A Christmas Story

“Dad, I’m going now.”

He looked up from his work, gestured to his staff to come back later, and walked over to his son, waiting by the doorway.

“Are you sure about this? You remember what I said …”

“Yes, Father” said the son, “I remember everything, and I know you are worried about me. I know it will be hard, painful, all of that, but you know that we have to do this. If we don’t … “

The father nodded gravely.

“You could at least take some comforts. You know you have the right to money, power, protection. I could arrange – ” but the son stopped him, shaking his head.

“If I did that, then those who have none of those things might not believe I was truly with them, truly one of them. I must be as poor, as ordinary as anyone else.”

The father sighed.

“I know. I know you must do things this way.” The father smiled. “After all, I said so myself a long time ago, didn’t I?”

The son smiled too.

“It’s a perfect plan.”

“But the cost?”

“We must pay it. Who else could?”

They stood together for a moment, father and son, no words but in perfect understanding and love.

“I love you, Father.”

“And I love you, Son.”

Later that evening, in the fields near Bethlehem, shepherds watching their flocks were startled by bright lights in the sky, and they were terrified. An angel appeared to them, saying “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people …”

Christ and Christmas

Every year, the same tired argument comes up between the overly religious and the overly cynical, basically about who owns the holiday season which comes around at the end of December each year. A great many things have been said which appear at first to make sense, but which lose a lot of their validity when you stop to consider them. As a result, anyone making an assertion about what the holiday season “should” mean tends to get ignored by a large portion of the public straight off, and sometimes that is a mistake. Not that my own opinion is better than anyone else’s, but I think there are some things we ought to consider, whatever our personal beliefs and perspective.

First, I want to emphasize that compulsion has no place in the Christmas season, as I think of it. That is, no one who is not Christian should feel obliged to act in accordance with Christian beliefs, anymore than someone who is not Jewish should observe Hannukah, or someone who is not Muslim should observe Ramadan, or someone who is not Seinfeld should observe Festivus. The flip side, of course, also applies. Someone who is not a Jew has no business attacking the observance of Hannukah, someone who is not a Muslim has no business trying to restrict Ramadan, and so on. In the United States, there is no valid legal or moral basis for trying to stamp out public ceremonies which peacefully celebrate a religious event. It may or may not be valid to restrict public funds for religious presentations (but if you ban one, you must ban all, including Kwanzaa, Gaia festivals, or even the Great Pumpkin), but the modern culture attacks private businesses and organizations for exercising their right to observe religion as they see fit.

Some critics have pointed out that most Christmas decorations and celebrations are secular events, anyway. You won’t find Santa Claus, Christmas trees, or the Grinch in any of the Scriptural accounts of Christ’s birth. And there is a lot of talk that Jesus was probably not born on December 25th. Of course, there’s a lot of people who go on to claim that Jesus was not born in that season, not in Bethlehem, does not really exist, and in fact is the creation of the Military-Industrial Complex of the Emperor Constantine … or Rush Limbaugh, take your pick. But we’re not going to talk about the Gores or the Kerry’s here today. Here’s the thing – when Christianity first got going, it was the oddest of paradigms; a religion which worshipped an all-powerful God who took human form as the son of a poor carpenter’s family, born without influence, money or status, who brought God’s truth and love but was rejected by the very class of believer who had been waiting for centuries for the Messiah to appear, who lived a life of perfect obedience to the law but taught that even perfect obedience was not enough, that a person whose religion was imperfect but who loved God was better than a person whose deeds were mighty but selfish. He was rejected by the leading thinkers of his day, ignored by the very priests who served specifically to prepare for his arrival, falsely accused, tortured, then murdered publicly to advance a conspiracy between Herod and Caiaphas to prevent an uprising by the masses (which was delayed for a time but happened anyway in 70 AD). With one exception, his followers scattered, or were arrested and killed. That one exception was exiled to a barren island, where he wrote a weird tale about the Messiah coming back and ruling forever in a perfect kingdom. The leaders of Rome, Judea, and Judiasm all expected the strange little cult to die out, especially as Rome increased penalties for following this Christ, from fines to imprisonment, to banishment to torture and execution. Yet the faith kept growing, with more and more believers all the time, until the Emperor Constantine found it advantageous to throw his support behind the Christians. From there, the Church gained material and political power, until it became oppressive and hateful in its own character, and splintered to become something else. To this day there remain intense debates about who is a ‘true’ Christian, and what it means to believe this doctrine or that, but the essence of Christianity is Christ, the revealed truth of the Triune God, which is to say One God revealed to Humanity in power, love, and hope.

The Scriptures do not say exactly when Christ was born, but the event was clearly important. Choirs of Angels, supernatural lightshows, and so on make it clear that Jesus’ birthday was a big deal. This led to the practice of celebrating the birthday because of Christ, rather than the date. The December date was chosen for two simple reasons – first, between Hannukah and the Winter Solstice, there were a number of celebrations which allowed Christians to celebrate the birth of the Savior without being particularly obvious. Also, Jesus’ decision to live meekly and teach his followers the same meekness (meekness in this case means to avoid hostility, not to be weak or silent) of spirit, reminds us that Christ represents us all, and so just as no one day is known to be his birthday, so we celebrate a day to focus on the love of God and not to put one day above another, just as we should not put one person above another in worth.

Christmas is about Christ. All the semantics in the world cannot change that fact. But as Christians, we should remember that our celebration of Christ in Christmas came in disguise, so we could worship without calling undue attention to ourselves. Demanding that people who do not share our faith give way to our commands is not the way of Christ. Neither is it the way of Christ to pretend that Christmas is the same thing as other celebrations. We love our families and friends, but Christmas is not about family and friends. We love to give and help, but Christmas is not about social justice. Christmas is about all those things insofar as they are from and of God, but the essence of God, His love and truth and hope, the miracles that are the reality of goodness and the definition of holiness, these are things which must not be discounted or replaced with meaningless baubles and egotistical , humanist blather.

God is real, and came to us as Christ Jesus. Not in judgment of our sins and errors, but in forgiveness, healing and hope. Not in his right to command our every thought and deed, but living in perfect service, that we might come to understand the value and virtue of humility and selflessness. Not to claim his right to all power and glory, but to bring us all up as his children and as the people in whole we were always meant to be, full in service, potential, and joy. We celebrate Christmas the right way, by remembering and celebrating Christ, and seeking his will we find our own freedom and perfection.

Merry Christmas.

Thoughts On Employment

One of the big differences in the working classes is the kind of job you get. I don’t mean industry, or even the pay and title. I mean, there are people who have enough money that they only work in order to pass the time, some don’t work but instead find a way to game the system for money, some work because they have to but have enough that losing their job means they live off their savings until they find a position that pays well enough to be acceptable and offers career growth … and a whole lot of people work hard at their jobs, hoping and praying those jobs will continue because if they lose their job they will be hurting pretty soon. Some of that last group have some savings, but they were naively imagining they might send their kids to college, or pay off their house, or maybe even retire while they are able to enjoy their remaining years. When one of those people loses their job, they pretty much take the first offer they get for another job, because they cannot afford not to work.

This is not an issue that can be quantified very easily. People still argue about tracking unemployment and defining underemployment, there’s not even an official term to describe 'the job that was available, but not in a million years the job I was hoping to do for my life’s work’. It’s not something that will be solved with more education or a higher minimum wage, it won’t be fixed by the government or some social program. It’s the kind of problem that can only be solved one person at a time, and this pretty much means that for most people it won’t be solved at all.

What Do You Pray For?

There are many different faiths and religions to choose from. Some folks think that's evidence of a lot of people believing the wrong faith, and some think all religion is irrational and foolish. But having met a number of people who believe differently from me, and having tested and reconsidered my beliefs many times over the years, I think there is much more to the matter than the first reaction most people have. As I am a Christian, it should not surprise anyone that I believe in Jesus Christ and the Gospel. But I accept a wide range of dogma as legitimate, even when it's a bit different from my own. And I can even accept religions that seem alien to me as valid in their own right. Six billion people on the planet, there's a lot of possibility that any one of us can't comprehend, but could still be true.

What bothers me, though, is the hate. And I think some of that comes from false belief, the idea that shows up so many places where someone only holds faith because they think they can use it for their advantage; God to them is not King but Butler. Chewing on that point some more, I realize that when we commune with God, we do so through prayer, and that beings me to the question which reveals our heart - what do you pray for? I'm not saying it's wrong to pray for something you need, or something that is very important to you, but how often do you pray to be a better person, to help someone else, or to be more aware of someone else's need?

Ghandi was Wrong

I have been thinking about the concept of Ahimsa recently. As a Christian, it rings true to me that a person should avoid violence in order to accomplish what matters most.

Yet … yet …

I keep thinking about Jesus’ command to His disciples to obtain swords, after His resurrection. I am reminded that God Himself commanded the Israelites to make war, and that some of the angels worse and used swords. Violence, it seems, has a place in the will of God, though it’s a perilous thing for any man to take it upon himself to decide how and when to take up arms.

Also, I find it interesting to consider how nonviolence pops up over and over in History. Does it do this because the concept is right, or because it is partly wrong, it inevitably fails?

Heresy, I know, to think that peace can be wrong. Of course I don’t mean that, but in fact I mean that nonviolence is not the same thing as peace. Peace is all things being as they should be, which requires Justice to be so. Nonviolence may lead to peace, but it is no sure thing. In fact, chewing on the idea leads me to think that there is a certain threshold for nonviolence to be effective. A nonviolent world may be a paradise, but one nonviolent man may well fail.

