The Walton MBA programs prepare students for a competitive job marketing with engaging lectures, case studies and guest speakers.
The program invites working professionals to speak to students about the latest changes in industry. Speakers talk to students during lectures, through panel discussions during professional development or in extracurricular offerings like Walton MBA Conversations and cover a variety of topics.
Supplemental conversations demonstrate the value of the curriculum through examples. Students can see how flat concepts taught in class are used in modern business crises. “Guest lectures throughout the semester have been extremely beneficial. I love to hear first hand from executives on how they handle issues and move the needle within their organizations. Seeing how they think through business decisions (is) extremely beneficial.” said Braden Land, EMBA student of 2021.
The vice president of supply chain at Nordstrom and the CPO of Rolls Royce from the UK spoke to Dr. Remko Van Hoek’s supply chain class. In Walton MBA Conversations, speakers such as Bob Nash, the chief of staff for the White House during the Clinton administration, spoke on the value of diversity and inclusion. During professional development, students listened to a panel of Walmart executives, who ran a workshop on negotiations and spoke about to the latest developments in omnichannel retail. The value of these lectures comes from their specific and formalized nature. Students can learn from experts in niche fields and are encouraged to interact in question and answer sessions.
Professors see the value of speakers coming to lessons to help create a better-rounded student. “In my classes I invite professional friends and contacts of mine to meet our students live to help bring frameworks and tools that I teach to life and place them in the context of today’s challenges and opportunities in procurement. In addition to that I ensure that we achieve a perspective from different industries and geographies,” said Dr. Van Hoek. “It is very generous of these executives to give of their time, experience and perspective, invariably they tell me they really enjoy the discussion with our students and find questions from our students relevant and on point.”
Another benefit of incorporating guest lecturers into the program is the opportunity
for students to expand their professional networks. Program facilitated events provide
exposure to students with titans in industry, leading researchers and philanthropists.
Students can use these events to make invaluable connections by asking insightful
questions and following up with speakers after the events.
“As an MBA student at the beginning of my career and a lifelong learner, the importance of guest lectures cannot be understated,” stated Erica Taft, FTMBA cohort of 2022. “We learn by listening to the adventures and mishaps of others to recognize key insights or warnings, increasing our professional exposure & network, and learning more about new industries.”
