 |
 |
|
|
Michael Lee, 28, left the Graduate School of Management nearly four years ago to pursue a marketing job in Silicon Valley. Now, after leaving one failing dot-com company to work for a smaller competitor, he has returned to complete his MBA.
|
Dot-Com Bust a USF Graduate School Boom
In the fizzle-out of the dot-com business explosion, the University of San Francisco’s graduate programs report jumps in spring registrants over the same period last year.
This spring the School of Business and Management attracted 61 new students to its MBA program, a 30 percent jump from last year, for a total of 426 students.
“Prospective students tell me they’ve lost their jobs and they’re looking for alternatives, like going back to school,” said Cathy Fusco, director of the MBA program. “Attendance has doubled at information sessions we hold for potential students. The room we normally use now looks small because so many people are showing up wanting to know what it takes to get an MBA.”
The School of Education is also enjoying a large increase. Last year the school registered 29 students for its regular masters program. This year it registered 69, more than doubling its enrollment. It also added 55 additional students with two new programs this year, one for foreign students in Xiamen, China and another at USF for religious educators.
“Most of our recent applicants are looking for careers with substance or a mission,” said Dan McPherson, associate dean at the School of Education. “A large number of them report disillusionment with the dot-com way of life.”
An increase in scholarships and financial aid, as well as USF’s decision to maintain education tuition at a lower level has also helped attract students, McPherson said.
The College of Arts and Sciences also enjoyed modest increases in its graduate programs for the spring semester, making USF’s total new student graduate enrollment this spring approximately 86 percent higher than last year, from 122 to 227 students.
Former dot-commers who lost their high-paying jobs have returned to school more sober eyed about the potential of high-flying companies with little or no traditional business acumen, said Kathy Kane, a professor at the School of Business and Management.
“They’re really eager to be back in school,” she said. “The reason the dot-coms busted was because they didn’t learn the principles of operating a healthy business.”
Kane, who teaches business leadership classes, said one big mistake of those businesses was bad management. “There was bad decision making. They were blowing their money on image,” she said.
Students also appear to be socking away units as fast as they can, noted Eugene Muscat, senior associate dean of the business school. “Students are signing up for more units of study each semester,” he said. “I think they’re anxious to get their degree as quickly as possible so they can get back in the workforce.”
|