Also, nonviolence is unnatural. Nature is full of violence. Predators, chaos, death and destruction all the time.
More to think on …

Drummond’s Rules of Economics and Politics

The coming election is about the economy, no matter what the political-party-about-to-be-hit-with-a-ton-of-voter-rage claims. Oddly, this is the same myopia which blinded the other political-party-slammed-for-missing-the-obvious in 2006 and 2008; seems to be common for D.C. to be D.O.A. on the basics. There needs to be some basic primer about how money works in political terms, so I offer the following basic rules which drive the political consequence of money:


1. Everything has to be paid for

It’s quite fashionable for politicians to promise whatever the public wants, or at least the targeted voter bloc. But sooner or later, the services and goods have to be paid for, and with real money. Delaying the inevitable only adds interest costs to the total.


2. Taxpayers pay for everything the Government buys

Don’t be fooled when some official tries to say there will be no tax increase for a program, or that it will be paid from by another government or corporation. Other governments serve groups of taxpayers who won’t accept higher taxes either, and eventually the cost will come back around to your country again and hit the citizens. As for corporations, these are made up of people who don’t like paying taxes, and so a corporate tax will result either in higher prices, lower employment, or both.


3. People never like taxes

Joe Biden is a liar and a moron. No one, absolutely nobody will pay a penny more than required in taxes. Folks will pay what they feel they must, they may make virtuous noises to feel better about paying, and they may form mobs and demand that some certain person or group should be made to pay more in taxes, but no one chooses to pay more than they believe they have to pay.


4. Politicians lie to you about how much you have to pay

Politicians will either promise that your taxes will go down, or if taxes must go up, that someone else will have to pay more. Knowing how much people hate paying taxes, no politician planning to stay in office will ever tell you directly that he expects you to pay more.


5. There will never be a system where everyone pays a 'fair' amount of tax

There are several reasons for this fact. First, it’s impracticable in any medium-to-large country, since people will constantly try to reduce the taxes they pay, through resistance, political and legal actions, or just plain evasion and avoidance tactics. Second, no government truly wants a transparent system for collecting taxes, as this will inevitably lead to comparison, complaint, argument and further questions about who gets paid and why. By playing groups against one another, adjusting one group’s tax rate up or down to make it more ”fair”, governments distract the public from figuring out how much it is really gouging them.


6. Revenue is dependent on the health of the economy more than any other factor

This is sometimes missed when planning growth and forecasting revenue, whether by companies or governments. You need a healthy economy overall, in order for your goods or services to produce revenue. For tax purposes it is even plainer – you cannot collect money which is not there. Consequently,


7. The only functional tax rate is the one which maximizes revenue with the least interference with the economy

This is not a new idea. Remember the story warning not to kill the golden goose? The idea is that you pay attention to how folks are doing before you tell them they need to pay you more money. At the very least, tax increases (and ending prior tax cuts are tax increases, semantics won’t save you) should never happen when the economy is in decline, especially during a recession, and only a brain-dead moron would consider them when unemployment is 7% or higher. To bring in tax revenue, you need to spur job growth, because only when people have jobs can you get income tax from them. And to spur job growth, you have to lower the tax rate. Here’s why – the cause of every economic crisis always comes down to consumer confidence. When people stop buying things, the economy collapses, it’s really that simple. And when taxes are high, people worry about them and spend less, which causes businesses to slow down and fail. When businesses slow down, they lay off employees, which obviously raises unemployment. A low tax rate with low unemployment is better for revenue than a higher tax rate with a higher unemployment rate, as should be patently clear. There is a floor rate beyond which revenue fails to improve, but it is undeniable that in any recession, the most effective means to improve employment, and in so doing improve revenues from taxes, is to reduce the tax rate.

Thoughts on An Unsatisfactory Victory

I’m pretty freaking lucky. Sometimes in a gruesome way, however. One of those ways is the way my cancer was discovered in 2006. The short version is this sequence of events:

1. A kidney stone forms in my urinary tract.
2. I pass said kidney stone.
3. Not being an imbecile, I see my doctor, who schedules a CT scan
4. CT scan reveals I have ruptured my appendix; emergency surgery follows.
5. During the surgery, an unexpected mass is found in my abdominal cavity near the appendix. The mass is removed and sent for testing. The tests come back malignant.

So, in a span of a few days I went from being an annoying, overweight white guy to passing a kidney stone and breaking my appendix, to being diagnised with cancer.

Everything changed. For a while. I quickly experienced a range of emotions and discoveries, including an unprofessional oncologist and a surprisingly compassionate insurance company, but in the end I escaped major surgery and got to keep my hair.

Turns out I’m lucky, really lucky. My cancer was fond during surgery and oh-by-the-way I not only live in a city with one of the leading research centers on cancer, my surgeon sent my tissue samples to MDA for the initial tests.

I revisted my situation after reading about Christopher Hitchens’ own battle with cancer. It’s clear we are very different men. Mr. Hitchens is a very successful writer who has had to deal with a much harder situation than I have had to face. And yet, he too seems to be luckier than some. In my visits to MDA, I regularly see patients and their families, who are facing a much bleaker prognosis than even Mr. Hitchens has had to endure. And knowing this, I regularly face a kind of survivor’s guilt about my own good fortune. No major surgery, no chemo, no nausea, while everywhere I meet and see patients whose future is unknown, who must endure pain and doubt and the threat of death, and whose families suffer along with them. I want to help somehow, but I feel very helpless, and sometimes as if I’m wasting the time and resources of the doctors and nurses who should be focusing on people who really need help.

I have felt well for so long that by mid-2009 I began to worry that I did not have cancer at all. My oncologist ended that idea by showing me exactly where my tumors are residing; just because they’re not causing trouble at the moment does not mean they aren’t there. So while I feel like a normal person, my doctors make sure I never forget that I’m not just like anyone else. And because PMP is rare, with an unknown cause and with a very limited amount of clinical research available, there’s no guarantee that my present well-being will be permanent. That leads to some concern every time I have an unexplained pain in my abdomen or difficulty in urination or defecation. I find myself swinging from thinking that I’m overreacting, to worrying that I’m not telling my doctors something they need to know. This is important for another reason – since my cancer was found early, the doctors have been keeping records on me in hopes of learning more about PMP in the early stages. I can’t say that I’m doing much to help, but it’s better than nothing and just maybe something will come up that will help someone.

My point here is threefold – sometimes I need to vent, first of all. Second, never assume things will always be what you expect them to be, and three, there’s a reason for everything but that doesn’t mean everything will make sense when you try to figure it out.

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Eighteen: Summary Review, Methodology and Advice to MBA Candidates

If you’re still reading this, please accept my apologies for its length (18 parts!) and breadth. My intention was to not only present a relatively objective review of the AACSB’s accredited online MBA programs on consistent measures which you can check for yourself, but also to show the impact of each category upon the whole, and by showing the top schools in each category, to introduce schools not only in sum but also which perform well in selected areas. Some of the ranked schools stood out over and over again, while others were not at the top, but always did well enough to stay in the chase.

I’d like to take the time here to go over the top 25 programs again, looking at their key focus and why you should consider them. I will follow that section with a review of my scoring methodology, so anyone interested can tally up, weight and calculate scores on their own standards. And at the end, I have a bit of final advice for MBA candidates, from the academic and business perspectives of your MBA pursuit.

So, let’s have a look again at the Top 25 AACSB Online MBA Programs for 2010, in order of rank. The information presented here comes first from the school’s response to the AACSB survey, and then from the school’s website. In the event of conflicting information, the survey takes precedence because all schools in this review participated in the same survey with the same categories in the same time frame.

FIRST: Colorado – Denver (7,830.15 points)
Location – Denver, Colorado
Founded – 2004
Size – 1,207
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $52,444
Average GMAT – 560
# of Concentrations – Nineteen (!)
Student/Faculty Ratio – 14.9


SECOND: Wisconsin – Whitewater (7,416.19)
Location – Whitewater, Wisconsin
Founded – 1868
Size – 650
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $18,118
Average GMAT – 501
# of Concentrations – Seven
Student/Faculty Ratio – 7.2


THIRD: Gonzaga (7,372.01)
Location – Spokane, Washington
Founded – 1887
Size – 288
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $23,640
Average GMAT – 560.8
# of Concentrations – Seven
Student/Faculty Ratio – 6.3


FOURTH: Michigan – Flint (7,164.92)
Location – Flint, Michigan
Founded – 1944
Size – 187
Degree Levels – Two
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $8,881
Average GMAT – 517
# of Concentrations – Eight
Student/Faculty Ratio – 8.9


FIFTH: Nebraska – Lincoln (7,016.55)
Location – Lincoln, Nebraska
Founded – 1869
Size – 381
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $33,332
Average GMAT – 625.5
# of Concentrations – Four
Student/Faculty Ratio – 4.8


SIXTH: Northeastern (6,950.81)
Location – Boston, Massachusetts
Founded – 1898
Size – 774
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $71,620
Average GMAT – 553
# of Concentrations – Eight
Student/Faculty Ratio – 5.2


SEVENTH: Worcester Poly (6,948.84)
Location – Worcester, Massachusetts
Founded – 1865
Size – 285
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $53,361
Average GMAT – 595.5
# of Concentrations – Eight
Student/Faculty Ratio – 12.4


EIGHTH: Alabama (6,855.84)
Location – Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Founded – 1831
Size – 408
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $37,786
Average GMAT – 611
# of Concentrations – Four
Student/Faculty Ratio – 2.6


NINTH: Florida State (6,821.99)
Location – Tallahassee, Florida
Founded – 1851
Size – 623
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $39,150
Average GMAT – 559.6
# of Concentrations – Four
Student/Faculty Ratio – 5.3



TENTH: Auburn (6,792.18)
Location – Auburn, Alabama
Founded – 1856
Size – 197
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $19,215
Average GMAT – 500
# of Concentrations – Five
Student/Faculty Ratio – 4.4



