Preparing Future Leaders Cohort MBA Mentor Program Brings Two-Way Benefits By Helen Bond When UTD School of Management Advisory Council member Jim Young was hatching plans to meet Cohort MBA student Andrew Martin for lunch, the Dallas businessman mentioned his eagerness to try a restaurant in Plano. As luck would have it, Mr. Martin had previously worked at the eatery. It was a fruitful beginning to a mentoring relationship designed to offer Mr. Martin valuable insight into the "real world" of doing business. But, on this day, it was the student who was doing the teaching, using his experience at the restaurant to introduce his mentor to the finer points of Pan-Asian food. While an introduction to a restaurant's cuisine might be an unconventional benefit from a mentoring program, it shows that not only the protégé gains when a seasoned business veteran is paired with an up-and-coming MBA student. This give-and-take experience is one that both mentors and students are enjoying as part of the SOM's new Cohort MBA Mentor Program. In its first year, the program matches each Cohort MBA student with a mentor who is an alumni or "friend" of the School. Just months into the program, students like Mr. Martin are already reaping big rewards. "I came into the program more than a little intimidated by the experience and knowledge that my fellow students had, [experience] that I didn't [have]," says Mr. Martin, age twenty-four. "Jim Young has helped me see that my experience as a restaurant manager is just as valuable as, and in some cases more valuable than, the experiences gained from being in the business arena. He has taught me that I can parlay those experiences into a promising career." And Mr. Young, chairman of The Margate Group and Teleportec, who spent thirty-four years as an executive with Electronic Data Systems, agrees, stressing the relationship is a two-way street. MBA programs such as UTD's are establishing or building existing mentor programs to broaden the services they offer students and strengthen the bond with alumni and the community, says Dr. Steve Perkins, School of Management assistant dean for masters programs and director of the Cohort MBA Program. "I like to tell people that they learn in three ways: from professors, from each other, and from the businesses...and people they have contact with," says Dr. Perkins. Mentors can serve as guides, counselors, and role models for students as they begin to explore the business world, he says. As a bonus, mentoring, and the networking that often goes along with it, can open business doors otherwise closed and introduce students to internships and job opportunities. It is invaluable personal attention that veteran mentors like Mr. Young see as key to helping students bolster their professional and interpersonal skills. Mr. Young - who along with 1995 UTD MBA graduate Randall Mills of CitiCapital, formerly The Associates, helped spearhead the project - sees a mentor program as an opportunity for students to "shortcut their learning." "By simply hanging around the mentors, they can learn some things...they want to add to their repertoire, and they will also learn some things they don't want to do," Mr. Young says. "For the mentor, it is an opportunity to spend time with some bright young people." Mentors interested in giving back to the School were chosen from backgrounds that range from high-tech to management consulting to finance. Most are in upper level executive positions or have started their own companies. They were paired with the thirty-three participating Cohort students in a process that involved profiling backgrounds, interests, goals, and expectations of both mentors and students. Dr. Perkins and his staff then used the profile information to match areas of expertise of the executives with areas of interests of the students for the yearlong commitment. Cohort student Nicole Curtis specifically requested another woman as her mentor and is eager to learn from Ellen Magnis, senior manager of strategy and partnerships for the American Stroke Association, a division of Dallas-based American Heart Association. "I want a contact who has already walked in my shoes," says Ms. Curtis. "[Women] have different pressures with family and careers. I appreciate that she has extended herself to me and is available to answer questions and concerns." A recent lunch with Ms. Magnis, who earned her UTD bachelor's degree in information science in 1996 and her UTD Cohort MBA in 1998, offered the duo a chance to swap stories about their Cohort experiences and discuss challenges facing women who are seeking careers. Ms. Magnis, who raised a family while earning her degrees, hopes to