Mission Statement

Upon completion of the MBA program at George Fox University (GFU), I will be well positioned to take on varied and fulfilling leadership roles. With the broader coursework of this MBA program, including the foundational coursework, I will increase my overall business acumen. With these new skills I will shift from being an individual contributor to a leader who guides teams to define and fulfill business priorities and strategic goals.

With this program, I will be a competitive candidate for stretch roles within my current organization as well as new roles with future employers. My mission and goal is to be the type of collaborative leader for whom I want to work. One of my goals is to teach at the university level, providing the support and knowledge that I’ve been blessed with by my professors.

Why an MBA & What I Expect to Learn

As an accomplished change agent at my current organization, I want to add strategic and analytical skills to my current role and future opportunities. An MBA will provide a breadth of new business knowledge and add to my current leadership skills. In addition to immediately applying newly learned principles to my current work, earning an MBA will position me for my long-term career goal of strategy-focused work.

Much of my past professional development is from job experience and professional mentorship. The well-rounded approach of an MBA program will supplement the academic theory of my bachelor’s degree in leadership and enhance my tactical execution style into that of a strategic leader. An MBA will also add current business fundamentals with academic guidance to my skill set, resulting in new opportunities with a variety of industries and leaders.

Statistics reveal MBA graduates not only increase their opportunities across a wide range of professions, earning a graduate degree is also rewarding professionally, personally and financially.

Why George Fox University

Earning a bachelor’s degree will fulfill a lifelong dream that until recently had felt out of reach. My experience in GFU’s management and leadership program has been such a rewarding and positive experience that I want to continue my studies through its MBA program to reach a new goal of a graduate degree. GFU understands adult students balance work and family obligations while earning a degree, and its programs are structured to support student success while upholding academic rigor. The faculty care about my progress and make themselves available whenever I need assistance. My cohort is a support system offering camaraderie and encouragement as we all pursue a common goal. The easy registration process and electronic text books allow me to focus on my academics rather than taking valuable time to enroll and prepare for classes each semester. Also, the Saturday course schedule works well with my other obligations. No other MBA program in the region is as seamless or offers more value than GFU.

Most importantly, the quality of GFU faculty is exceptional. I not only learn from assigned readings, class work and cohort assignments, but even more so from each professor’s personal work experience. That experience adds relevance not always provided in classroom setting. Using their real life experiences to illustrate various points are great learning tools and are very enlightening.

Why Now

I will graduate with my bachelor degree on December 19, 2015. The GFU part-time MBA program starts just a few weeks after graduation. After much consideration, I realize my time is now. During the past 16 months while attending classes I’ve excelled in all of my courses and have proven to myself that I can handle both work and graduate school. I feel confident I will continue on for two more years with the same success I’ve experienced earning my bachelor degree at GFU.