ELEVENTH: Quinnipiac (6,634.93)
Location – Hamden, Connecticut
Founded – 1929
Size – 199
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $33,580
Average GMAT – 580
# of Concentrations – Five
Student/Faculty Ratio – 3.0


TWELFTH: Penn State (6,620.94)
Location – University Park, Pennsylvania
Founded – 1855
Size – 267
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business And Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $58,408
Average GMAT – 640.5
# of Concentrations – Four
Student/Faculty Ratio – 3.6


THIRTEENTH: Fayetteville State (6,591.61)
Location – Fayetteville, North Carolina
Founded – 1877
Size – 98
Degree Levels – Two
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $13,207
Average GMAT – 472
# of Concentrations – Six
Student/Faculty Ratio – 2.3


FOURTEENTH: Houston – Victoria (6,512.91)
Location – Victoria, Texas
Founded – 1983
Size – 866
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $27,024
Average GMAT – 442.5
# of Concentrations – Six
Student/Faculty Ratio – 25.5



FIFTEENTH: Georgia Southern (6,495.10)
Location – Statesboro, Georgia
Founded – 1929
Size – 285
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $15,274
Average GMAT – 504
# of Concentrations – Three
Student/Faculty Ratio – 2.3



SIXTEENTH: Alabama – Birmingham (6,443.18)
Location – Birmingham, Alabama
Founded – 1969
Size – 347
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $21,905
Average GMAT – 557
# of Concentrations – Four
Student/Faculty Ratio – 6.2



SEVENTEENTH: Massachusetts – Amherst (6,426.50)
Location – Amherst, Massachusetts
Founded – 1867
Size – 1,183
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $21,944
Average GMAT – 617.2
# of Concentrations – One
Student/Faculty Ratio – 10.1



EIGHTEENTH: Morehead State (6,355.22)
Location – Morehead, Kentucky
Founded – 1968
Size – 202
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $15,192
Average GMAT – 400
# of Concentrations – Five
Student/Faculty Ratio – 5.2



NINETEENTH: Florida Gulf Coast (6,194.38)
Location – Fort Myers, Florida
Founded – 1991
Size – 230
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business
Out/State MBA Tuition – $51,198
Average GMAT – 505
# of Concentrations – Five
Student/Faculty Ratio – 4.2



TWENTIETH: North Texas (6,157.94)
Location – Denton, Texas
Founded – 1961
Size – 665
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $28,948
Average GMAT – 493.3
# of Concentrations – Two
Student/Faculty Ratio – 5.4



TWENTY-FIRST: Washington State (6,153.22)
Location – Pullman, Washington
Founded – 1890
Size – 52
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $23,656
Average GMAT – 554
# of Concentrations – One
Student/Faculty Ratio – 10.5



TWENTY-SECOND: Arizona State (6,150.06)
Location – Phoenix, Arizona
Founded – 1958
Size – 1,726
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $60,186
Average GMAT – 587.5
# of Concentrations – Two
Student/Faculty Ratio – 7.1



TWENTY-THIRD: Texas – San Antonio (6,120.89)
Location – San Antonio, Texas
Founded – 1969
Size – 626
Degree Levels – Four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $30,906
Average GMAT – 561.7
# of Concentrations – One
Student/Faculty Ratio – 4.4



TWENTY-FOURTH: Suffolk (6,112.81)
Location – Boston, Massachusetts
Founded – 1937
Size – 1,028
Degree Levels – Three
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $57,900
Average GMAT – 468.3
# of Concentrations – Five
Student/Faculty Ratio – 6.8



TWENTY-FIFTH: Oklahoma State (6,031.20)
Location – Stillwater, Oklahoma
Founded – 1890
Size – 690
Degree Levels – four
AACSB Accreditation – Business and Accounting
Out/State MBA Tuition – $37,326
Average GMAT – 562.5
# of Concentrations – one
Student/Faculty Ratio – 5.1


METHODOLOGY

The idea in setting up a ranking system was to record the relevant, consistent and publicly available elements of a school. The first part was to examine the information that could be found by simply looking up the school’s website and AACSB survey. From that, I selected fifteen categories of data which I believe is relevant for an MBA candidate to consider.

I then broke the fifteen categories down into three broad sub-groups, of Major, Useful, and Minor value, then ranked the categories within each. I then assigned relative proportions of the total to the categories, so that the end result would be 100%. This resulted in percentage values ranging from 0.36% to 24.00% for a single category.

I then ranked the schools according to their performance in each category. There were two ways to do this. Schools trying to reach a maximum number (like concentrations, where more is better) were assigned a value equal to the score in a category divided by the maximum (6 concentrations out of 8 maximum possible, for example) times 100 times the percentage value. Schools trying to reach a minimal value (such as tuition, where less is better) were assigned a value equal to the formula as follows: (1-(score-smallest possible)/largest possible) times 100 times the percentage value. As a result, maximum values for each category ranged from 36 points (for the lowest in-state undergraduate tuition) to 2,400 points (for the highest number of available concentrations). The rest was simple addition of scores to reach an aggregate. Anyone interested in their own scoring system can simply add or remove other categories they find relevant, adjust the weighting to suit their focus, and work the numbers the same way. I would just remind everyone that it’s important to use consistent data gathered the same way, which is available for all contending universities. Inconsistent data creates invalid results.

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone for reading my work and for your thoughts and comments, if you feel so inclined. This ranking is not meant to be advice on which school you should choose, but rather a tool to help you see which schools offer strengths that match your preferences. So far as I know, no one else is doing this, so amateur that I am, I like to think this may be of use.

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Seventeen: Number of FTE Faculty and Score Totals and Final Ranking

This is the last of our fifteen categories. It’s easy to overlook, but it can be important. The number of FTE (full-time employees) is the weighted full-time number of professors and instructors available, and just as the student body size influences your ability to find quality peers, the faculty size influences your access to top instructors. After all, the more instructors the more choice you have. This category counts for 8% of the total score.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from 3 to 117 FTE faculty, schools can earn up to 800 points.

Here are the top ten schools by FTE faculty counts for our group of schools:

1. Hong Kong Polytechnic
2. Texas - Dallas
3. Kennesaw State
4. Arizona State
5. Texas – Arlington
6. Towson
7. Massachusetts - Amherst
8. Wisconsin - Whitewater
9. East Carolina
10. Colorado – Denver

With that done, let’s look again at last year’s top programs:

2009 Top Online MBA Programs
1. Auburn
2. Drexel
3. East Carolina
4. Colorado – Denver
5t. Tennessee Tech
5t. Houston – Victoria
7t. Morehead State
7t. Wayne State
9. Colorado – Colorado Springs
10. North Dakota
11t. Georgia Southern
11t. Texas – Dallas
13t. Wisconsin – Oshkosh
13t. Wisconsin – Whitewater
15. Texas A&M – Commerce
16. Michigan – Dearborn
17. Nicholls State
18. Suffolk
19. Georgia College & State U
20. Colorado State
21. Florida
22t. Florida State
22t. Nebraska – Lincoln
24. Wyoming
25t. Durham
25t. Texas – Arlington
25t. Massachusetts – Lowell
25t. North Texas


And now, the Top 25 Online MBA Schools for 2010:
1st: Colorado – Denver (7,830.15)
2nd: Wisconsin – Whitewater (7,416.19)
3rd: Gonzaga (7,372.01)
4th: Michigan – Flint (7,164.92)
5th: Nebraska – Lincoln (7,016.55)
6th: Northeastern (6,950.81)
7th: Worcester Poly (6,948.84)
8th: Alabama (6,855.84)
9th: Florida State (6,821.99)
10th: Auburn (6,792.18)
11th: Quinnipiac (6,634.93)
12th: Penn State (6,620.94)
13th: Fayetteville State (6,591.61)
14th: Houston – Victoria (6,512.91)
15th: Georgia Southern (6,495.10)
16th: Alabama – Birmingham (6,443.18)
17th: Massachusetts – Amherst (6,426.50)
18th: Morehead State (6,355.22)
19th: Florida Gulf Coast (6,194.38)
20th: North Texas (6,157.94)
21st: Washington State (6,153.22)
22nd: Arizona State (6,150.06)
23rd: Texas – San Antonio (6,120.89)
24th: Suffolk (6,112.81)
25th: Oklahoma State (6,031.20)


As I said before I repeat now, this ranking is not an absolute ranking. It takes the available information on fifteen salient categories for AACSB-accredited schools of business which offer a true online MBA program, and assigns values based on the weighting of those categories as I understand them to proportionately apply to the value of the MBA. I present the top schools for each category, and have shown how the total score unfolded through the addition of the new points from each category. The school which is best for you, depends on the qualities which matter most to you. This presentation is to show how each category plays into the whole, and to present schools which excel in those areas. Some of these schools are well-known and some are not. I thought about presenting links to the schools’ websites and detailing the specific results for their performance in each category, but I presume you have access to a search engine, and the intent I brought here was to encourage you to chase down the relevant details yourself for schools which interest you. Because in the end, you must choose the school you attend, what concentrations and what cost and what length of curriculum and electives you select, and so you owe it to yourself to chase down the support for the school you choose. All I have done here is to point out how certain qualities are represented in schools, and to give you thoughts on some schools to consider. I will revisit the most prominent schools, and my methodology, in the next and final post.

Thanks.

The Best MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Sixteen: Minimum Program Duration

This category is important to a minority of students, but for some people it will matter. This category counts for 4% of the total score.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from 12 to 36 months to finish the program, schools can earn up to 400 points.

