Ah, Commencement. Here it comes again, a celebration of achievement and a time to bask in the accomplishment of hard work and resulting intellectual growth. It is a day brimming with promise. The College of William & Mary knows to expect great things of those who become alumni this day.

The university staff knows that on Commencement Day, it’s all hands on deck. I know, because I have had the privilege of seeing my Flex MBA students participate in the Mason School of Business Diploma Ceremony for the past three years. It’s like watching your children graduate and I am always bursting with pride.

But this year is different. I will be graduating myself, with an M.Ed. in higher education administration from William & Mary’s School of Education. This means I will miss the pomp and ceremony for our Flex MBA students in 2012, but also that I will understand the excitement and sense of triumph of our graduating students first-hand. Earning my graduate degree part-time while working full-time gave me empathy for the dedication and hard work of our students. Late nights in the office, Saturday mornings (and afternoons, and evenings) in the library, careful planning to ensure I took care of my deliverables without missing any important events in the lives of my family members – such is the daily reality for adult students who are working professionals in their other lives. I really do get it, because now I have lived it with them. My sense of solidarity with our Flex MBA students has made me even more dedicated to serving and supporting them in their quest for education.

Commencement is a time of great beginnings. I look forward to many more Commencements, knowing that achieving my master’s degree will help me to serve future students better for the knowledge gained, but perhaps even more importantly, because I have walked the same path with them for a while.

• Global Sourcing and Supply Chain Management: In supply chain management and global sourcing, it is not just about the lowest costs and prices.
• Tsunamis effect on global supply chains: Mike Tyson once said “Everyone has a plan ‘till they get punched in the face”. It is as important for a firm or business to have a risk management or disaster control strategy in place as it is for it to have finances.
• Clean Energy & Untapped US Energy Resources: There is no dearth of untapped energy resources and technologies to ensure we don’t deplete the resources that we have; it looks like we are just waiting for the day when we run out of what we have already discovered.
• Global Demographics: The universe is indeed expanding, but population on earth is expanding at an alarmingly higher rate. From the look of it – it seems that there is nothing much that we can do about it, but there is.
• The Currency of water: Stop treating the social work that you do as charity. Start treating them like your customers – you are just about there what we call sustainable business.
• Corporate Social Responsibility: CSR is not just for the big corporations. It could be something as small as ensuring your Accounts Payable are paid in due time.
• Business of NCAA Sports: There is a huge difference between “Student athlete” and “Athlete student”.
• Occupy Wall Street: Occupy Wall Street was just not about the North America, it’s a disparity that exists in every part of the world. You won’t realize till the time it starts hurting the “99%”.
• European Debt Crisis: When you don’t adhere to set standards for any job, the system is bound to collapse sooner or later.
• Impact Investing: “Impact Investing is the future”. Enough said.
• Online Marketing: Facebook/Twitter accessibility rather not be banned in business environments, there is a lot that you can do with them. Try using Google analytics to shoot up your website ranking. “Keyword” is indeed the keyword to success of any website (as far as the Google page ranking is concerned). And of course, keep blogging.

Prior to coming to law school in the fall of 2009, I spent a year teaching primary school English in Tours, France where I had spent a semester abroad in the spring of 2007.

The leadership development program has had an even greater impact on me than I ever imagined.  During one of the special dinners during orientation with second year students, faculty, and several executive partners, a conversation started about golf and the possibility of organizing a women’s clinic.  It sounded great but it had been several years since I had formed a club myself and I figured if someone really wanted it to happen they would make it happen.

A few weeks later, during one of many presentations about the leadership development project, I realized that creating this clinic could be exactly what I needed to challenge myself in one if not all of the core competencies we focus on here at Mason.

After presenting my idea to my coach and speaking with a few people, I reached out to a local golf pro and the project began to take shape.  Immediately it proved a success with over 30 women signing up to participate in a 3 week program consisting of small group sessions and a round of 9 holes.

While learning to golf has been fun for me and the other Mason women participating, it has been the experience organizing the clinic that has made the biggest impact on me.  It taught me that what may seem like a big idea can be easily achieved when you put in even just a little time and heart.  It taught me that reaching out to your community with a positive attitude can have a big impact for you and them.  It taught me that I have the skills necessary to go out into the world a make a difference.

