Our MBA is business mentored providing our students with  the  benefit of advice and experience from business executives.

MBA Executive Lecturer Program

Together with technical knowledge and skills, it is very important that MBA students receive practical guidance from and capture the expertise of current executives.  Recognizing that our business partners can add significant value beyond that offered by our professors, we seek to build a model that partners at least one current executive with the professor assigned to teach each of our MBA courses.

Purpose of the Program

The purpose of the MBA Executive Lecturer Program is to formally engage corporate leaders to serve as partners in the MBA program at North Carolina A&T State University.  Executive lecturers will serve as business mentors and assist the School of Business and Economics in accomplishing the goal of offering a “business-mentored” MBA program that welcomes both mid-career and early-career candidates.  The goal is to assign one executive lecturer to each MBA course every semester.

Benefits to the MBA Students

The program will provide opportunities for all MBA students to have access to corporate executives throughout their degree.  These executives will help to build or refine the courses, assist in the design of appropriate assignments and assessments, and respond to students’ questions throughout the course.  Executive lectures may visit the campus as time permits, or they may interact with students and the professor in a virtual space.  Benefits to students include the opportunity to:

1. Build a strong relationship with the executive lectures, leading to a diverse professional network,
2. Engage professionally with high-level business leaders,
3. Gain deeper insight about a chosen career path or area of interest, and
4. Link current learning to real-world business and industry practices.

Benefits to the Executive Lecturers and their Organizations

The executive lecturers are business professionals from large and mid-sized companies.  They are leaders in their organizations and industries and bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the MBA program.  They are mentors who are dedicated to help our MBA students grow professionally by volunteering their time and expertise to enrich the MBA experience at NC A&T State University.  The benefits to the executive lecturers and their organizations include the opportunity to:

1. Influence the curriculum of the MBA program and the desired focus and rigor of the courses,
2. Access a pool of very talented and diverse MBA students—potential employees,
3. Contribute to the making of a new breed of corporate leaders, and
4. Inspire students and support higher education and the broader community.

MBA Closing Bell Speaker Series

The Closing Bell Speaker Series (CBSS) began in September 2008. The program invites successful scholarly professionals to the campus to engage with students in topical discussions that reflect the changing global environment. The primary objectives of the CBSS are:

1) To provide insight on the current trends facing businesses today.

2) To inspire students and provide additional encouragement for quality personal and career development.

3) To enrich the students’ lives by providing them with role models in the careers for which they are preparing.

The Executive Advisory Council

The Executive Advisory Council (EAC) is comprised of successful senior executives, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from a wide variety of organizations from the corporate and non-profit sectors. These professionals serve as advisors to the administrative and academic leadership of the College. The EAC members–many of whom are A&T alumni–are also ambassadors and advocates for COBE and strongly support students in their academic and professional endeavors through donating to scholarships, serving as guest speakers, and hosting networking and mentorship opportunities.

Executives-In-Residence Program

Retired or semi-retired executives in residence mentor students in the following areas: communication skills, interview skills & strategies, presentation skills, business writing, networking, planing a career path beyond the initial position accepted directly after graduation, dealing with challenging professional or personal issues, as well as other areas of professional development. These leaders also engage in one-on-one counseling sessions where they advise students on their prospective career choices.  They also serve as guest lecturers, participate in student-run conferences, and organize informal lunches for groups of students with common interests, among many other activities.  Our Executives in residence are appointed by the Dean to a renewable one year term.