Here are the shortest minimum-duration programs in our group of schools:

1t. Western New England
1t. Florida
3t. Michigan – Flint
3t. Institute de Empresa
5t. Colorado – Colorado Springs
5t. Colorado - Denver
7t. Suffolk
7t. Georgia Southern
7t. Florida State
7t. Florida Gulf Coast
7t. Georgia College & State U
7t. Gonzaga

The overall lead is now as follows:

1st: Colorado – Denver (7,475)
2nd: Gonzaga (7,215)
3rd: Michigan – Flint (7,110)
4th: Wisconsin – Whitewater (7,040)
5th: Nebraska – Lincoln (6,866)
6th: Worcester Poly (6,853)
7th: Auburn (6,676)
8th: Alabama (6,658)
9th: Northeastern (6,609)
10th: Florida State (6,548)
11th: Fayetteville State (6,516)
12th(tie): Quinnipiac (6,498)
12th(tie): Penn State (6,498)
14th: Houston – Victoria (6,328)
15th: Alabama – Birmingham (6,300)
16th: Morehead State (6,239)
17th: Georgia Southern (6,235)
18th: Washington State (6,119)
19th: Florida Gulf Coast (6,064)
20th: Massachusetts – Amherst (6,030)
21st: Wyoming (5,909)
22nd: Western New England (5,893)
23rd: Suffolk (5,839)
24th: North Texas (5,816)
25th: Texas – San Antonio (5,806)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Fifteen: Operating Budget per Student

This category is another relatively small one, but given the need for facilities and resources for online students, it still counts, especially since a large budget is less effective if it’s cut up into too many pieces. This part counts for 3% of the total score.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from $2,060 to $404,481, schools can earn up to 300 points.

Here are the ten lowest undergraduate in-state tuition rates of our group of schools:

1. Washington State
2. Southern Arkansas
3. Penn State
4. Missisippi
5. Wisconsin – Lacrosse
6. Western Kentucky
7. Wyoming
8. Tennessee - Martin
9. Indiana – Bloomington
10. Clarion U of Pennsylvania

The overall lead is now as follows:

1st: Colorado – Denver (7,119)
2nd: Gonzaga (6,881)
3rd: Wisconsin – Whitewater (6,773)
4th: Michigan – Flint (6,744)
5th: Worcester Poly (6,720)
6th: Nebraska – Lincoln (6,599)
7th: Alabama (6,524)
8th: Auburn (6,476)
9th: Northeastern (6,342)
10th: Fayetteville State (6,250)
11th: Quinnipiac (6,232)
12th: Penn State (6,231)
13th: Florida State (6,215)
14th: Alabama – Birmingham (6,166)
15th: Houston – Victoria (6,028)
16th: Morehead State (5,972)
17th: Georgia Southern (5,902)
18th: Washington State (5,852)
19th: Massachusetts – Amherst (5,763)
20th: Florida Gulf Coast (5,731)
21st: Wyoming (5,643)
22nd: North Texas (5,549)
23rd: Texas – San Antonio (5,540)
24th: Suffolk (5,506)
25th: Western New England (5,493)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Fourteen: Student Body Size

Things are closing towards the final results now, with only 16.43% (or 1,643 possible points remaining) of the total to be assigned. This category is the smallest of the four remaining areas to consider. The number of students attending a university influences the opportunity to find high-value partners for projects and challenging competition for to honors. This category counts for 1.43% of the total score.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from 14 to 5,599 students, schools can earn up to 143 points.

Here are the ten highest size of MBA student class in our group of schools:

1. Texas – Dallas
2. Hong Kong Polytechnic
3. Arizona State
4. Florida
5. Texas – Arlington
6. Kennesaw State
7. Thunderbird
8. Durham
9. Colorado – Denver
10. Massachusetts – Amherst

(Note that these rankings are for ONLINE MBA student class size only)

The overall lead is now as follows:

1st: Colorado – Denver (7,106)
2nd: Gonzaga (6,858)
3rd: Wisconsin – Whitewater (6,759)
4th: Worcester Poly (6,759)
5th: Michigan – Flint (6,701)
6th: Nebraska – Lincoln (6,542)
7th: Alabama (6,459)
8th: Auburn (6,451)
9th: Northeastern (6,295)
10th: Quinnipiac (6,182)
11th(tie): Florida State (6,170)
11th(tie): Fayetteville State (6,170)
13th: Alabama – Birmingham (6,117)
14th: Penn State (6,108)
15th: Houston – Victoria (6,022)
16th: Morehead State (5,938)
17th: Georgia Southern (5,855)
18th: Massachusetts – Amherst (5,738)
19th: Florida Gulf Coast (5,703)
20th: Washington State (5,552)
21st: Wyoming (5,547)
22nd: North Texas (5,518)
23rd: Texas – San Antonio (5,495)
24th: Suffolk (5,439)
25th: Western New England (5,437)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Thirteen: Student/Faculty Ratio

This category is trickier than it may first appear. In face-to-face classes, the ratio of students per teacher is critical in the quality level of instruction a candidate may expect. It is less so in online classes, because the online student has greater access to the teacher when offering answers or asking questions. Also, since online classes use virtual office hours for professors or organized Q&A sessions for the class, there is no risk that a student may miss time with the instructor because someone else has already arrived first or the available time is a problem with other commitments, like work.

However, the student/faculty ratio does factor into how much attention an instructor may give an individual student’s work. Just imagine the difference between evaluating, say 75 students’ projects or just 25 in the same available amount of time, regardless of how the work is submitted. This category counts for 9% of the total score for a school.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from 5.4 to 85.9 for schools, schools can earn up to 900 points.

Here are the ten lowest student-to-faculty rations of our group of schools:

1. Southern Arkansas
2. Tennessee - Martin
3. Western Kentucky
4. Georgia Southern
5. Wisconsin - LaCrosse
6. North Dakota
7. Louisiana - Monroe
8. Rowan
9. Fayetteville State
10. Mississippi

The overall lead is now as follows:

1st: Colorado – Denver (7,075)
2nd: Gonzaga (6,851)
3rd: Wisconsin – Whitewater (6,742)
4th(tie): Worcester Poly (6,697)
4th (tie): Michigan – Flint (6,697)
6th: Nebraska – Lincoln (6,533)
7th: Alabama (6,449)
8th: Auburn (6,446)
9th: Northeastern (6,275)
10th: Quinnipiac (6,176)
11th: Fayetteville State (6,168)
12th: Florida State (6,155)
13th: Alabama – Birmingham (6,108)
14th: Penn State (6,101)
15th: Houston – Victoria (6,000)
16th: Morehead State (5,933)
17th: Georgia Southern (5,848)
18th: Massachusetts – Amherst (5,708)
19th: Florida Gulf Coast (5,697)
20th: Washington State (5,551)
21st: Wyoming (5,544)
22nd: North Texas (5,502)
23rd: Texas – San Antonio (5,479)
24th: Western New England (5,434)
25th: Oklahoma State (5,414)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Twelve: Number of Concentrations

This category is the big one. This is because the initial criteria gave us a set of good schools, schools accredited by the AACSB, which offered a true online MBA. The difference between these 72 schools is weighed by what the school can offer a top candidate, and the top category of the 15 available to measure is the number of concentrations. Businesses like to know what the MBA means to them, and the concentration sets the applicant apart, even from other MBA holders.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from 1 to 8 concentrations, schools can earn up to 2,400 points.

Here are top schools by available MBA concentration:

1t. Colorado- Denver
1t. Michigan – Flint
1t. Northeastern
1t. Worcester Poly
5t. Gonzaga
5t. Wisconsin - Whitewater
7t. Fayetteville State
7t. Houston – Victoria
9t. Auburn
9t. Florida Gulf Coast
9t. Morehead State
9t. Quinnipiac

The overall lead is now as follows (points):

1st: Colorado – Denver (6,363)
2nd: Gonzaga (6,023)
3rd: Michigan – Flint (5,979)
4th: Worcester Poly (5,956)
5th: Wisconsin – Whitewater (5,910)
6th: Nebraska – Lincoln (5,754)
7th: Alabama (5,639)
8th: Auburn (5,613)
9th: Northeastern (5,481)
10th: Houston – Victoria (5,378)
11th: Florida State (5,361)
12th: Alabama – Birmingham (5,326)
13th: Quinnipiac (5,323)
14th: Fayetteville State (5,301)
15th: Penn State (5,297)
16th: Morehead State (5,104)
17th: Georgia Southern (4,970)
18th: Massachusetts – Amherst (4,964)
19th: Florida Gulf Coast (4,869)
20th: Suffolk (4,725)
21st: Washington State (4,708)
22nd: Wyoming (4,702)
23rd: North Texas (4,684)
24th: Florida (4,670)
25th: Texas – San Antonio (4,665)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Eleven: Minimum GMAT

This category is useful but less significant than the average GMAT score, because it defines a floor which all students meet or exceed, but does not define the actual caliber of the students as a group. This category is worth 1.79% of the total.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from 200 (if the GMAT is required or a score floor is established) to 600, schools can earn up to 179 points.

Here are the top minimum GMAT score requirements of our group of schools:

1t. Florida
1t. Nebraska - Lincoln
3t Mississippi
3t. Oklahoma State
3t. Massachusetts - Amherst
3t. Massachusetts - Lowell
3t. Wyoming
8t. Indiana - Bloomington
8t. North Dakota
8t. Quinnipiac
8t. Western Kentucky
8t. Worcester Poly

The overall lead is now as follows (points):

1st: Massachusetts – Amherst (4,664)
2nd: Nebraska – Lincoln (4,554)
3rd: Alabama (4,439)
4th: Washington State (4,408)
5th: Wyoming (4,402)
6th: Florida (4,370)
7th: Texas – San Antonio (4,365)
8th: Oklahoma State (4,331)
9th: Mississippi (4,204)
10th: Texas – Pan American (4,193)
11th: Florida International (4,173)
12th: Florida State (4,161)
13th: Texas – Dallas (4,128)
14th: Alabama – Birmingham (4,126)
15th: Auburn (4,113)
16th: Penn State (4,097)
17th: North Texas (4,084)
18th: Indiana – Bloomington (4,075)
19th: Georgia Southern (4,070)
20th: South Dakota (4,035)
21st: Arizona State (3,992)
22nd: Massachusetts – Lowell (3,983)
23rd: Colorado – Denver (3,963)
24th: Temple (3,930)
25th: Gonzaga (3,923)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Ten: Average GMAT

This category is tremendously important, second only to the number of concentrations available in a program. The reason this counts as 18% of the total score, is because the average GMAT score of full-time students indicates the caliber of your colleagues at school, not least because full-time students help establish course expectations, and higher GMAT scores raise expectations. A good school should challenge the candidate.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from 400 to 653 (where scores are reported), schools can earn up to 1,800 points. If average GMAT scores are not reported or the GMAT is not required by the school, a default 551.3 points are awarded.

