What I Learned Wednesday for February 29th, 2012

This week's What I Learned Wednesday is brought to us by our Fearless Leader at the Robinson College of Business (RCB), Assistant Dean of Graduate Recruiting and Student Services, Toby McChesney!

For those of you who don't know Toby, you should certainly know this... Every day, he strives to enhance the lives of the students and the programs offered at RCB.  (I can vouch for that because I work with him!)

Case in point, Toby recently sought "official" input from the students at RCB.  (Rest assured, RCB'ers, he took that feedback seriously!)

Below, he shares what he learned from you that will lead to continuous improvement at RCB and in its B-school programs:

• Academic advising sessions need to be held later in the day, particularly for those students who have class until 7 PM downtown.
• Academic Advisors are valued by the students, but students would like to have more exposure and access to their advisors if possible.
• Students need more assistance with concentrations and electives.  The good thing is that RCB offers a lot of these concentrations and electives, but we need to be sure that relevant and pertinent information is easily accessible to all of our students.
• Students would like to see more social events for MBA students.  The Graduate Business Association hosts several events for students each semester, and the GBA is open to all RCB graduate students and they host several events a semester.  I want to ensure that everyone knows about these events. 

Toby's bottom line? 

I was reminded today that our students have a voice and have good ideas on ways through which we advise them.  I am glad that I sent this survey out to gather feedback.  Feedback is important for organizations to grow.  I encourage everyone to remember this always!  What great advice!  

Navigating higher education is as difficult and complex as navigating business, so like any leader, Toby has to stay ahead of the game to meet the needs of his target market: a population composed of a diverse graduate student body of innumerable cultures who are divided among 19 concentrations and four graduate programs.  Without a doubt, he is a very busy man!  But Toby's unwavering desire to serve the students, or get involved whenever we need an ally, is strikingly reassuring.  He is never too caught up in the whirlwind of his profession to answer emails or address concerns brought to his attention.  As I'm sure you are familiar, it is refreshing to know that a person with power in an organization, like Toby for example, is willing to go to bat for you.  

If you have any questions for Toby, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or two.  I'll pass them along!