or all-nighters. On my own time, I love doing projects and I’m a very hard worker. In fact, I often have several personal projects (well, I did before grad school) going at one time. Aversion to work is not an issue (unless it’s Sunday morning, then I’m sleeping in).

Clue 2:
Big projects with due dates appear differently to me than big projects without due dates. Big projects with due dates feel like giant, inscalable walls, too big and complicated to approach in one bound. “You’ve got to be kidding me” is a phrase that comes to mind. Not exactly inspiring…not what you want to have running through your head mid-quarter when you have, like, five million big projects due.

Clue 3:
Many of you are probably thinking “Duh, just slice up the big, scary projects into smaller pieces”–the classic recipe for procrastinator success.

You are right and I’ve certainly tried it, but it still hasn’t worked for me. The mantra “I’ll just do a little bit now” was still too…ambiguous/unknown/unquantifiable, just like the giant project. It’s the only way, but my application was still off.

Solution:
So, what’s the secret ingredient that would make the classic recipe work for me? Structure.

Here’s my recipe for success:

Procrasti-Can 3.0: “15 minutes a day

This plan uses the classic “smaller pieces” solution, but also adds structure that limits the small pieces–thus preventing the pieces from morphing into big scary procrastinator nightmares.

Certainly, this is nothing new. I’m sure there is a whole shelf of books at Barnes and Noble on exactly what I’ve laid out here.

Why am I figuring this out now? Over the years, I’ve learned that many people can offer solutions to a problem, but you have to really understand the issue at hand before you can effectively choose and apply the right solution.

Posted by teagen - July 27th, 2009 - 0 comments - Permalink

Another Saturday almost done

Aaron Lykken, Program Manager

Ah, TMMBA Saturdays. As I begin this post I can’t help but to look longingly at the sunny weather outside my office window. The Summer quarter is now at about the half-way point and this is the 3rd of 5 Saturdays scheduled. During a typical quarter (10 weeks), students enrolled in the program attend 10 weekday evenings (6-930) and every other Saturday (8:30 AM – 4:30 PM). Today was a nice combination of Marketing and Negotiations, two very different disciplines. A lot of the students have a good time in these courses as they are very interactive. A couple examples of this is the product taste testing in Marketing (to show how advertising can create an image for the product) and in Negotiations, case/interactive scenarios where teams are assigned roles and backgrounds on simulated negotiations scenarios and they get to practice negotiating an agreement and using the tools they acquire in class. It’s always refreshing when Faculty take a different approach to teach material and I see it constantly throughout the program. The students work hard and take each of the deliverables seriously but they also have a good time as they learn together. One thing we like to remind students when they start the program, this is a different environment than the workplace where you have to worry about inter-office politics, what you say/challenge, etc. In the classroom, it’s okay to try new things, challenge each other and ideas, and think about things in a different way, that’s a big part about going back to school, so it’s wonderful to see the students engaged in the material being covered.

Posted by tmmba - July 25th, 2009 - 0 comments - Permalink