Here are the ten highest average GMAT score averages in our group of schools:

1. Indiana – Bloomington
2. Penn State
3. Temple
4. Nebraska - Lincoln
5. Massachusetts - Amherst
6. Alabama
7. Florida
8. Drexel
9. Thunderbird
10. Worcester Poly

The overall lead is now as follows (points):

1st: Massachusetts – Amherst (4,500)
2nd: Nebraska – Lincoln (4,375)
3rd: Washington State (4,303)
4th: Alabama (4,296)
5th: Texas – San Antonio (4,246)
6th: Wyoming (4,238)
7th: Florida (4,191)
8th: Oklahoma State (4,167)
9th: Florida International (4,143)
10th: Florida State (4,132)
11th: Auburn (4,083)
12th: Texas – Pan American (4,074)
13th: Penn State (4,067)
14th: North Texas (4,054)
15th: Mississippi (4,040)
16th: Texas – Dallas (4,009)
17th: Alabama – Birmingham (3,983)
18th: Arizona State (3,962)
19th: Georgia Southern (3,935)
20th: Colorado – Denver (3,933)
21st: Indiana – Bloomington (3,925)
22nd: South Dakota (3,916)
23rd: Temple (3,900)
24th: Gonzaga (3,894)
25th: Drexel (3,863)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Nine: Operating Budget

This category is one which matters more for an online school than for many traditional programs. The online student is dependent on technology, not only in his own hardware and software but in the school’s resources. Access to research and course data is critical for students, especially when performing real-time discussions and projects, so the school’s operating budget reflects its ability to meet that demand.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from $1,768,743 to $90,020,515 for these budgets, schools can earn up to 107 points.

Here are the ten highest Operating Budgets for our group of schools:

1. Indiana - Bloomington
2. Arizona State
3. Thunderbird
4. Suffolk
5. Florida
6. Hong Kong Poly
7. Penn State
8. Florida International
9. Texas – Dallas
10. Temple

The overall lead is now as follows (points):

1st: Laval (2,888)
2nd: Texas – Pan American (2,839)
3rd: Texas – El Paso (2,821)
4th: Massachusetts – Amherst (2,798)
5th: Washington State (2,776)
6th: Texas – Arlington (2,759)
7th: Wyoming (2,709)
8th: Auburn (2,705)
9th: Texas – San Antonio (2,698)
10th: North Texas (2,695)
11th: Nebraska – Lincoln (2,651)
12th: Florida International (2,622)
13th: Oklahoma State (2,616)
14th: Alabama (2,612)
15th: Florida State (2,589)
16th: Mississippi (2,551)
17th: Georgia Southern (2,546)
18th: Texas – Dallas (2,542)
19th: Florida (2,509)
20th: West Georgia (2,486)
21st: Kennesaw State (2,448)
22nd: Alabama – Birmingham (2,447)
23rd: Durham (2,420)
24th: SUNY – Utica (2,400)
25th: Colorado – Denver (2,389)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Eight: MBA Out-of-state Tuition

This category is one of the more important ones. For a lot of MBA candidates, the cost of your tuition is an important factor in where you go to school, so this category counts for a full 10% of the total, surpassed only by the number of concentrations, the average GMAT score of students, and the degree levels offered by the school.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from $8,881 to $81,665 for a year of tuition and fees, schools can earn up to 1,000 points.

Here are the ten lowest MBA out-of-state tuition rates of our group of schools:

1. Michigan - Flint
2. Laval
3. Texas – Pan American
4. Texas – Tyler
5. Southern Arkansas
6. Rowan
7. Fayetteville State
8. Mississippi
9. Western Kentucky
10. SUNY – Utica

The overall lead is now as follows (points):

1st: Laval (2,846)
2nd: Texas – Pan American (2,829)
3rd: Texas – El Paso (2,811)
4th: Massachusetts – Amherst (2,770)
5th: Washington State (2,751)
6th: Texas – Arlington (2,732)
7th(tie): Auburn (2,697)
Wyoming (2,697)
9th: North Texas (2,671)
10th: Texas – San Antonio (2,667)
11th: Nebraska – Lincoln (2,628)
12th: Oklahoma State (2,580)
13th: Florida International (2,576)
14th: Alabama (2,569)
15th: Florida State (2,560)
16th: Mississippi (2,541)
17th: Georgia Southern (2,531)
18th: Texas – Dallas (2,497)
19th: West Georgia (2,478)
20th: Florida (2,442)
21st: Alabama – Birmingham (2,434)
22nd: Kennesaw State (2,423)
23rd: Durham (2,406)
24th: SUNY – Utica (2,396)
25th: Morehead State (2,376)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Seven: Undergraduate Out-of-state Tuition

This category is another pretty minor selection, which is why it counts for only 0.71% of the total, but it does matter a bit because, like the other tuition data, the undergraduate tuition rate often serves as a barometer for the graduate rate.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from $4,738 to $70,000 for a year of tuition and fees, schools can earn up to 71 points.

Here are the ten lowest undergraduate out-of-state tuition rates of our group of schools:

1. Laval
2. Durham
3. Kennesaw State
4. Southern Arkansas
5. Louisiana - Monroe
6. Houston - Victoria
7. Texas – Permian Basin
8. Wyoming
9. Texas – Tyler
10. Alabama - Birmingham

The overall lead is now as follows (points):

1st: Texas – El Paso (1,939)
2nd: Texas – San Antonio (1,936)
3rd: Washington State (1,932)
4th: Florida State (1,931)
5th: Massachusetts – Amherst (1,930)
6th(tie): Oklahoma State (1,927)
Nebraska – Lincoln (1,927)
8th: Texas – Arlington (1,926)
9th: Alabama (1,923)
10th: North Texas (1,917)
11th: Florida (1,913)
12th: Colorado – Denver (1,907)
13th: Texas – Dallas (1,902)
14th: Florida International (1,889)
15th: Arizona State (1,872)
16th: Penn State (1,856)
17th(tie): Laval (1,846)
Indiana – Bloomington (1,846)
19th: Texas – Pan American (1,833)
20th: Wyoming (1,827)
21st: Auburn (1,823)
22nd: Durham (1,799)
23rd: Temple (1,721)
24th: Drexel (1,671)
25th: Hong Kong Poly (1,645)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Six: MBA In-state Tuition

This category is more important than undergraduate tuition, since we’re talking about MBA tuition, but it’s still relative minor, since a true online school will want to attract candidates from outside their state. So this category counts for 2.14% of the whole set.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from $3,617 to $81,665 for a year of tuition and fees, schools can earn up to 214 points. Here are the ten lowest MBA in-state tuition rates of our group of schools:

1. Fayetteville State
2. Laval
3. Texas – Pan American
4. Texas - Tyler
5. Georgia Southern
6. Texas A&M - Commerce
7. Southern Arkansas
8. Louisiana - Monroe
9. Mississippi
10. West Georgia

The overall lead is now as follows (until the last category, amounts under a point are rounded):

1st: Texas – El Paso (1,880 points)
2nd: Massachusetts – Amherst (1,875 points)
3rd(tie): Florida State (1,874 points)
Washington State (1,874 points)
5th: Texas – San Antonio (1,873 points)
6th(tie): Nebraska – Lincoln (1,869 points)
Oklahoma State (1,869 points)
8th: Texas – Arlington (1,866 points)
9th: Alabama (1,864 points)
10th(tie): Florida (1,862 points)
North Texas (1,862 points)
12th: Texas – Dallas (1,847 points)
13th: Colorado – Denver (1,846 points)
14th: Florida International (1,830 points)
15th: Arizona State (1,815 points)
16th: Penn State (1,806 points)
17th: Indiana – Bloomington (1,796 points)
18th: Laval (1,775 points)
19th: Texas – Pan American (1,771 points)
20th: Auburn (1,764 points)
21st: Wyoming (1,762 points)
22nd: Durham (1,730 points)
23rd: Temple (1,668 points)
24th: Hong Kong Poly (1,640 points)
25th: Drexel (1,624 points)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Five: Undergraduate In-state Tuition

This category is admittedly pretty minor, which is why it counts for only 0.36% of the total, but it does have meaning. If nothing else, the undergraduate tuition rate often serves as a barometer for the graduate rate, so you need to watch it. This is the weakest category of the fifteen I use, but it still counts.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there is a range from $1,930 to $42,100 for a year of tuition and fees, schools can earn up to 36 points. This is the first category which begins to set schools apart from each other.