Having received such positive feedback, I am excited to see this once small leadership project develop into a yearly component of the womens’ MBA experience as our skills and alumnae base grow too.

My first book was a gift from my mother. I was three years old and given an ultimatum of 2 days to read a 20 page book and repeat the story to my mother. I grumbled and complained but my mother was having none of it. I ended up reading the book in one day. Books became my wings; with books I was able to explore the world without leaving hometown of Lagos. With my books I visited the Paddington rail station in London before I ever got a British visa; and explored the streets of Cairo without the side effects of jetlag.

I am a testimony of the power of books to change a life. Books have literally changed my life; I am a writer today because I read books. I cannot imagine my life without the wonder of books; and yet there are millions of children around the world who do not know how to read or have books.

One of my major attractions to the Mason School of Business MBA was the many opportunities the program offered to develop my leadership abilities. The Leadership Development Exercise in particular offers every First Year MBA an opportunity to develop a tailor made leadership project that speaks directly to the leadership skills a student is looking to improve. In addition to improving leadership abilities, the LDE is also a chance for every student to do something they are passionate about and give back to others through it.

The book drive was relatively easy to organize especially with support from the MBA program, faculty and students. Within the first two days, I had to empty the collection boxes; they were that full! We ended up donating a total of 200 books to the Reading Tree Organization; a non-profit organization with a mission to provide books to disadvantaged families in North America. Since the book drive ended, I have received another 100 books towards the effort.

From my first day at the Mason School of Business, it has been bored into me that I can make a difference. I am a mere 5ft 4 inches tall and scared stiff of heights; and before the book drive, it was not very easy believing that I could make a difference in a world of 7 billion people. The amazing support and generous donations from the Mason community during the drive has changed all that. I see now that it is possible for this tiny girl to change the whole world. I will be doing it hand in hand with the wonderful people around me here at the Mason School of Business and those I will come across in the future.

300 books might not seem like much with the millions of children in need around the world but I believe in the ripple effect. Someday, those children will get an MBA and give back to the community that showed them they could do so much more than their immediate environment allows. This is how I plan to change the world, one child at a time, with one book at a time.

If you are interested in giving a child a new adventure by donating a book please contact me at damilola.ashaolu@mason.wm.edu

It’s not official yet, but I am just about done with my MBA degree. Tomorrow, I turn in my last assignment for Prof. Hess’ class on Customer Experience Management – a great class if you plan to work in the luxury and retail segment. In the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a few strong signals informing me that I am on my way out of the “mother’s nest” we call Miller Hall. The most recent of those signs is reflected in the alumni induction ceremony held at the business school last Friday (4/20/12).To those who attended, the alumni induction ceremony was just a formal welcome for this year’s Master of Business Administration & Master of Accounting Graduates into the alumni family. For me, it was a chance to socialize with my friends, and a subtle reminder about the community to which I belong – the Mason School of Business community. 

Dean Pulley kicked off the event with a short speech about how important it was to the business school to keep in touch with its alumni and become an important piece of our lives.

As would be expected of a professor in accounting and taxation, Prof. Busbee spoke about the value of our MBA and MAcc degrees.

My name is Jackeline Pous, I am Mexican and right now I am a First Year MBA student at William and Mary. I have experience in the non-profit sector and I am an entrepreneur. I am also a First Year Representative of NAWMBA and the Co-founder and Vice-president of the Social Entrepreneurship Club in William and Mary.

On November 10, we had the pleasure of having a panel with Deloitte consultants Grace Cheng, Erica Whitehead and Jacqueline Winters. The main discuss was mainly about the role of Women in Business.

The first subject they talked about was the advice they would wish someone gave them. The panelists told us that it is not all about hard work. Think where you want to be in 10 years, it is not a straight line. You need to pace yourself, that you are doing something that helps your spirit. The journey is going to be hard. Hard work is good, but you need to also build in what you are successful, recognize it!  Make a good impression with what you are good at (your leadership program, if you are good with grades). Also, to build relationships with your teammates develop relationship with clients, so they will trust you with their concerns.

