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MBAst Class of 2004 begins
May 04, 2003
2003-05-04 - May 4, 2003 – In what has become a tradition, the 74-member Queen's MBA Class of 2004 candidates kicked-off their 12 months in Kingston by meeting each other and the departing Class of 2003 at a barbeque at Queen's Donald Gordon Conference Centre.
Record-sized class; Record-high qualifications While the number of students is the largest ever – thanks to the enlarged classroom in the new Goodes Hall facility – the program still maintains its record of exceptional entrance standards. The MBA’04s have an average GMAT score of 684, putting them in the ranks of MBA programs at the top-20 business schools in the US and around the world. The class also rates as one of the most experienced: an average age of 31, with seven years of work experience. An impressive 24% already have advanced degrees, in addition to their undergraduate degree in engineering or the sciences. Diversity of the class remains a valued feature of the program: 30% of the class are international students.
New Director Jeff McGill takes over Welcoming the Class of 2004 was incoming MBAst director Dr. Jeff McGill. No stranger to the program, McGill has taught business statistics every year since the program launched in 1996.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to work with this class. The program has a long tradition of admitting outstanding candidates – and this year’s class is no exception.”
When asked how he’ll make his mark on the MBAst program, McGill responds, “First of all, my predecessors have built an excellent program; no major surgery is needed.” He adds, "[Outgoing MBAst director] Salman Mufti left me with an operation that is running smoothly, so I can focus on building the program from a solid footing.”
Introducing more business ethics components into the program is a priority for McGill.
“It’s got to be done – but it’s tricky to deliver to an adult audience. We’re working on ways to integrate ethical issues into the curriculum.”
Another priority is continuing to refine the offerings in the final “Stage 4” of the program, when students choose a concentration.
But developing new strategies for job recruitment is McGill’s number one priority. Initiatives include hiring a Career Services Director, who, along with the current career services team, will focus on forging broader and deeper relationships with recruiting firms.
“I see getting the job recruitment numbers up as the greatest challenge in the program,” says McGill. “We have extremely bright students and an excellent faculty team that continues to build onto the strong curriculum. But the last two years have hit MBA grads hard, and jobs are just not as plentiful. I want us to continue to be creative with helping students connect with the employers and the jobs that meet their objectives.”
In addition to sharing with students the goal of bringing more recruiters into the program, McGill also has a science background. After completing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics, he spent eight years in the private sector as a physicist and operations research analyst.
A respected researcher since completing his PhD in Management Science at UBC in 1990, McGill studies revenue management in the services area and statistical methods for forecasting market demand.
A faculty member at Queen's School of Business for 10 years, McGill has held numerous administrative positions, including Chair of the Research Program, Chair of the School’s Faculty Forum, and Chair of the social science, business, education and law subcommittee of Queen's Advisory Research Committee.
During his three-year term as MBAst Director, McGill will continue to teach statistics in the program. “My aim is for students to not only understand statistical thinking, but also to understand the importance of statistics in the business context. After all, decisions are often driven by data, and properly interpreting it is a critical management skill.”
With such expertise in operations and statistics, and administrative experience in both the university and private-sector, McGill is well-prepared to lead the School’s prestigious full-time MBA program through its next evolution.