Des Moines Business Record
08-18-07
Best of Des Moines Business Record 2007 - Part II BY BUSINESS RECORD
STAFF
We started last week, but we still have a lot more Best of Des Moines winners to
tell you about - 35 of them. This is the second and final installment of the results
from our 2007 competition, decided as always by the readers of the Des Moines
Business Record. This week's categories:
Getting the Job Done
You want to deal with people who know how to make business happen. Here
they are.
Closing the Deal
If you want to impress a potential business partner, consider a visit to these
locales.
Living Here
What about life outside the office? Check out this mix of recreation and
necessity.
Getting the Job Done
Best M.B.A. Program
Drake University
Drake University's College of Business and Public Administration asks its M.B.A.
graduates for feedback every year, and recently the school went a step further.
"We took a look at the program through an extensive process, including feedback
from current students, alumni and people in the business community," said
Danette Kenne, director of graduate and professional studies. "We focused a lot
on decision-making skills and the systems used for that."
Drake evaluated that input and then revised its M.B.A. program by adding
courses and updating requirements. For example, "we have incorporated a new
class, 'Leadership in Human Capital Development,'" Kenne said. "It's all about
how you address people in your organization, what leadership skills people need
to have at all levels and how to develop those skills."
Kenne said Drake also has added some professional development seminars into
the M.B.A. curriculum requirements.
About 240 students participate in the university's M.B.A. program each year. Six
to eight faculty members make up the teaching core, but several others teach
electives that are part of the program, and some area business people also teach
classes.
Runners-up: University of Iowa; Iowa State University