School of Management: The blog of Dean Jerry Zappia

Welcome to the blog of Jerry Zappia, Dean of the School of Management at Nazareth College

Founded in 1924, Nazareth College is a co-ed college with undergraduate and graduate studies in the liberal arts and sciences, and professional programs in health and human services, education, and management. The College is located near Rochester, New York, and currently enrolls approximately 2,800 students. For more information on the College, visit www.naz.edu.

Starting a Business - Are You Ready? The Alumni and Students Say "Yes".

Are You Ready to Start a Business? 

This question was presented to 35 students and alumni at a January 26th workshop.  The workshop was presented by the recently established Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) at Nazareth College. 

The attendees responded to the question with an enthusiastic "yes".

The participants, representing a wide variety of academic backgrounds, also explored the following questions:

1) What is entrepreneurship?

2) Do you have the personal qualities to be an entrepreneur?

3) Do you have an idea for a business?

4) Do you understand your idea and how it fits into market?

5) Do you know how to evaluate the idea?

These are foundation questions for every entrepreneur and the attendees learned how to find the answers.

The workshop was intended for those in the "conceptual" stage of business development.  However, the attendees were eager to dig deeper into the advanced issues that face entrepreneurs  (i.e. - promotional strategies, business financing, and business plan development).  These issues, and more, will be addressed at future workshops.

The highlight of the session was the participation of two alumni entrepreneurs:

* Louise McAfee '00 UG, CPA, Owner, McAfee Associates - Accounting Firm

* Nick Woyciesjes '97 UG, Managing Partner, Mirus Group - Graphic Design

Louise and Nick shared their motivations for starting a business. They also discussed how they manage the many challenges of being an entrepreneur.  They are great examples of the many Nazareth alumni who have taken control of their careers through business ownership.

SOM Dean, Jerry Zappia, facilitated the workshop with the alumni entrepreneurs: Louise McAffee '00 - BS Accounting - and Nick Woyciesjes '97 - BA Art.

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A Major Redesign for the MS in Management

Our Master of Science degree in Management (MS MGT) was established in 1995.  This was a significant event for the greater Rochester area as we were the first school to offer an alternative to the traditional MBA. 

The response to the MS MGT program was tremendous.  The enrollment quickly reached 100+ students during the first five years.  It was primarily students who worked full-time and attended classes at night.

This segment of the education market was all ours for a long time.  However, as time passed, the other Rochester colleges responded and the market now has a variety of graduate degree options.

The competition motivated us to make our MS MGT curriculum even more distinctive from the traditional MBA and the other degree choices in the area.  We also created a new graduate program in human resource management (MS HRM).

The MS MGT redesign was a challenge but an excellent revision emerged from a series of thoughtful and spirited discussions. The revisions, recently approved by the New York State Education Department, take effect this fall 2013.

Dr. Lorraine Henderson directs the MS MGT program and was the primary architect of the redesign.  In addition to her leadership there was significant involvement from our SOM Advisory Council. 

The Advisory Council consists of prominent local business executives and alumni.  They serve as the primary advisory group to me (SOM dean). 

The Difference – MS vs MBA

Most graduate business programs (the MBA) develop a broad range of business knowledge and skills and place little emphasis on managing, leading and human relations.  The revised MS in Management places much greater emphasis on these competencies

There is no doubt that as you ascend the career ladder you rely more on these skills.  The ability to inspire, work with, and guide others will play a greater role in your long-term success. 

During the process we were greatly influenced by Henry Mintzberg and his book "Managers Not MBAs".  Mintzberg delivers harsh criticism of the MBA programs that offer "specialized training in the functions of business" and "not general education in the practice of managing".

The MS in MGT revisions change all that and address much of the criticism aimed at traditional MBA programs.  The new curriculum is an elegant mix of the “hard” and “soft” skills required for effective leadership and management. 

Download MS Mgt (Revised Curriculum) 2013

 

The Nazareth HR Advisory Council - An Incredible Group of Executives - Deliver an Incredible Educational Event

The Human Resource Management Advisory Council provides the School of Management (SOM) with incredible guidance and support for our graduate program in human resource management (MS HRM).

The Council consists of 18 senior level HR executives from Rochester's leading organizations.  Excellus, Paychex, Wegmans, Constellation Brands and Home Properties are some of the companies represented on the Council.  The complete list of members is available on the Nazareth SOM website and it is an impressive group.

The Council meets six times per year at Nazareth College.   A variety of issues are discussed and the group has been meeting at Nazareth since 2001.

In addition to the meetings the Council holds special events in collaboration with the SOM.  This past November 13th the Council held an educational event at Constellation Brands.  It was desinged to be a "speed networking" and "educational" session.

Attendees had the opportunity to interact with the senior-level executives and discuss the Affordable Care Act, Executive Compensation, Employee Engagement, Human Capital Metrics and many other topics.

Over 100+ people attended to the event.  To say it was a success is an understatement.  The formal feedback from the attendees was excellent and they would like an encore.  Stay tuned!

Nazareth Accounting Graduates - Top 10 - New York State CPA Exam Pass Rate - 2011

Nazareth College had one of the highest pass rates for the 2011 New York State CPA exam.

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) reported the pass rate for all the schools in New York State.  Nazareth College was in the Top 10 with the 6th highest pass rate and the highest pass rate of any school in the greater Rochester area:

• Columbia University 78.6%
• Vassar 72.7%
• Cornell 71.4%
• Houghton College 70%
• Elmira College 68%
• Nazareth College Rochester 65%
• University of Rochester 63.8%
• Union College 63.6%
• SUNY Buffalo 58.6%
  
• NYU 58%

This is quite a distinction, but not a surprise, for our "small but mighty" program.  Historically, our accounting graduates have a solid record of success and are quickly hired by local and regional firms.

As the Naz test takers will tell you, the CPA exam is a tough grind. Only the serious student need apply. Our Naz accounting students are serious and are some of the best prepared in New York State.

Accounting Professors Phyllis Bloom, Eileen Beiter, and Cathy Leverone are outstanding teachers and together they have taken the accounting program to the next level. 

The year 2011 was a good year for the accounting program.  Three of our accounting alumni were honored by Financial Executives Institute for their outstanding work in the field (see photo below) - David Graham '03 - Controller - Bonadio Group, LeAnn Hicks '92 - CFO - Pharos Systems, Professor Phyllis Bloom, and Laurie Leo '89 - CFO - Klein Steel).

Learn more about our accounting program.