Apologies for having the blog dormant so far. The Academics committee has been working on quite a few interesting things which we would like to share with the EWMBA student community.

One of the programs we are involved in is helping the first-year students with the bidding process for electives. We have had several information sessions (working with the Program Office) where 2nd and 3rd year students helped answer questions. Thanks to Vince Wu, Preston Smalley and the AAC co-chairs, all sessions had student representatives answering questions and allaying fears that the first-year students might have had.

Some of the bidding tips from these sessions are included for quick reference:

Bidding tips
1. Mark your calendars for these bidding rounds and do not forget to bid ! Unlike in the first-year, there are no default registrations.
2. Research, research, research ! Look at the course descriptions, podcasts/videos by Profs, talk to the 2nd/3rd year students, talk to the Profs themselves, read up the ratings information on the Profs.... and do all these *before* bidding begins .
3. After completing your research, come up with a ranked list of courses that suits your goals and needs.
4. Do not divide up your points equally among your courses. For popular courses, feel free to bid really high. And conversely, bid fewer points for your lower ranked courses - do not be afraid to bid a solitary point on your lower ranked courses ... a lot of times, this is all that is needed for you to get into a class.
5.If you are really interested in a course in the other cohort, bid undeclared. The points that you lose in this process are more than made up for by the benefits of a "perfect-fit" course. But be aware that if this is a really sought-after class, bids will be really high.
6. And finally, do not stress out. There are add/drop periods where you can get into a desired class.

Good luck with your bidding process!

The Earl F.Cheit Awards for 2008

Each year, Haas recognizes outstanding educators and graduate student instructors (GSI). Excellence in teaching is recognized through the annual Earl F. Cheit Award. This award is named after Dean Emeritus Earl F. Cheit, who made teaching excellence one of his top priorities as Dean. Panels of students choose the recipients of the Cheit Award based on nominations submitted by their fellow students. The 2008 Awardees will be honored at the Dean’s End of The Year Party on Friday, May 9th in the Haas School Courtyard.

Please take a few minutes to reflect upon your classroom experiences this past academic year and consider submitting a nomination. The individual you nominate is not only proficient in their subject matter, but also has a strong commitment to the learning and mentoring process. The EWMBA student body intends to select one teacher from the Evening courses and one teacher from the Weekend courses. In addition we will select one GSI for this academic year. Teachers and GSIs from Summer 2007 through Spring 2008 courses are eligible for nomination.

The survey can be accessed from the following link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=X4UslAwXcQdfINV4vUmAFQ_3d_3d

The deadline for submitting your nominations is Monday, April 21st at 11:59pm. If you have questions regarding the nomination process, please contact:
Kiran Prabhakara (kiranprabhakara at mba.berkeley.edu) or Josh Han (josh_han at mba.berkeley.edu)

Thanks,The Academics Affairs Committee