The second subject they talked about is the balance between their passion and what they do. The panelists shared that the Consulting industry is very demanding. You need peculiarities. Find clients that you like to work in their projects. The project sometimes is not the most interesting. The key is finding something in it that you are interested in, so you can get passion. There are endless possibilities and projects. You are never stuck in what you are doing.  Find some challenges!

The third subject was about leadership roles in women. Ms. Cheng, Ms. Whitehead and Ms. Winters told us that there are some characteristics that you can’t take away. You have to recognize it and be conscientious of not buying it. Because of that, you can challenge the people. Figure out how to use posture, language, relationships, influence, get the credibility. But at the end of the day, having good ideas beats everything. Be yourself!

The fourth subject was about their hardest time in their jobs. They talked about communicating with people and maximize contributions from team members.

The fifth subject was about their experience in clients that hear more the men than women. The panelists told us that it is true, but that there are also some of clients that hear more the women. Therefore, tackle the situations, proof yourself, and speak up!

Finally they talked about the balance between life and work. The shared that in Deloitte, there is a huge support to the families, so for them the word is not “balance”, is “fit”

The luncheon was a success!!!

MBA students from Indonesia and the Mason School of Business get together for a photo.

OK, my job as staff member on the Flex MBA Singapore-Indonesia trip 2012 was to be available as a William & Mary representative should any emergencies arise.  Safety is of paramount importance when we take students out of the country.  What I got was no crises and the experience of a lifetime!

• Strangest food eaten?  Cow lungs (crispy and delicious!)
• Most expensive drink? Singapore Sling at Raffle’s Long Bar, where they were invented.  $26.00.  No, really – $26.00 for one drink.  (Diet Cokes were a bargain at $10.00 a pop, no free refills.)
• Extent of foreign language learned? “Tarima kasih,” meaning “Thank you” in Indonesian.  This expression will get you far.
• Best hospitality in the world? It’s got to be Indonesia.  I have never met such lovely and genuinely friendly people.  And they all vacation in Bali (I asked).  That’s a good enough recommendation for me, next time I am ready to fly halfway around the world.

The gleaming port city-state of Singapore is a Southeast Asia crossroads with strong Chinese influence, extraordinarily successful in attracting business on a global scale.  Indonesia is a country of over 17,000 islands and hundreds of languages, spanning the industrial sprawl of Jakarta to the natural splendor of islands that time forgot – literally.

Professor Don Rahtz, Southeast Asia business expert and leader of the 2012 Flex MBA trip to Singapore/Indonesia, is confident that experience – with the proper classroom preparation – is the best teacher.  International immersion through travel increases understanding of business practices, cultures, and nuances exponentially, he believes.  But before he takes students to Southeast Asia, he makes sure they understand the economy, current events, history, and important customs, and sample the literature. As a teacher, “Dr. Don” wants his students to “get their imagination in focus.”

Given our professor’s knowledge and contacts, our group saw a side of international business that no normal traveler would.  Wake-up calls were early, but we were learning too much and having too much fun to go to bed at a reasonable hour.  Besides getting insider perspectives on businesses in Indonesia and Singapore,  Flex MBA students worked with Indonesian MBA teams to present a case competition to Toyota and Ford in Indonesia, first via the internet and after some globe-trotting, in person.  After organizing visas and coordinating flight schedules, I was happy to be an observer of this activity.

Once the pressure was over, the US and Indonesian MBA students got to know each other more socially, going out on the town together in Jakarta.  William & Mary MBA students agreed that working and playing with their counterparts half a world away was the highlight of the trip.  Other visits included the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, a micro finance company serving the slums of Indonesia, and an inside view of Universal Studios in Singapore, complete with roller coaster rides.

As the rookie MBA class continues to navigate through the third and final module of the first year, it has been all too easy to get caught up in preparing to ace that Macroeconomics exam, piecing together a business proposal and presentation for Management Communication, keeping track of a relentless docket of speakers and club events or finding time to enjoy the early arrival of summerlike temperatures. Last Friday though, a group of about 25 first-year MBA students took part in an improvisation workshop that offered a refreshing change of pace and tone from the day-to-day grind in Miller Hall.