Here are the ten lowest undergraduate in-state tuition rates of our group of schools:

1. Laval
2. Kennesaw State
3. Durham
4. Wyoming
5. Fayetteville State
6. Louisiana – Monroe
7. Georgia Southern
8. Florida Gulf Coast
9. Florida International
10. East Carolina

The overall lead is now as follows:

Tied for 1st at 1,684 points:
Florida
Florida International
Florida State

4th: Alabama (1,683 points)

Tied for 5th at 1,682 points:
Arizona State
Colorado – Denver
Nebraska – Lincoln
Oklahoma State
Texas – San Antonio
Washington State

Tied for 11th at 1,681 points:
Texas – Arlington
Texas – El Paso

Tied for 13th at 1,680 points:
Indiana – Bloomington
Massachusetts – Amherst

Tied for 15th at 1,679 points:
North Texas
Texas – Dallas

17th: Penn State (1,675 points)

18th: Laval (1,561 points)

Tied for 19th at 1,560 points:
Durham
Wyoming

Tied for 21st at 1,558 points:
Auburn
Texas – Pan American

23rd: Temple (1,552 points)

24th: Drexel (1,538 points)

25th: Hong Kong Polytechnic (1,527 points)

The Best Online MBA Schools (AACSB) for 2010 Part Four: Degree Levels

This one may not appear important, but a university which offers you an MBA may later be attractive for a doctorate, or additional certification. A school which offers more degree levels is more serious in its mission.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there are four levels to consider, schools can earn 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of 100 times the 14.00 value of the category, or 350, 700, 1050, or 1400 more points.

Twenty-five AACSB schools with online MBA programs offer the full four degree levels. They are, alphabetically (2009 ranking in parentheses):

Alabama
Arizona State
Auburn (1)
Colorado – Denver (4)
Drexel (2)
Durham (25t)
Florida (21)
Florida International
Florida State (22t)
Hong Kong Polytechnic
Indiana – Bloomington
Laval
Nebraska – Lincoln (22t)
North Texas (25t)
Oklahoma State
Penn State
Temple
Massachusetts - Amherst
Texas – Arlington (25t)
Texas – Dallas (11t)
Texas – El Paso
Texas – Pan American
Texas – San Antonio
Washington State
Wyoming (24)

The lead is now a 17-way tie for first, with another 8 teams tied for 18th place:

Tied for 1st at 1,650 points:
Alabama
Arizona State
Colorado – Denver (4)
Florida (21)
Florida International
Florida State (22t)
Indiana – Bloomington
Massachusetts - Amherst
Nebraska – Lincoln (22t)
North Texas (25t)
Oklahoma State
Penn State
Texas – Arlington (25t)
Texas – Dallas (11t)
Texas – El Paso
Texas – San Antonio
Washington State

Tied for 18th place at 1,525 points:
Auburn (1)
Drexel (2)
Durham (25t)
Hong Kong Polytechnic
Laval
Temple
Texas – Pan American
Wyoming (24)

(The reference to 2009 rankings will not be continued again until the final rankings)

The Best Online MBA (AACSB) Schools for 2010 Part Three: AACSB Accreditation Levels

We’ll start simple. The AACSB accredits schools as either Business schools, or as both Business and Accounting schools. The reason it matters, is not only for people who want to focus on Accounting as a concentration or career, but the additional effort by the school reflects, in my opinion, a superior academic standard which should be reflected in the overall MBA curriculum.

In terms of scoring, each school earns up to 100 times the percentage value of the category, so that in total a maximum score of 10,000 is possible. For this category, since there are two levels to consider, accreditation in both Business and Accounting earns 100% of (100 x 2.5) or 250 points. Accreditation in Business only earns half that, or 50% of (100 x 2.5) or 125 points.

Twenty-nine AACSB schools with online MBA programs are accredited in both Business and Accounting, so we start with a 29-school tie for the early lead. They are, alphabetically (2009 ranking in parentheses):

Alabama
Alabama - Birmingham
Arizona State
Colorado – Denver (4)
Florida (21)
Florida International
Florida State (22t)
Georgia Southern
Gonzaga
Indiana – Bloomington
Kennesaw State
Louisiana – Monroe
Massachusetts - Amherst
Mississippi
Nebraska – Lincoln (22t)
North Texas (25t)
Oklahoma State
Penn State
Portland State
Suffolk (18)
Tennessee Tech (5t)
Texas – Arlington (25t)
Texas – Dallas (11t)
Texas – El Paso
Texas – San Antonio
Towson
Washington State
West Georgia
Western Kentucky

The Best AACSB Online MBA Schools for 2010 Part Two: Why Rank?

This is where I explain why I am ranking online MBA programs. First off, I am biased. I hold an MBA from the University of Houston at Victoria, class of 2009 and member of Beta Gamma Sigma. I am fifty years old, which should tell you that I am mature, experienced in my work, and frankly not at all interested in schools that promise more than they deliver. I will also say bluntly that you will not get anything of value from a school that does not start with a serious investment in time, study, and effort. An ‘easy’ MBA is worthless. I chose to earn my MBA online, because as a manager my schedule often requires me to come in early and stay late, and I can’t even guarantee my Saturdays will always be available. Also, I cannot afford to take a couple years off work to go back to school, and as a professional the idea that I should stop working in order to learn theory is ludicrous on its face. So I am a strong advocate of the online MBA, though again I caution the reader not to imagine that it’s easier than face-to-face programs, nor that once you have an MBA you will get everything you want in your career. Earning an MBA is acquiring a tool, and in the process developing your mind and identity as a business professional. Like a gym, a university’s worth depends on how hard you sweat out the work and how much discipline you have.

But not all MBA programs are equally valuable, and that’s also true for online programs. In fact, the bias that many people have against online MBA programs comes from the more well-known online programs, which are poorly accredited and do little to really prepare their students to become leaders and build effective teams. No names, but you know the kind of schools I mean. If you're going to do the work to get an MBA, I mean a real one, then you owe it to yourself to protect your investment by making sure you get a degree that will be a true asset to your career - by coming from a solid university, and by making sure your education truly endows you with the tools to lead and build.


The people at MBA.com put out a survey of MBA candidates which note that there are about “4,750 graduate management programs around the world”. That same survey reported that the most common place for applicants to find out information on MBA programs is from school websites, but frankly when you’re starting out that’s a big field to work through. Published rankings also get a lot of notice, but here’s the problem – the big magazines and mainstream media play up the full-time schools and – sort of – some part-time programs, but discounting the cheapo ads pushing the garbage programs, no one breaks down the qualities of top-tier online MBA programs. In fact, no one even defines what would be the top tier.

Well, no one besides me. I took the time to look up a few things, weigh some numbers, and this year I improved significantly my methodology and the amount of data I gathered. I also tried to find information that you, the reader, could verify for yourself, and reweight to suit your preferences. That MBA.com survey says that 14.9% of all MBA candidates at least consider an online program, so there are a lot of people who deserve relatively easy access to some good numbers to know.

Let’s start with a few key numbers about online MBA programs. As I said, MBA.com reports that there are around 4,750 graduate management programs in the world. But only 593 of them are accredited by the AACSB (Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business), the international accrediting body founded in 1916 specifically for business schools, and which includes every program generally recognized to be worth the cost and effort. Of those 593 schools (up from 580 in 2009), 141 offer online classes at the graduate level (up from 77 in 2009) and 72 schools offer a true online MBA as I define it (up from 50 in 2009). You have a lot of choices.

I define an online MBA as one a candidate can earn without ever setting foot on campus, except for a maximum of three weeks residency. All required classes must be taught online. That’s my starting point, and while there are a number of programs which almost make that standard, if they did not I did not count them.
Next, I wanted to make sure you could get the same information I did, so I used two sources for each school – the AACSB member profile and the schools’ websites. If the information was not available there, I did not include it. The idea is to compare schools on consistent standards.

Next was to find the valid data to count. I settled on fifteen categories of information:

AACSB accreditation types
Degree levels offered
Undergraduate in-state tuition
MBA in-state tuition
Undergraduate out-of-state tuition
MBA out-of-state tuition
Operating budget
Average GMAT score
Minimum GMAT score
Number of MBA concentrations available
Student/Faculty ratio
Number of Students
Budget per student
Minimum program duration
Number of FTE faculty

Obviously, these are not of equal value to the MBA candidate, so next I weighted them according to their importance to the program:


Category Weight
AACSB accreditation types 2.5%
Degree levels offered 14%
Undergraduate in-state tuition 0.36%
MBA in-state tuition 2.14%
Undergraduate out-of-state tuition 0.71%
MBA out-of-state tuition 10%
Operating budget 1.07%
Average GMAT score 18%
Minimum GMAT score 1.79%
Number of MBA concentrations available 24%
Student/Faculty ratio 9%
Number of Students 1.43%
Budget per student 3%
Minimum program duration 4%
Number of FTE faculty 8% Total 100%

The next sixteen posts reveal the results of scoring in each category, and provide a list of the top schools in that category and a running total of the leading schools in points scored. The last post will discuss the overall results, and present the methodology clearly, so you can reweight the data if you would like to do your own scoring.

The Best AACSB Online MBA Schools for 2010 – Part One: Overview

If you’re reading this, you’re either one of my regular readers or you have an interest in the Online MBA process. I ranked accredited schools of the AACSB (Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business) last year in a ‘Top 25’ format, and I am doing so again this year, although this year I have a much more rigorous format and, I believe, a more objective and useful set of criteria and methodology for my ranking. Before I present my results, however, I want to discuss the MBA degree in general and the development of the online MBA program, the reason I am doing rankings of online MBA programs, and to discuss the selected criteria and why I am using it and how I am weighting that data.

The Master of Business Administration degree is a relatively new innovation, created for practical application of business skills and tools. This is an important point, because the online MBA represents an innovation on that degree. But I will come back to that. Because it’s also important to recognize that the MBA is an elite degree. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 85% of Americans graduate high school or earn a GED, about 53% of Americans have some college experience, but only about 28% of Americans earn a college degree, and only about 9% earn a postgraduate degree.

