Dave Ayers. |
Dave Ayers of St. Marys is learning things he thought probably occurred in the business world but “didn’t know how or when.” And as Ayers learns, he is gaining confidence in himself and his ability to interact with not only fellow students in the 5th cohort group of the Master’s in Business Administration at the Lake Campus of Wright State University but on the job as well.
Ayers is currently employed by Copeland Corporation in Sidney where he is a lead project engineer working in cross functional teams that include marketing, sales, supplier quality, and manufacturing. He says, “I am responsible for leading design and development efforts on the engineering portion of projects. I work to help bring new products to market.” Previous job experience included working in a test lab for Huffy Bicycles and as test engineer at Micro Precision in Berne, Indiana.
Typically a procrastinator, Dave notes working in groups on MBA projects has helped change that. Coursework he has found helpful include the finance classes that he says have been especially helpful in his current job. “And the entire MBA package is filling in the gaps I had coming from an engineering background. Also helpful is learning financial and market product analysis methods.”
Required research for homework and projects has also been a helpful aspect of the program. Dave says he reads the Wall Street Journal more often and is planning to do more research on his retirement portfolio, “but not until I am finished with the MBA program.”
Ayers will graduate with his MBA degree in March of 2004. “I wanted to earn an MBA because there were a lot of things I didn’t understand about corporate management and business. I wanted this knowledge not only to gain confidence in myself but to become more marketable in pursuit of positions of increased responsibility.”
Ayers has previously earned an associate’s degree in drafting and design from the Lake Campus and a bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering technology from Purdue University. Ayers is a 1984 graduate of Spencerville High School. He and wife Tammy have three children - sons Mike and Adam and daughter Melissa.
For others who have an interest in getting their MBA degree in the weekends only, five times per quarter format the Lake Campus offers, Dave advises prospective students to finish course pre-requisites first because of the increased workload they add to the rest of the MBA coursework. He also says, “Time is going to pass no matter what your age or what you do. If you think you want more education for yourself, don’t wait because you won’t be finished until you get started.”
The Master’s of Business Administration program at Wright State University is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), assuring both students and prospective employers that the program’s quality and commitment to continuing improvement are verified by periodic peer review and rigorous self-assessment and have satisfied the standards of the management education community.
The Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University offers this innovative curriculum that incorporates a number of unique elements, reflecting both new business realities and conceptual developments. In addition to thorough coverage of functional and analytical skills, the MBA curriculum introduces strong student preparation in teamwork, offers challenging cross-functional system solution seeking, teaches assessment of the competitive forces in global markets, and promotes the development of effective communication skills.
The MBA program is offered on weekends only, five times per quarter. A bachelor’s degree is required for admission into this program, as well as a GMAT score. Persons interested in more information should contact Dr. Thomas A. Knapke, MBA advisor for the Lake Campus, at (419) 586-0389 or 1-800-237-1477, extension 8389 or Tara Stone, MBA graduate Assistant at (419) 586-0378. Knapke and Stone can also be reached at their email addresses - thomas.knapke@wright.edu or stone.24@wright.edu.