If you’re not familiar with improvisation, better known as improv, according to the Dean Hewitt-approved website Wikipedia improv is a form of performance art in which actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously.

Second-year MBA Mark Walkley organized the workshop, which featured two of his longtime friends from Chicago, Dave Urlakis and Zack Whittington, of the improv group Batterymouth. The pair has been working together since 2005 and is well acclaimed in the “second city” improv circles. The ridiculously talented duo orchestrated several humorous exercises, such as “zip-zap-zop”, “machine” and “yes, and…”, that introduced the group to basic improv techniques, while simultaneously demonstrating how these lessons can improve communication in the business world.

Some of the prevailing themes included engaging in active listening, making eye contact and using body language, participatory conversation, suspending fear and judgment and creating a cooperative environment. Dave and Zack did an admirable job of creating a comfortable setting in which many of us were clearly uncomfortable. The exercises forced spontaneous thoughts, comments and uncontrollable laughter for those participating and observing, which included Professor Ed Felton, admissions dynamo Amanda Barth and MBA commissioners Patty Lalumiere and Michele Mitchell-Moffit.

The Mason School is one of several business programs to welcome improv into classrooms that at times are short on creative and artistic spirit, and there are many articles and opinions to support improv’s correlation with effective communication and negotiation. However, my most important takeaways from our workshop were the memories of laughing alongside my classmates and seeing hidden personalities break out during an afternoon when everything else outside that room didn’t seem to matter for two hours.

The workshop showed that nearly eight months into the program a lot of us, myself included, are still working on taking that final leap out of what was once a comfort zone. Watching the international students put themselves out there in front of everyone in the room was one of the most enlightening moments of the MBA experience to this point, and I also witnessed my American classmates overcome the fear and hesitation that often times keeps us silent and reserved.

That relates to my final takeaway which was a reminder to not forget about intuition. In an atmosphere where we try to first throw an equation, statistical model, regression or break-even analysis at a situation, I was reminded that certain problems don’t necessarily need an MBA solution. One of the many reasons I chose the Mason School was to develop those analytical tools, but jumping in on instinct, whether it’s to be disruptive or supportive, can be just as effective and much more efficient.

Based on my classmates’ comments and feedback at the end of the workshop, I think we all came away with a new perspective on improv and an appreciation for what it takes to truly suspend fear of judgment. Mark, David and Zack deserve much of the credit for allowing that to happen, and I believe the event showed how impactful and rewarding creative, uncommon tactics can be in an MBA program. My hope is those of us who participated continue to laugh and make the leap. I also hope that the improv workshop was the first of many similarly creative-minded events during the MBA experience.

A sighting of Charlie Chaplin, complete with cane, bowler hat, and signature “wobbly walk” was an unexpected and pleasant surprise on my recent trip to Brazil.  Of course, my encounter wasn’t the actor made famous through the early days of silent films, but a small Brazilian child who greeted me and my classmates on a warm Friday afternoon in São Paulo.  Our group of 20, an international study class from William and Mary’s Mason School of Business, had paid a visit to the “House of Culture” project, located in one of the more disadvantaged neighborhoods of São Paulo.  This undertaking, created and privately funded by the electric production and distribution company AES, is a unique and amazing sustainability effort that invests directly in the people living in one of the poorest sections of the city.  The center has about 1000 children enrolled in before- and after-school programs that teach social responsibility, culture, basic team building skills and safety, all within an arts-based curriculum.

To say that we were impressed would be an understatement.  Children of all ages showed us the results of AES’s effort, by singing, dancing, presenting improvisatory and creative drama, by using visual arts programs within a computer lab, and most especially through an entertaining and fascinating circus, complete with a “big top” tent.  With little imagination, this circus, which included trampoline acts, and high-flying gymnastics, could (and likely will) be a training ground for future Cirque de Soleil entertainers.  The directors of the program briefed us on how this program was initiated with intentional, careful planning – and how many different stakeholders within the community were engaged for feedback on their needs and desires—for example, while soccer is certainly very popular within Brazil, the organizers could not allocate space for such a program.  The “House of Culture” program is also closely monitored and evaluated, using objective, measurable data.  And participation isn’t a given – rather, it is linked to academic success.  So, for students, good grades keep you in the program.  As many of the children in this neighborhood leave the local public school system before beginning high school, one of the chief aims of the program is to reverse this trend, while teaching meaningful and lasting life-skills to the participants.  And adults and parents within this community are also utilizing this center, during evening hours, to learn how to create small business opportunities for themselves—such as creating artwork and jewelry for sale.