When you consider that advanced degrees include technical, legal, and medical degrees, the number of MBAs out there in the workforce is really quite small. This leads to several conditions:

1. People with MBAs are often considered to have superior business ability and experience. This is a problem if the individual does not actually have such skills or knowledge;

2. Being considered ‘elite’ sometimes goes to a person’s head, and they become arrogant and offensive;

3. People who do not have MBAs often believe that getting an MBA will improve their career prospects

I mention this here, because not everyone can really benefit from earning an MBA. The degree is a tool, and it depends on what you do with it, how well it works for you. Also, in my experience there are four types of people with regard to the MBA:

I. Some people earn an MBA and gain insights into how to make the most effective use of their skills, to maximize advantages and opportunity, and become leaders who transform their companies;

II. Some people get an MBA and become arrogant energy parasites who kill morale and damage their company through incompetence and greed;

III. Some people do not need an MBA to accomplish their potential, and make their success through independent effort;

IV. Some people can make good use of an MBA, but they cannot go to a campus for two or three years to attend morning and afternoon classes.

There is a bias against online degrees in many places, but the reasons for such bias are rapidly becoming invalid. With regard to the MBA, let’s consider why a person seeks that degree. There are five key tools that an MBA candidate should acquire in earning his or her MBA:

[] The candidate’s thinking moves from tactical (my job, my department, my situation) to strategic (the company, the community, the long-term prospects and needs)

[] The candidate develops their leadership ability, and takes charge of problem-solving, initiative to tackle projects and challenges, and finding opportunity

[] The candidate learns to build teams and understand the process and value of team-building, not only for specific projects but also building a network of colleagues for discussion, planning, and evaluation

[] The candidate learns how to identify and communicate effectively with stakeholders of all kinds, to minimize risk and obstacles and to discover opportunity and growth, and to build a community network that builds brand value through good corporate citizenship

[] The candidate learns effective methods to resolve disputes, including analysis of cause and effect, key stakeholders and their concerns, and the key objectives of all concerned parties

You may note that none of those key goals require the candidate to attend a traditional MBA program. There are very different ways to earn an MBA, and each has advantages as well as disadvantages. The traditional MBA pathway includes the full-time and part-time programs, and focuses on face-to-face classroom lectures, discussions, and examinations. The online MBA pathway depends on the virtual classroom and web-based resources. The distinction between each path may be seen in the following points:

1. The traditional path focuses on face-to-face personal interaction, which allows candidates to study as a community and develop teams for study and projects through common behavior traits such as common age, gender, and superficial attraction. Many traditional schools set their candidates up into cohorts, who will take the same classes at the same time and place as their colleagues, creating a direct sense of community. On the other hand, online candidates first perceive their peers through classroom discussion and so develop impressions through the strength of their intellect and use of words and concepts. Also, since online candidates are not forced into artificial communities, they interact with a wider range of candidates from different stages in the program, and the flexibility of online programs brings in more experienced professionals, who can speak to the direct effects of theoretical concepts in the real work world.

2. Traditional MBA candidates see and interact directly with faculty, and can personally visit the professors regularly. Of course, this is an advantage only if the student/faculty ratio is small and the professor keeps his office schedule, something not that common in universities. Also, the online MBA candidate is known to the professor by his or her participation in class discussions, and the quality of his or her work on assignments and projects. The online candidate also had the opportunity to ask a question in real-time discussions without fear of being ignored, because the question appears in the chat text and is not lost to crowd noise or misunderstanding. Over time, the online student also has the advantage of being identified primarily by his or her work, rather than on irrelevant appearances.

3. Traditional MBA candidates can easily form study groups with students they meet in class or on campus. The whole idea of a campus, after all, is to create a place which encourages study and conversation among students. They can also form project teams and establish networks for later collaboration. However, online MBA candidates can also form virtual teams with equal ease, and they may meet online or in person as they choose with greater flexibility. Note also that the use of e-mails and other electronic means of communication creates more durable access, which may continue after graduation from the university and therefore creating greater network value than nominal methods.



4. Traditional MBA candidates have direct access to the professor teaching each class, and may have an advantage from being able to see and react to instructors’ demeanor and personality. However, online candidates do not have to dear being judged on superficial appearance, and can submit questions or ask for guidance in online format, where time constraints are far less pressing.

5. Most major corporations have a bias in favor of traditional face-to-face programs, especially full-time MBA candidates. This gives traditional MBA candidates broader opportunity at job fairs and face-to-face campus interviews. However, the online MBA candidate generally has superior work experience and job-specific skills related to coursework that are less emphasized in traditional programs, such as virtual team-building, teleconferencing, and online project documentation. When the online MBA candidate goes into an interview, he/she will be better equipped to offer immediate application of relevant work skills.


Each method has advantages and disadvantages, but it’s important to recognize that the online MBA program is distinct from the traditional MBA program in its organization, requirements, and results. This is a vital point to understand when deciding your own path to the MBA. While the material covered in online courses is identical to that covered in face-to-face classes, the method by which the candidate learns the material and presents his/her work, and by which the candidate builds contact networks for study and project teams, is distinctly separate from the nominal classroom approach, and the candidate who stands out in the online program must be more mature, disciplined and better-organized than one seeking to shine in more traditional settings. An example of this can be seen in the classroom discussion, a vital forum for an MBA-level curriculum.

Rather than simply read from the text and recite the appropriate maxims and formulae, MBA candidates discuss cases and context, to explore the full scope of relevant issues and to not only answer the question with an effective solution, but learn how to apply the strategic lesson holistically, and also to listen to alternate solutions so that in real life the answer can still be found, even if the individual does not know the answer himself. The problem with the traditional face-to-face classroom, is that it’s too easy for a slacker to coast along, for a braggart to steal credit for someone else’s idea or explanation, and for room noise to make it hard for a student to be heard or understood clearly. In the online classroom, the bad news is that discussion and participation are much more stringently tracked and graded – I have known professors who dropped students from an online class for failing to contribute in substance to discussions. The online class tracks every keystroke of a comment and identifies not only the person making the entry, but the date, time and length. The professor can sort through comments to find the most valid and effective observations and insights, and more than a few candidates in online classes find that the difference between an A and a B in a class depends on the quality of their discussions.

What Would You Die For?

Today is Memorial Day, and once again President Obama has fumbled the duties of his office. In some ways this should not surprise anyone; a man who fails to understand that the President of the United States - as the elected leader of a democratic republic - must never bow to anyone because this would symbolically subordinate the people he represents to a foreign power, would not grasp the significance of honoring our fallen heroes. But in some ways it is truly baffling how President Obama misses such obvious truths. The man rose to power precisely because he understands the power of symbols and gestures, words and timing. But perhaps he fails to grasp the importance of Memorial Day. Perhaps President Obama thinks that the uniforms, parades, and imagery are superficial and it doesn’t matter whether he, as President, is even there in person. Strange as that may sound, it could be that many people do not understand sacrifice, honor, and valor. After all, we do not often think of death, and few among us would be willing to lay our lives down for any reason if we had a choice.

Life has a certain calculus to it. We make choices all the time, based on a simple evaluation of whether the cost is justified by what we get in return. So, we go to school because we receive education, we work hard at our jobs because we hope for good wages and rewards. We build for the future, but always the decision is based on something like ‘do without this now, get something better later’. Enlightened self-interest, perhaps. But the soldier does not operate by such rules. He risks his safety and life for purposes which seldom benefit him directly at all, and often our veterans give up not only comforts and conveniences to do a hard, risky job, but many take permanent injury for a nation who too often thinks they are not due anything more than a small decoration and a few medical benefits. Many of the veterans from the Revolutionary, Civil, World, Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars suffered significant financial losses and permanent disabilities for their service. And that does not touch the cost of the dead.

I have some passing acquaintance with death. Not just the death of family and friends, I mean the personal consideration of my own demise. In 2006, a less-than-fully-informed oncologist told my wife that I probably would not live another year. I was fortunate to find much better medical care and advice, but at the time it also reminded me that there were responsibilities to meet, just in case I could not be there for my family as long as I would like. It’s sobering to have to look at your life in sum, and consider whether you have really done anything which mattered, or made a difference in someone’s life. The soldier never has to seriously worry on that count, but the consideration of death is far more imminent and real for him than for the civilian. The Fort Hood shootings remind us that simply being in uniform can make you a target for a monster, and those who serve on active duty in the Middle East cannot take anything for granted. It is a difficult burden to carry every day, yet far too few Americans consider that everyone in the military is a volunteer, and combat forces are built from men who choose to risk their lives because they believe in the cause and their team. The soldier thinks on a different level from the civilian, and his ideals are sharper in focus and far more substantial because he understands the cost he may have to pay for them. Whether Marine, Army, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard, the American soldier lives a life of idealism far more authentic than anything most people can imagine. For the American soldier, Memorial Day is not about the uniform or the flag, but his buddies and the meaning they all believe and live by. For the American citizen, Memorial Day should be about recognizing a price paid by our soldiers that most of us have never seriously had to consider facing in our own lives. The burden, not only of fighting wars declared by politicians but protecting American citizens and interests the world over, and establishing the footholds of real freedom in places that have never known it before, and would never know it but for the bravery and valor of men from common community but rare caliber, is carried in daily service by more than a million men in arms, most of whom will never receive even a fair portion of the honor and reward they deserve, and some of whom will be maimed or die at an age far too young for the fortitude of their hearts and the injustice of their loss haunts at anyone who considers the cost paid by such men against the callous disregard by Congressmen, Senators, and self-serving cowards who think it meet for brave men to take up the challenge they would never themselves be willing to face. It is vital for us, the American people, to remember our veterans and what they have done for us, and on Memorial Day face the cost they pay, in blood, sweat, and tears, on our behalf.


Semper Fidelis!

Semper Paratus!

This We’ll Defend!

Non Sibi Sed Patriae!

Above All!

Thank you, Veterans! We the people owe you more than our treasury can pay, more than our media ever thinks about, and more than these occasional parades and passing tributes, but this nation is made by you and your ancestors and your progeny, and we thank you for your valor, sacrifice, and honor. May America always find such men, and may God grant us never forget you or your work!

