Courtesy: Rebecca Henriksen
Greetings T-birds,
I know the entire Thunderbird community is very concerned about our wonderful student, Travis Richardson. Based on some recent updates, it sounds like there has been some promising progress, but there is still a long road ahead for Travis and his family. I am so proud of how everyone has come together in support of Travis and his family but especially proud of his classmates and rugby teammates. While I wish I could say that I was the one who organized the fundraiser, it was not me, it was his amazing and loving friends (I just sent out the note that they wrote!). I realize that the PayPal link was not operational yesterday but it is up and running now. Please be sure to read the first story in this update for more information.
Here is what you’ll find in this week’s update:
Travis Richardson Family Relief Fund: Thank you so much for the amazing amount of support you have shown for Travis Richardson and those around him. No words can accurately portray such appreciation. You should be proud to be part of such a special, caring community. The response to the initial announcement of the support fund was overwhelming, unfortunately literally so. Shortly after the email went out, PayPal flagged the account as “high risk” due to high transaction volume on a new account, and suspended activity. As some of you have noticed, we fixed this problem, and after monitoring the donations that have come through, we would like to invite those of you who have not had the chance to show your support to do so.
Please find the link here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=M62CA8HY8DAYU
While we don’t anticipate having an issue now, a highly regulated and highly automated company like PayPal could perceivably make a similar move again. We have a back-up plan in case this happens, so please stay tuned if you experience difficulty. Please share this link with any friends or family members who may be interested in contributing to the comfort of Travis’ family during this difficult time. Again, please do not post this on Facebook. If there are any questions, concerns, or issues regarding the fund, please email Ryan O’Neal at ryan.oneal@global.t-bird.edu or C’pher Gresham at gresham@global.t-bird.edu.
Angel Investment Interest: Anyone who watches “Shark Tank” on TV may be interested in learning more about the angel investing process. The presenter at this event is the head of the Arizona Technology Investor Forum and will reveal the inside story on the angel investing process in Arizona – what investors are looking for, what really happens behind the scenes, etc. Here’s the link to register and learn more: http://www.imcusa.org/events/event_details.asp?id=363003&group= If anyone from Thunderbird has any questions, they can call Kay Sever at 480-545-9095.
“Leading Change and Transformation” GF 5412 course: Taught by Professors Bowen and Siehl, available in Spring 2014 only, his course with the concepts and tools you need to:
- Lead change initiatives through the key steps in the change process
- “Thrive on change” personally and help others to do so
Since many of you have expressed curiosity about how organizations (even Thunderbird!) approach and manage change, Professors Bowen and Siehl asked to bring this course to your attention. Also, employers are increasingly keen on finding people with these two talents. This also is one of our courses that provides students the client-facing experience that is foundational to success in TEM Lab, if you take it. In “Leading Change and Transformation” you will work on student teams to help organizations with a change initiative they are pursuing. The course (3 credit hours) is open to MBA, MA, and MS students. It is required for the Global Management Focus Area in the MBA. It goes much deeper into change management than the core GM 5486. See the catalog for prerequisites.
News from the IBIC:
Food: A snack machine has been installed in the east end of the IBIC, in the entryway to group study rooms 5-8 (in the same area as the coffee machine). It is okay to consume any of the items sold in the machine in the IBIC. Most of the items are $1.00, so bring your singles! We’re happy to make change for you, but we occasionally run out of $1 bills.
Books: We have received a major donation of books from John Moore, class of 1971, and have been busy getting them catalogued and on the shelf. There are some real classics in that collection. Also, the CMC generously donated several titles, including multiple copies of the most popular book in the IBIC: Marc Cosentino’s Case in Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation.
Extended hours: We have added additional hours October 10-12 to give you more time to study for midterm exams. For a complete schedule, visit: http://bit.ly/1bJNgWS or go to the IBIC MTB page and click on “Hours” under “About the IBIC”.
Modules Abroad: Thanks to those of you who were able to attend this week’s information session on Modules Abroad. We were happy to announce two truly exciting locations, Madrid, Spain and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For those of you who were not able to attend the information session, all of the information covered will be posted on the Modules Abroad page in MTB. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Jay Bryant or Cheri Roberts. Application are due no later than 4:30 p.m. on October 18th. Please leave your applications with Sandra Collins at the main reception desk.
(NOTE: Applications for Modules Abroad are available on MTB but unfortunately, MTB is currently experiencing technical difficulties so you won’t find the information on the current programs at the moment. Our IT team is dealing with the problem, so please check back if you don’t find the information you’re looking for. The correct information should be available very soon. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
Henkel Innovation Challenge: Henkel Corporation, a global leading company in brands and technologies has invited T-birds to take part in their Innovation Challenge. The competition offers young talented minds an opportunity to put their knowledge to the test and establish valuable contacts with Henkel at an early stage in their careers. Each team of two will develop a visionary product or a new technology for one of Henkel’s three business sectors: Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care. All teams that qualify for the semi-final will be assigned an experienced Henkel manager who acts as a mentor and advises the students on developing their innovative concepts. Henkel keeps in touch with the participants once the competition is over – in recent years, numerous talented participants have been recruited through the Henkel Innovation Challenge network. The winners from each semi-final will win an iPad and compete in the international final, which will be held March 31- April 3, 2014 at Henkel’s headquarters in Düsseldorf. The first place winners of the international final will receive an around-the-world ticket worth 10,000 euros; the second place team will be awarded 4,000 euros; and the third place team will win 2,000 euros. The deadline to register for the Henkel Innovation Challenge is Dec. 11, 2013. To read more about the Henkel Innovation Challenge please visit www.henkelchallenge.com.
How to reload your dining card: There have been some questions about how to add more funds to your dining card. The Meal Plan that is setup in tandem with the housing plan allows for $695 for the trimester. This is not intended to provide students with 3 meals a days. It provides for about $6/day, or one meal, depending on how students eat. Meal cards can be reloaded by logging into MTB ->Sitemap ->Chartwells. The link that student can go to is www.dineoncampus.com/thunderbird.
Thundercares Reminder: Just a quick reminder for students Thundercares will be happening on November 2nd, the project list and sign up email will be sent out to everyone next week. please look for the email and sign up as soon as possible since events will be assigned based on availability. If you have any questions please contact Ale Fernandez, TSG Community Outreach Chair. alefdzlynch@global.t-bird.edu, remember that friends and family are also welcome to attend, but please let us know beforehand. Thank you!
It’s hard to believe that another week has come and gone – the days seem to fly by. Your time at Thunderbird is a very special, highly impactful, but terribly short phase of your life, one I am certain you will look back with great fondness. I encourage you to make the most of every minute.
Have a marvelous weekend! Get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather!
All the best,
Rebecca