MBA Program Gains Recognition
Sep 06, 1994
SFU’s MBA program earned the distinction of placing in Canadian Business magazine’s 1994 ranking of the top 10 business schools. It was the only school west of Ontario to appear in that list.
“We’re obviously delighted at being the only business school outside Quebec and Ontario to be chosen as one of the best,” said Dean Stanley Shapiro. “It’s an encouraging sign of recognition from the business community. However, I can’t help but feel some other western schools suffered because of this country’s central Canada bias.”
Results of the Canadian Business study of MBA programs, which appeared in the April issue, were based on a survey of 62 senior human resource executives from some of Canada’s largest corporations, who were asked to consider such factors as the quality of graduates, teaching and research. The University of Western Ontario was chosen as the top school.
Program director Lindsay Meredith said SFU’s day program has come “a heck of a long way” in the past two-and-a-half then had about 35 students. Today, years. “It
we have approximately 130 students. Our combined enrollments in the regular day and executive MBA programs makes us one of the largest operations in the country.”
As applications to MBA programs across North America drop, SFU’s offering is enjoying nothing short of an application ‘explosion,’ as students and executives have both begun to recognize its merits.
Canadian MBA programs experienced a 25 per cent decline in applications in 1992 and another 15 per cent in 1993. SFU’s day MBA, however, responded to 2,200 requests for information and received 400 applications, out of which approximately 60 students were enrolled.
Meredith said SFU’s unique and changing approach to business training is behind the growing demand. “We’re moving outside of the business box’ of education and tailor-making an education program to fit individual student needs,” he explains. “That’s how we’re deriving this phenomenal response. Our willingness to make such changes is our best survival technique.”