Considering Kagan

Every so often, I make my fellow Conservatives angry at me. Sometimes because I lack tact in how I put things, and sometimes because I see things differently. The fact is, from where I sit, most conservatives think as individuals while liberals are more prone to group-think. One good example of this is the 2005 controversy over the nomination of White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court,
by President George W. Bush. Like Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Miers’ resume and credentials as a potential SCOTUS Justice seemed thin and dubious for someone whose decisions could direct the nation’s course more than any elected official, but where Democrats and Liberals have so far been supportive of Kagan simply because Obama nominated her, Republicans and Conservatives harshly criticized Miers’ credentials and forced her withdrawal before even one minute of confirmation hearings. At the time, this behavior by radicals was offensive to me, and I still believe it contributed to a split in the party which led, among other things, to the Republican-led Congress abandoning the President and the public rejecting the GOP as the rightful leader of the government. Not because people rejected Conservative principles, but because true Conservatives do not launch character assassinations and sabotage their own party for personal gain, as happened in the Miers’ nomination controversy. This does not mean that Harriet Miers was qualified to serve on the United States Supreme Court, but she deserved her nomination to be considered and addressed on her merits, not according to whether she knelt at the altar of political correctness, even on the Right. I warned at the time that the behavior of Conservatives was in contrast to their own stated standards, and even after Mier’s withdrawal and Alito became the new nominee, it became clear that hard-liners intended desired to continue punishing the less-than-pure. Even as they handed the Left a weapon that cost them Congress a year later, and the White House in the next Presidential election.

So, what does an old ugly incident from 2005 have to do with Elena Kagan’s nomination? The same forces and bigotries are in play, but this time the Conservatives need to be careful in their evaluation of Kagan’s qualifications, because an objective, reasoned examination could be very helpful, not only in countering President Obama but also in demonstrating a much-needed maturity in Congress, but the same old pettiness and sniping that has defined the party in the past five years would send a signal to America that electing Republicans and Conservatives would not be a solution to the mistakes and blunders of Democrats and Liberals since 2006. The chances of Democrats and the Left remaining in control of Congress rise strongly if Republicans and Conservatives play into the caricatures the media has already cast for them. As bloggers, we have a responsibility for careful consideration of our own tactics and methods:

It is not right to mock Solicitor Kagan on the basis of her appearance.

It is not right nor is it valid to bring up allegations of personal sexual orientation or possible behavior outside mainstream expectations (for crying out loud, has everyone forgotten how the Left cast Justice Thomas during his confirmation hearings?)

It is not right nor helpful to begin examination of Solicitor General Kagan as an enemy from the beginning.

While I agree that there is reason to be suspicious of Kagan simply because of Obama’s class of friends and colleagues, the only course any Conservative should consider is to maintain objectivity and to seek and discuss Kagan’s actual paper trail, statements in public and her responses to key issues that would come up in her potential role as a Justice. Kagan’s writings as editor of “The Princetonian” would be useful and valid, as would her articles at the “Harvard Law Review”. It would be helpful to know her opinions, in detail, of Abner Mikva, for whom she was a law clerk, and of Thurgood Marshall, for whom she also served as a law clerk. Since Kagan was on the faculty at the University of Chicago Law School , it is likely that this is where she first met Barack Obama, although we need more evidence on that point. It may also be helpful to learn Kagan’s reactions to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s decision not to hold hearings on her nomination by President Clinton in 1999 to the U.S. Court of Appeals, and any documents that committee may have reviewed. In short, while Kagan has never served as a judge, there are documents which could establish reasonable estimates of Kagan’s judicial foundation and judgment. She should be judged on those documents, her answers to the confirmation committee in context of her experience and constitutional comprehension, but never on any subjective or petty tactic. There is even more at stake than may be apparent to Conservatives.

Should You Pursue an MBA?

This article is part of a series discussing the selection of a school for earning an MBA degree online. Having discussed the value of online degrees and the importance of the AACSB as the chief accrediting body, I would like to step back at this point and discuss the reasons why you may want to earn an MBA – and why you may not want to chose that route.

The Master of Business Administration is a specialized degree, prized by most business professionals for its practical value. That is, there’s nothing wrong with a college degree, but some degrees are considered a requirement for certain fields. Engineers need engineering degrees, for example, and so it came about that corporations and business people came to value degrees in business. The MBA is generally recognized as the professional standard for managerial education, regardless of what concentration is chosen. As a result, many students earn an MBA in hopes of rising to high management positions with successful companies. The prominence of the school is also considered by many companies when hiring a student with little direct work experience.

So far, so good. But why would you need an MBA? Don’t companies promote employees to management without MBAs, and isn’t industry experience and your work record more important? Well, yes and no. Large companies pretty much always have a formal procedure for hiring and promotions, and for some positions an advanced degree is expected. Also, an MBA is almost never regarded as a liability, especially when combined with solid experience. The only times that an MBA would be viewed negatively, would be in cases where the experience is incompatible with the degree, or where the school issuing the degree is viewed in a negative light. Generally, therefore, earning an MBA is going to help your career, although it is no guarantee of success in and of itself.

On the other hand, however, many people who pursue the MBA do not have a specific career strategy in place. That is, they hope that getting an MBA will help them, although they do not know what they will do with the degree. This is a mistake on multiple levels. Not only is it a bad idea to assume that the degree will make your career happen for you, rather than earning your rewards through your work and initiative, it’s also impossible to make the degree work to your advantage if you don’t have a plan for it. Medical students are expected to select specialties and focus of study, and the same for law students. Business students, therefore, should also understand that they also need to earn a degree which suits their professional interests and skills. In the first place, MBA candidates need to focus on concentrations in Operations Management, Entrepreneurship, Accounting, Supply Chain, Real Estate, Finance, Marketing, Banking, Healthcare, Human Resources, Law, Medicine, Information Technology, Engineering, Hospitality, or Manufacturing. The schools which offer MBAs in the chosen concentrations, and the curriculum needed for that choice, are quite varied and careful choices must be made. As a general rule of thumb, if you do not know what concentration you would choose, you are not ready to apply to a graduate-level business school. Just going after an MBA is a waste of time and money without a solid plan.

There are essentially three kinds of MBA students. There are students who have just finished a Bachelor’s degree and who plan to earn an MBA prior to the start of their formal business career; there are people in the workforce who are returning to school to earn an MBA in order to pursue higher-order business positions; and there are successful professionals who continue to work and are pursuing an MBA with the sponsorship of their employer, as grooming for high-level executive positions (the Executive MBA in the true sense, not just as advertised). The value of the MBA, and the things the student should expect, are different for each type. The no-experience student will be relying heavily on the degree to open doors to interviews, and so the school name and GPA will be far more important than otherwise would be the case. Even so, the lack of experience will be a problem, so the student would be well-advised to consider courses which will have direct business applications, especially if the student has a target company in mind. For the student returning to school after years in the workforce, the MBA is more likely to be acquired as a tool meant to advance their career in the same industry, possibly the same company where they are working already. The most important aspect of the MBA for these students is whether they can demonstrate the expanded horizon which will open opportunities for them further up the company organization. That, and of course the documentation of their proficiency in their field at the graduate level. Where the young student seeks the degree in place of experience, the veteran employee seeks a degree which complements their experience. And third, the Executive MBA candidate is seeking the least versatile degree, but one which may open doors unavailable to anyone else or in any other way. There are a number of companies which expect a certain level of educational certification for their C-suite officers, and to that end they will sponsor candidates for the EMBA program at major universities.

The no-experience student will be tempted to enter a full-time program at the most prestigious traditional school where he or she is accepted. This leads to student loan debt of course and can be dangerous if the concentration and curriculum are not carefully planned in advance, but since so much rides on the school’s name for these students, many are willing to take that risk in hopes of getting considered for prominent positions once they graduate. Students may also pursue an MBA at an economically-advantageous school, in the calculation that a good job with little or no debt is smarter than gambling that they can claim a high-paying job right out of graduating from a prestigious but expensive school. Also, it should be noted that very few schools teach skills or material which is significantly different from other quality programs, so unless you have some reason to believe you will be put on the fast track at a Fortune 500 company right after graduation, you should consider the threshold for your career goals. Will it take a Harvard Business School or Stanford MBA to get you where you would like to go, or could you do it with an MBA from the Bauer School of Business at the University of Houston, or maybe you go middle-road, a solid regional school like Rice University or Texas.

For professionals with experience, you should know that your resume both helps and limits you. It helps, because you will be able to show real results in your history rather than just potential, and the MBA – if carefully designed – can extend your professional range and depth. It hurts, because every job in your history shows a career decision, and the aggregate message of your work history not only underscores your direction and growth, but by definition closes off the roads you did not take. Keep that in mind when you choose your path to the MBA, or in deciding whether the MBA will do for you what you want. The same caveat applies to EMBA candidates; if you leave your company after they sponsor you for an Executive MBA, it can make you look risky to future employers at key positions. And if you fail to do well in your studies, that embarrassment could also stain your career path. The point is not to add to the stress of the decision, but make sure you invest the time and consideration needed to make a solid cost-benefit analysis, because a lot of people find out later that a different course might have been better for them. The MBA can be a useful career enhancer, but it’s not a magic wand; there are graduates from even the best schools who can’t get work, or who find themselves far from the position they expected to land. And just about half the CEOs in America don’t have an MBA.

So before you go after an MBA, ask yourself these questions, and dig deep to find the answers that are right for you:

1. Do I need an MBA to get where I want to be?

2. How will an MBA get me to that place or position?

3. Will the school make a difference in the kind of job I am offered, really?

4. How much debt and stress and I willing to take on in the pursuit of my MBA?

5. Who have I talked to, in my chosen field, who can speak from experience about what an MBA can and cannot do for me?

Good luck.