http://www.jmu.edu/cob/

James Madison University - Index

James Madison University - Madison Magazine - Summer 2009 - Index

@
[Graduate Researchers]
Six graduate
researchers
participate in
conference
Students showcase works at
Virginia Council of
Graduate Schools forum
S
ix JMU graduate students
presented their
research at the Fourth-
Annual Graduate Student
Research Forum sponsored
by the Virginia Council
of Graduate Schools in Richmond
at the Library of Virginia.
The annual research
forum showcases graduate student
research and scholarship
across Virginia. It also highlights
the benefits of graduate
education to the economic,
social and civic development
of the commonwealth.
Attendees included members
of the Virginia General Assembly
and their staff members,
industry representatives, professors
and administrators,
and the general public.
JMU graduate students
were among more than 60
students showcasing their
work. The JMU students and
their topics included: Jennifer
Becker on “Motor Recovery
Approaches Used to Rehabilitate
Central Nervous System
Dysfunction in Adult Patients
after Stroke;” Sarah Coffey
on “Caregivers and Stroke —
Identifying Needs to Create
Normalcy and Sustain Quality
of Life on a Daily Basis;”
William Shelly on “Determination
of Diagnostic Predictors
of Heart Failure;” Anna
More on “Felix Mendelssohn
Bartholdy: Reviver and Reconciler;”
Jeffrey Borowiec on
“Dead End Kids on a Leaky
Boat: An Examination of Irish
Punk;” and Daniel Kitchie on
“Could Lithuania be a Valuable
U.S. Ally? A Comparative
Statistical GIS Analysis.” M
[Madison Quotient]
Return on investment
BusinessWeek gives College of Business graduates a nod for skill sets
While layoffs, salary freezes
and unemployment statistics
dominate today’s
business headlines, the
JMU College of Business
is being recognized for continuing to prepare
graduates for success.
JMU is No. 3 on the public schools list
and fourth out of all business schools in the
2009 BusinessWeek “50 Best Undergraduate
Business Schools” rankings, which are
calculated by comparing annual tuition and
median starting salaries for 2008 graduates.
“Number one, you want a
place that’s going to help you be
prepared to enter the business
world. At the same time, you’re
concerned with what kind of
costs you’re going to incur,” says
Bob Reid, dean of the College of
Business. “Versus what you spend
on tuition at JMU, the return on
investment is very high.”
Affordable tuition alone
doesn’t translate into a high
ROI, Reid adds. Schools must
provide a high quality education
that gives graduates the skills
needed to contribute to successful
companies. “We’re continuously
working to improve our
program. In the last two years
we’ve reduced the size of the
college slightly, bringing our
Recruiters and professors
recognize CoB
graduates’ interpersonal,
technical and
leadership skills as the
‘Madison Quotient.’
student/faculty ratio to 25 to 1, in an effort
to improve the student experience,” says
Reid. “We devote a lot of time, attention and
resources to the program. Recruiters time
and time again tell us, ‘We really like the
quality of your graduates.’
“Our students’ technical skills are as good
as or better than you get at other places,
their interpersonal skills are far superior,
their leadership skills are superior, and
that’s why companies hire our graduates.”
Recruiters and CoB faculty now recognize
that coveted set of soft skills as the “Madison
Quotient.” According to a
recent Leadership IQ study of
more than 300 U.S. companies
and organizations, almost half
of newly hired employees fail
within 18 months, due mostly
to poor interpersonal skills and
lack of motivation. “The Madison
Quotient means employers
are going to get a better return
on their investment by hiring
a JMU graduate,” says Reid.
“Lower turnover rates mean
companies spend less on recruiting,
hiring and training, and the
soft skills JMU students have
help them become productive
employees more quickly.” M
✱ Read a white paper about the
Madison Quotient at www.jmu.
edu/cob/.
Management professor Bob Eliason emphasizes employment preparedness in his classroom
and in the 12-credit COB 300 course he team-teaches. “Leadership skills are critical,” he says.
10 MADISON MAGAZINE
PHOTOGRAPH BY DIANE ELLIOTT (’00)