On Exchange in China

Published by Richard Coughlan on February 8, 2010 in Global/International Business and Student Experience. 0 Comments

One of the best results of the International Residency in China last June was that one of our students, Tracy Scott, came back with an interest in studying at Tsinghua University on a full-time basis.  Thanks to the hard work of my colleague, Tom Cosse (Associate Dean for International Programs) and many other staff members here at Richmond, Tracy is on her way to China this week. 

She’ll spend a semester at Tsinghua as an exchange student.  Her classmates will be drawn from leading business schools around the world.  Tracy will be chroncling her experiences at her new blog, http://www.jiejieconsulting.com.  I encourage you to bookmark her site and follow her over the next five months.  We hope and expect that she will be the first of many Richmond MBA students spending a semester at Tsinghua.

A New Semester is Here

Published by Meg Standing on January 10, 2010 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

With classes starting tomorrow, I am shocked and amazed that this will be my last semester in the MBA program. The past 1.5 years have gone far faster than I ever would have imagined. Not coming from a business background, I was certain that I would feel overwhelmed with my classes; fortunately, this never again crossed my mind after my first week of classes. Thanks to The Robins School of Business, I now feel competent in many facets of business and know that I can hold my own in any type of business setting. The faculty here are exceptional and clearly explain their subject matter, while maintaining an “open door policy” for any additional help if needed. In addition, they genuinely want to get to know their students, and I’ve found myself talking with many of them outside of the classroom about both school and life in general. My classmates have been equally engaging and I’m impressed by the caliber of class discussions where people feel encouraged to speak up even when they do not agree with the majority opinion. Being back in school during this unstable economic time has been very interesting, to say the least; it has allowed greater discussion (and opinions) in most all of my classes, including Business Ethics, Strategic Resource Management, and Board of Directors and Corporate Governance. It is scary to think that I am going to applying for jobs (in a new field no less) while the fate of our economy still hangs in limbo, and unemployment remains steady at over 10%, but I am fortunate that I chose to get my MBA when I did and know that it will serve me well as I look for jobs.

An MBA and a Champion

Published by Richard Coughlan on December 15, 2009 in Global/International Business, Student Experience and On the Job Front. 1 Comment

Congratulations to 2007 MBA graduate Danny Desriveaux (shown below) on the Montreal Alouettes’ Grey Cup victory.

Danny Desriveaux

End of Semester Celebrations

Published by Richard Coughlan on December 14, 2009 in Student Experience. 0 Comments

It was great to see so many students at the fund-raising event on Friday evening.  I was thrilled with the turnout at Water Grill and appreciate the hard work of Ralph Reahard and Gary Welch in putting it all together.

The social dynamic that has been created among the MBA students here at Richmond is impressive.  Many of the students have told me in the past year that they never expected a “part-time” MBA program to offer so many opportunities for interaction outside of class.  The real credit for the progress we’ve made goes to the MBA Leadership Council, which has created a neat set of events including football tailgate parties, happy hours during the semester and fundraising events to benefit area charities.

I should note that a group of MBA alumni is quickly gaining momentum and plans to offer several events, including a couple of speakers and perhaps a golf tournament, in 2010.

Of course, the Annual Holiday Party this Wednesday provides an opportunity for more than 400 of our students, alumni and guests to mingle with members of the faculty and staff.  I’ll see you there!

Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council honors business school dean

Published by Lois Vogle on December 11, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

December 8, 2009

The Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council (VMSDC) has honored Richard Coughlan, senior associate dean at University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business, with its Chairman’s Challenge award for his work in creating a leadership training program for Virginia minority business executives.

Supported by Richmond-area corporations Altria, Dominion Resources and MeadWestvaco, Coughlan launched the program in partnership with VMSDC last February with 20 executives from certified minority businesses across the commonwealth. The inaugural group completed the training last September.

Professors specializing in strategic management, accounting, negotiations and leadership and the Robins School’s Executive Education division tailored the curriculum to VMSDC’s membership.

Connie Smith, VMSDC’s board chairman, said that Coughlan’s “hard work and diligence to charting a new course of action results in new hope of reaching new horizons that impact the greater good in the business arena.” She called Coughlan “a trailblazer in the field of education.”

Smith called the program “rich in knowledge sharing and unparalleled relationship building among students, professors, community leaders and executives.” She also noted that Coughlan continues to develop activities for program alumni that further enhance their knowledge and skills.

In accepting the award, Coughlan told the audience at VMSDC’s annual awards luncheon, “The University of Richmond is very much interested in becoming the university for Richmond.”

“By helping chief executives expand their firms’ capabilities, we aim to increase their chances for building new partnerships with major corporations across the country,” Coughlan said