Every other Friday and Saturday, Alvion Technologies’ Pamela

Lang can be found sitting in class with 16 other business professionals—and

enjoying it. It’s not another high-tech seminar she’s attending, but the

Executive MBA Program at Florida Gulf Coast University.

For Lang, a member of the class of 2003, the marketing and

finance curriculum alone has already armed her with expertise beyond what she’s

gleaned from in-house mentoring. “My only regret is that I didn’t do thisstyle="mso-spacerun: yes"> earlier,” says Lang, who rose through

the ranks of sister data marketing company AccuData before it spun off the

software development division as Alvion to specialize in e-commerce Web sites.

For 20 years, the MBA has helped propel managers into the

executive suite. It hands professionals the credentials that accelerate

careers. It pays in power, paychecks and perks. But more and more

success-driven individuals trying to balance career, family and higher learning

are seeking an MBA program that can fit their schedule. Some turn to Internet

universities to earn an e-MBA. Others prefer the personal interaction in night

classes at an accredited business college. A third option, an executive MBA,

offers accelerated studies that take middle and senior managers to the next

level, albeit at a higher cost.

In its third year, FGCU’s 21-month program already ranks

among the top programs in the nation and is drawing high-level managers from

around Southwest Florida eager to learn in the team-oriented and intellectually

challenging environment.

The Executive MBA Program, which has been ranked by Business

Week Online as one of the top 100 in the world, will have handed degrees to

more than 50 students in its first four years by the time its 2003 class

graduates. Executive director Dr. Lee Duffus hopes to recruit 20 students for

the class of 2004 and have enough qualified applicants for two classes of 20 in

2005. Duffus, who frequently speaks to local business groups, supports his

personal marketing with direct mail and print advertising.

The average student has 15 years of professional experience

and is 39 years old. Nearly every industry segment in Southwest Florida has

been represented in the first four classes. About 60 percent of students are

male. The curriculum includes team assignments, selected reading and real-life

problem solving. World trends and leadership strategies are related to

students’ on-the-job dynamics, which in turn become the subject of assigned

classroom projects. Business ethics frame discussions.

Kathleen Ruff, a member of the class of 2003, never

envisioned going back to school until four years ago when she returned to the

Fort Myers-based family business—Deep Lagoon Boat Club—and found herself

responsible for increasing profits. The program “reinforces what I’m doing

right and shows me what I could do better,” says Ruff, who devotes 24 days to

classes each year, a schedule that’s manageable for entrepreneurs and managers.

Jerry Elliott, system director of sales with Lee Memorial

Health System, envisions the open doors that will accompany his MBA. Alumni

data prove that could be the case. Ninety percent have changed careers or

reaped job promotions within one or two years of graduating, Duffus says.

Two philosophies guide FGCU’s program. First, the College of

Business at FGCU, which includes 12 educators with doctorate degrees, is

committed to the business community. “Many universities, including Ivy League

schools, tend to be insular,” priding themselves on faculty research instead of

involvement with business, says Duffus, who taught marketing and business

administration at state universities in Tennessee and Florida before joining

FGCU as a founding faculty member.

The MBA program and eight public seminars are just some of

the ways the school is showing its commitment to the business community.

Florida’s 10th state university is on track to receive accreditation from the

prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business in record

time.

Second, students receive extraordinary consideration.

Faculty and staff expedite admission papers, transcripts and references. They

provide laptop computers, order books and cater breakfast and lunch for Friday

and Saturday sessions, held in the same room at the Walden Center in Bonita

Springs. Professors mentor students where and when they’re available.

“Everything is structured for the convenience of the busy executive student,”

says Duffus. “No one can afford to

waste time.”

All this convenience comes at a cost—$30,000—about twice the

price of a traditional MBA. Student loans and company stipends often help with

tuition. Students must earn 42 credit hours, including six from annual one-week

summer sessions, to graduate.

Applicants must meet basic requirements, including a minimum

score of 500 on the GMAT, a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average and at least

seven years of business experience. Personal interviews are required.

Displaying an aptitude for mental discipline is more important than having a

history as a model student, Duffus says.

Such discipline is clear on a typical Friday in the

executive MBA classroom. Students tap notes into laptop computers as Dr.

Bradley Hobbs lectures on economics. As they break for a catered pasta lunch in

the next room, informal groups continue to hash through ideas. A few students

keep writing. Duffus checks in, greeting students by name and offering words of

encouragement.

Alvion Technologies’ Lang breaks out in a smile. “The whole

experience has been even better than I expected,” she says. “Who would think

that statistics class could be wonderful?”

Southwest Florida MBA Programs

FGCU offers the only executive MBA program in Southwest

Florida, but other local colleges and universities offer MBA programs.

Florida Gulf Coast University

Center for Leadership and Innovation

Bonita Springs

Contact: Dr. Lee Duffus

Phone: (239) 948-1815

www.fgcu.edu/cob/emba

lduffus@fgcu.edu

International College

Naples

Contact: Susan Casey

Phone: (800) 466-8017

www.internationalcollege.edu

scasey@internationalcollege.edu

IMPAC University

Punta Gorda

Contact: Student Services

Phone: (866) 467-2248

www.impact.edu

studentservices@impacu.edu

Walden Institute

Bonita Springs

Contact: Mike Anastasiou

Phone: (800) 237-6434 ext. 5145

www.waldeninstitute.com

manastas@waldeninstitute.com