For Immediate Release
IBM employees to tackle dual master’s degrees
Company teams with The University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management in pursuit of
innovation edge
TUCSON, Ariz. – MARCH 21, 2006 – The innovation economy requires a new
vision, new approaches and a new action agenda according to a recent report by the
Council on Competitiveness.
To help the company and its employees compete in this innovation economy,
IBM has selected six employees who will participate in the dual master’s degree
program at The University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. The dual
master’s degree consists of an MBA, a master of engineering, and a certificate
in entrepreneurship, all completed in two years – a year less than it would
usually take to complete two graduate degrees alone.
Recognizing that an environment of innovation requires multiple skill
sets, the company has a made a commitment to the future by investing time and
money into advancing the education of key members of its workforce. “The IBM alliance with The University
of Arizona and the Eller College indicates a major strategic relationship,
investment, and manifestation of the testimony to this new trust of IBM and the
University of Arizona working together. When you consider the
cost of tuition, incidentals, salary and benefits for these six students for a
two year period, IBM’s commitment exceeds $2 million for this group of six
employees. We expect that IBM will sponsor employees
in future years and we must make sure that they get a good return on this
investment,” said Peter Likins, president of The
University of Arizona.
Amar Gupta, chief architect of the dual-degree program and Thomas Brown
Chair in Management and Technology at the Eller College, has worked with IBM for over 25 years bringing
together industry and academe. “It’s so exciting to have IBM’s participation in
the dual-degree program. Its eagerness to get on board quickly in Tucson reinforces the unique opportunity
available at the Eller College,” he said.
The six employees from IBM Tucson are data storage hardware and software
engineers, who will begin work on dual master’s degrees in engineering and
business beginning August, 2006.
About the Eller
College
of Management Dual-Degree program The Eller
College offers dual-degree programs that allow a
student to earn an MBA concurrently with another graduate degree in science,
optical science, engineering, and life science. During this time, students also
earn a certificate from the top-ranked McGuire Entrepreneurship Program. The program unites the
strengths of the traditional Eller MBA—a close learning community with
nationally recognized leadership in MIS and entrepreneurship—with The
University of Arizona’s world-renowned excellence in science, engineering, and
technology.
For further information about the
Eller dual-degree program visit www.mba.eller.arizona.edu/dual/dual
The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona (www.eller.arizona.edu) is
internationally recognized for pioneering research, innovative curriculum,
distinguished faculty, excellence in entrepreneurship and social
responsibility, and its top-5 MIS program. Both U.S. News & World Report and Forbes rank the Eller MBA full-time program among the top 50
nationwide, and the College leads the nation’s business schools in generating
grant funds for research. In addition to a full-time MBA program, the Eller College offers a
part-time MBA program, the Eller Executive MBA, and the ability to combine an
MBA with graduate studies in science, engineering, law, pharmacy, finance, MIS,
and international management. The Eller College of Management supports more
than 4,500 undergraduate and 600 graduate students on the UA campus in
beautiful Tucson, Arizona.
Press Contact
Linda Herrick, Public Relations and Events Coordinator
Eller College
of Management
520.626.2590; lherrick@eller.arizona.edu
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