During our visit, we witnessed the amazing activities of children of all ages, who clearly were excited and energized to be in this environment.  For many of them, this is their only opportunity to use and to learn basic computer skills, to experience the joy of a making music with a choir or band, to draw creatively, or to produce and present a “school play.”  The program is relatively new – only three short years define its history – yet, the level and quality of creativity among all ages was remarkable to see.  Clearly, good progress is happening.  The conclusion of our day included a spectacular and very entertaining circus show, complete with live music accompaniment, involving around 50-60 of the children.  On their invitation, we gave it our best shot at dancing the exciting conclusion, with all the performers at the end.  Our visit was too short, so I hope that I can return someday soon to see “Charlie” and his fellow performers once again.

Growth is a fundamental aspect of our time spent at William and Mary. As one of the founding seeds of our Nation’s history, to the molding of the up-and-coming great minds of tomorrow, the College has proven to be a source of collaborative growth. Currently, the emergence of social entrepreneurship in both curriculum and extra curricular activities is one such growth that is taking place on campus. However, as is the case with most new and exciting advancements, the underlying intentions of social entrepreneurship can be lost in its over exposure. So what is a social entrepreneur? According to Ashoka, an organization that invests in social entrepreneurs, they can be described as individuals who tackle major social issues through changing the system. This type of social change requires these individuals to be extremely motivated and persistent in their objectives to not only invent new solutions, but to be able to implement them on a large scale as well.

William and Mary is one of the leaders in higher education with regards to integrating social entrepreneurship into its curriculum. Aside from hosting multiple conferences a year on the topic and sending students to many more programs around the world, the Mason School of Business is offering two courses in Social Entrepreneurship for undergraduates in 2012. With both being instructed by Professor Scott McCoy, the spring course is held on campus and works to develop an academic understanding of social entrepreneurship by integrating classroom discussions and guest speakers with a semester long a consulting project. The summer course will then turn concepts into experience by traveling to Central America, specifically Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. While abroad students will be serving as international development consultants working with entrepreneurs and NGOs to gain a better understanding of how consulting works in the field of social entrepreneurship in developing countries. These two courses accent the interdisciplinary nature of social entrepreneurship by bringing together students from all departments across campus. Marielle Larson, a Junior in the course, attributes much of the classroom discussions value to the fact that you have sociology and business students collaborating on a central focus.

Now that administrators and professors have taken steps to expand the curriculum, as a student body we need to see what we can do next to ensure that these opportunities enhance our personal and academic growth. Based on the Ashoka understanding of social entrepreneurship, the number of true social entrepreneurs is limited by certain innate characteristics that are naturally only possessed by a few individuals, characteristics that enable an individual to change the way a society operates (the Steve Job’s personality). Junior Dan Casey, a student in Professor McCoy’s course, offered an interesting perspective on how we should go about promoting social entrepreneurship on campus while maintaining the value of its definition. Dan believes we should force the issue of making traditional service more entrepreneurial. We must strive to make our service organizations more efficient and effective agents of change. We can all be “change makers” by applying the knowledge and perspectives we gain from each other. As we grow, the College grows and visa versa, so if we take the opportunity to inquire about social entrepreneurship and develop it as a principle of this campus, the “change makers” that emerge from William and Mary will grow to become the social entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

Special thanks to Marielle Larson (’13) and Dan Casey (’13)

Please contact me at cbkoontz@email.wm.edu

To begin to learn more about Social Entrepreneurship on campus checkout:

The Undergraduate Business School:

• Summer Social Entrepreneurship in Central America
• Social Entrepreneurship Abroad

Conferences:

• SEcon2012
• Corporate & College Collaborative for Sustainability

Opportunities through the Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship:

• Social Entrepreneur Corps
• The Social Entrepreneurship Club
• Ashoka