help provide Ms. Curtis a "sense of encouragement." "I think it's important to have a mentor in order to gain and keep perspective," Ms. Magnis says. "When one is completely mired in the projects, case studies, and deadlines in an MBA program, it's difficult to see past the next week." A Clear Direction Sound advice in an informal mentor relationship led Randall Mills to follow through and land his job at CitiCapital, the Irving, Texas, financial services firm that is a part of New York City-based Citibank. He has also personally experienced how mentoring can "lower barriers" through his participation in the company's mentor program. Now Mr. Mills brings his own business wisdom to the table to aid Lucian Mitroiu of Bucharest, Romania. The pair has met several times - always in a different setting - and worked to set goals for Mr. Mitroiu to pursue a mar-keting career. He has also had the opportunity to shadow his mentor and witness the inner workings of CitiCapital, where Mr. Mills is vice president of the company's commercial division. But the relationship hasn't stopped there. The executive also included Mr. Mitroiu on a family outing, inviting him to meet his wife and two daughters at a UTD basketball game. "It was like going to a theater after a long period of boot camp," says Mr. Mitroiu. For his part, Mr. Mills believes people "in corporate America need to support our universities in this type of fostering process." Mentors can bolster opportunities by helping students make the most of their academic knowledge. Students need to be able to communicate to a corporation "what they can give back," says Mr. Mills, who is membership committee chairman of the UTD Alumni Association Executive Board. Sarah Moores, a Cohort student who moved to Dallas from London two years ago, also expects the dollars and business sense from her mentoring experience to boost her future success. Ms. Moores looks forward to an "objective" look at her background to help her put her best foot forward in pursuit of a corporate finance career. Her mentor, Jack Lamb, a senior manager of software development for Lacerte Software Corp., an Intuit Co., is ready - whether in person, via e-mail, or phone-to "talk, and brainstorm, and throw out ideas and suggestions." "I don't have all the answers, but I love to brainstorm. [Mentoring] gives you a good sounding board," says Mr. Lamb, who is also chairman of UTD's Alumni Association. In return, both Ms. Moores and Mr. Mitroiu, with high-tech and Internet experience, have sat in on a meeting with Mr. Lamb to offer their insight on a proposed UTD alumni Web site. Building A Bridge The best mentoring programs are tailor-made, with committed mentors and responsible students quick to seize opportunities to learn as much as they can, notes Dr. Perkins. UTD's Cohort MBA Mentor Program suggests such activities as outlining career goals, reviewing résumés, providing networking opportunities, and meeting for lunch. But each mentor-student relationship is unique, Dr. Perkins says. Mr. Martin, for instance, has met his mentor one-on-one and joined him at monthly gatherings of a luncheon for business leaders called the Dallas Friday Group, which Mr. Young heads. "[Andrew] gets an opportunity to meet a bunch of people from the community," says Mr. Young. "It's good for him, too. He learns which fork to use and how to make conversation with people he has never met before. That is very useful stuff out in the real world." UTD officials hope the mentoring program will ultimately expand to include all students in the SOM who want to participate, and bolster the bridge between the University and the community. If the initial success of the mentor program is any indication, expect today's students to be tomorrow's leaders, creating a lifetime connection to UTD. As Mr. Martin puts it, "If I did not mentor in the future, I would be doing a great disservice to myself and [the students]. I would not be following the advice that I have had the opportunity to hear from such a well-respected individual. There also seems to be a learning process on both sides of this relationship. I know that [Mr. Young] has met a tremendous [number] of people in his life, but I hope I have given him some small insights into a younger generation that could be of some use to him." Sidebar/Chart Mentor Employer Student Doug Bird GTE Baris Demirci George Brody GlobeRanger.com Bin Feng & Shaun Robinson Jay Cone Interaction Associates Chris Hellerman Sejal Desai STARTech Foundation Zheng (Jane) Yang Tony Dunkel Datasweep Patrick Toma Randy Earley CitiCapital Peter Lobo Greg Floyd Ernst & Young, LLP Neil Chaubal John Fowler Gold Creek Chris Conry Lyndall