Academic Affairs Committee Introduction

Greetings from the 2009 Academic Affairs Committee!

The Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) is composed of 7 members from Class of 2010 and 2011.

Co-chairs:
Joshua Sivaslian (Class of 2010)
Terry Padden (Class of 2011)

Members:
Jeff Lo (Class of 2011)
Anand Dalvi (Class of 2010)
Nari Sitaraman (Class of 2010)
Kishore Konakanchi (Class of 2011)

Executive Officer:
VijayBhaskaran (Class of 2010)


Our goal is to enrich the academic experience for Haas EWMBA students.

The AAC has chosen to direct its efforts toward six "Focus Areas" in the EWMBA program.

1) Professor Quality - We want to ensure that the EWMBA faculty are up to the standard of a Top 10 B-School. The AAC is in regular contact with the program office and, occasionally, the dean's office. We are working hard to make sure the program has the best faculty available.

2) Core Curriculum - The AAC has been provided input from the student body regarding improvements to the structure of the EWMBA Core. Some feedback has already led to changes for Class of 2012. More changes are expected for the Class of 2013 and beyond.

3) The "Weekend Experience" - We want to see an increase in the breadth of course offerings for Saturdays, and less uncertainty about future schedules.

4) Graduation, Course Structure & Units - We are actively evaluating alternatives to some of the restrictions in the EWMBA structure (42 unit cap, limit on 1-unit electives, etc.) so we can get the maximum value out of our EWMBA degree.

5) Faculty Evaluation Process - The AAC has recommended changes to the Faculty Evaluation process that could a) improve the value of the qualitative scoring of faculty and courses, and b) simplify the process by which we can view faculty evals.

6) Elective Bidding Process - Together with the Program Office, the AAC hosted a series of Webinars to help students navigate the elective bidding process. We hope to make these sessions a regular event, and are evaluating other improvements to the elective bidding process.


The AAC has also been involved in the student surveys and in selecting the Cheit Award Recipients for 2008-2009.
Congratulations to Professors Johan Walden and Gregory La Blanc!
Bradyn Breon-Drish and Todd Fitch shared the GSI award.


The Academic Affairs Committee is working hard on behalf of all EWMBA students to make the most of our experiences at Haas. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.


Sincerely,

Academic Affairs Committee EWMBA