University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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B-School Changes bv alicia benvenuto J Bo Burlingham, editor-at-large for Inc. magazine, addresses a crowd of undergraduate business students at the Domestic Corps Showcase on October 6 , 2006. Burlingham offered insight to the students about how to get into the business by attaining good internships and networking. R. Peplinski photo Bol changes

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mong the headlines of the 2007 school year was the war in the Middle East, the ongoing Iraqi conflict, the Detroit Tigers ' World Series apearance, the hanging of Saddam Hussein, the fight over affirmative action, the loss of two Michigan legends and the celebration of diversity with the MLK Symposium. The Diag was home to discussion and rememberance of all of these events. Located in the heart of Central Campus, the Diag acted as a center for political action, student protests, guest speakers and student organization promotions. Students, faculty, and Ann Arbor residents brought their issues to the Diag because it was the one place on campus where students constantly passed through and could be reached easily. On November 8 th , 2006 students set up tents off of the Diag to educate others on campus about the genocide taking place in Darfur. Each tent represented a different country that had terrible genocides in their history, how many innocent lives were taken, and how the problems were resolved, or in some cases, getting worse. On the same date, University President Mary Sue Coleman also appeared on the Diag to give a speech in response to the passage of Proposal 2 on the Michigan election ballot. The Diag was not always a center of debate, but of coming together as well. September 11 th , 2006 marked the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks and students joined on the Diag in a candlelight vigil. Once again, candles illuminated the brass ' M ' when students held another candlelight vigil to mark the passing of legendary Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler on November 1 7 th , 2006. Over the winter break, Michigan lost another legendary man: President Gerald Ford. The University mourned both losses, but used the memory of each to inspire students to continue on the Michisamtradition. eaturas . bpfeliciapesis

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Ranked third in 2007 by U.S. News World Report, Michigan ' s Bachelor ' s of Business Administration program grew more competitive and prestigious with the recent amendment to the admissions process. The freshmen business majors of 2006-2007 were among the first admitted as business majors at the University ' s Ross School of Business. They were also the first to face a three year program, as opposed to the historical two year program comprised of only upperclassmen. The program maintained a highly selective admissions process and a challenging course load. Only 16% of the applicants who applied for Fall 2006 were admitted. They held an average GPA of 3.8 and participated in a plethora of relevant extracurricular activities such as Student Government and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). They were expected to submit an essay addressing the same question that the Ross School of Business had asked in the past years. Students were accepted as preferred admits, which meant they were enrolled as an LSA student, but they were expected to satisfy certain requirements; as long as these preferred admits successfully completed Math 115, Economics 101, and the Sweetland Writing Center freshman writing requirement, they were transferred to the Ross School of Business at the end of freshman year. Though the BBA three-year program began accepting students as high school seniors, students were i to apply to the program during their freshman year of college because the majority of students who were finally accepted entered the University as LSA freshmen. The students who applied straight out of high school were among the top applicants to the University of Michigan. Thus, students who were denied admission to the business school initially were not meant to be discouraged by the program. On the one hand, many students saw this change as a step toward greater acknowledgement for the BBA program. On the other hand, others felt they were gypped, having had to endure more difficult pre- requisites to the program. Junior organizational studies and psychology major Elissa First said, I wish this new program existed when I was a senior in high school. Some students believed that if a few of those courses were omitted as pre-requisites, they would have had a better chance for admittance. First continued, If I didn ' t have to take accounting, I would have applied to the B-school. Despite some students ' objections, the new BBA program alleviated the anxieties of many students who were enrolled in the program. The course load for students enrolled in the three year program was more evenly spread out, which caused them to feel less swamped with a heavy workload. Additinally, students didn ' t have to figure out how to double major in their first year as the three year program bred more flexibility for dual majors. Junior finance concentrator in the Business School, Katie Glass, endorsed the program: I think the three year program will make students a lot more competitive and well-rounded. We will be more competitive with Warton, who is ranked number one. Eileen Spring, executive director of Food Gatherers, and Paul Saginaw, co-owner and founder of Zingerman ' s, serve as panelists at a special event for business students interested in summer internships. Speakers at the event included prominent local businessmen as well as students enrolled in the business school who shared their success tips from previous summer internships. R. Peplinski photo features 63