Groves Ericsson Sumit Singh Sydney Hicks Sterling Commerce Alexandra Azovtseva Jay Hilbert Alcatel Sinan Yilmaz Tom Hill EDS Barbara Whitehorn Ling Howison EDS HongPing Pan Bob Huskerson Century 21 Lone Star Will Henderson Mike Inman Carreker Corp. Volak Sin Colleen Jensen NCR Susan Bright Randall Kelley Spencer Stuart Peter Reynolds Jack Lamb Lacerte Software Sarah Moores Ellen Magnis American Stroke Association Nicole Curtis Kirk Mann CitiCapital Amit Lall Sean McNeill Broadband Gateways Vikram Arora Randall Mills CitiCapital Lucian Mitroiu David Permenter Nortel Networks Ekrem Yildirim Jose Punnoose McCann Erickson Phillip White Julie Schmitt Yahoo, Inc. Miao Song Alexandra Smith Kana, Russell, Coleman & Logan Hande Oral Joy Tan Allied Riser Jessica Vasquez Michael Tieu Southwest Securities Alexandre (Sasha) Golov Randolph Wheatley Nortel Networks Tridib Bandyopadhyay James Young Margate Group; Teleportec Andrew Martin Jun Zou Ericsson Li (Lily) Xu & Yan Wei Sidebar Career Services A Place for Students and Alumni By Jeanne Spreier "It's called Career Services, not placement," says Judy Guyer, who, for the past year has helped The UTD School of Management beef up assistance to both SOM students and alumni. "Placement is such a small piece of what we do." Ms. Guyer directs the SOM office of professional practices programs. The office works toward two major goals. "First, the School wants to increase the visibility of UTD as a source of candidates for full-time positions, whether they are entry-level spots or require experience," Ms. Guyer explains. "Many local companies don't realize The School of Management maintains a database of its graduates to help companies with staffing issues at all levels." The School's second major goal is for organizations to take advantage of opportunities to work with current students through internships, co-op arrangements, even part-time or project-specific work. "It's been traditional in some sectors, but not so much for business majors," Ms. Guyer says, noting that students may have worked part-time while in school but not necessarily in a position that embellished their academic studies. Student-business pairings work for both sides. Companies get student employees full of enthusiasm to do a good job and get to look at employment candidates before they graduate. Students get valuable experience in their field. "It's a reinforcement of your education," Ms. Guyer says. "The combination of experience and education is going to be a lot more marketable." And, for about ten percent of students, it allows them the luxury of realizing that what they thought they wanted to do for the rest of their lives wasn't a good fit. The School's Career Services Center also works with students and alumni to hone their career management skills, everything from résumé writing to interviewing to learning how to network. "Students need to be prepared to change jobs seven to ten times in their careers, and [to change career] directions three to five times," Ms. Guyer says. Through the Career Services Center, students and alumni can do career assessments, take aptitude tests, and get professional counseling. She says it's frustrating to see alumni only when they're in the throes of trying to quickly land another job, rather than in an ongoing relationship to develop their career. "If we're just helping you get the first job, we're not really helping you," Ms. Guyer says. Sidebar From SOM's Professional Practices Programs Five Career Tips to Get on Top and Stay on Top Understand the value of networking. "Seventy percent of executive positions never make any publication," Judy Guyer says. "Most job opportunities are achieved through networking." She suggests you always keep a list of contacts in your field, even if you're not looking right now. She advises developing relationships, not just collecting business cards. Get involved in at least one professional organization. Stay informed about your industry. "The people I find who most successfully manage their career are people who look at the big picture," Ms. Guyer says. Think about the transferability of your skills. "It's easy to get so hunkered down that you don't realize how your skills might be transferred," she says. Make sure, when you take on projects at work, that you develop skills that could move you into another position or organization. Take a reality check. Ms Guyer says even if you're wild about your current position, each year, maybe on your birthday, see if you are now where, a year ago, you thought you should be. She says you might take a university class to add zing to your work life or seek a position that expands your horizons. - Jeanne Spreier