KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� Aug. 28, 2023 鈥� The 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Business honored its inaugural graduating class of the program in a recent celebration in the Memorial Union Ballroom before family, friends and faculty.
The six graduates鈥擥illian Palmer, Steve Campo, Kristen Carvalho, Michael B. Forte Jr., Howard J. Holmes, and Michael Toomey鈥攃ompleted the demanding three-year program on time while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and maintaining their careers while pursuing the highest level of academic and professional achievement.
Georges Tsafack, executive director of the DBA program and an associate professor of finance, said the program鈥檚 first graduates were a resilient group. During the height of the pandemic in August 2020, the students met for the first of three annual residencies and also, being members of the inaugural class, they were the first to test-drive the program.
鈥淏ut instead of giving up, this group came together and faced the challenges by creating very strong bonds among themselves,鈥� Tsafack said. 鈥淭he result is amazing. They all wrote great dissertations as witnessed by invitations some of them received to high-quality conferences and the positive feedback from quality journals where some of them submitted their research.鈥�
Toomey of Bellingham, Massachusetts, was attracted to the program by the opportunity students have to take part in empirical research on an issue they are experiencing in their industry. Toomey, a marketing executive with the biotechnology firm Verical Corp., had noticed in his industry, which supports health-care professionals, that business decisions didn鈥檛 always adhere to the evidence-based approach common in medicine.
鈥淚 embarked on the DBA in hopes of strengthening my ability to develop evidence and incorporate a more evidence-based approach to my business decision-making process,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was fortunate to acquire these skills in the program.鈥�
Forte of Cranston, founding partner at the law firm of Lonardo Forte & Trudeau in Warwick and an assistant professor of accounting and business law at Nichols College, liked the opportunity to dig deeper into issues he was seeing in his work, while adding to his resume.
鈥淚 worked with some really knowledgeable and caring faculty members who invested the time and energy in helping the entire cohort complete an ambitious program in a relatively short time,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hree years to complete coursework and a dissertation on top of working is challenging and the program structure was well designed to help us accomplish our goals.鈥�
鈥淚 have always had the goal of one day achieving a terminal degree,鈥� added Palmer of Springfield, Massachusetts, an assistant professor of management at Bay Path University and chief experience officer at Events by Gillian. 鈥淭he DBA made the most sense where I am at in my career as an expert in various industries that are rooted in business. I would like to use my new skills to continue with business research and development to solve business problems.鈥�
Started in fall of 2020, 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 DBA program is designed to help business leaders see the world and approach problems in different ways by providing them with personalized curriculum to strengthen their abilities to solve problems, communicate solutions and apply advanced research skills.
The 48-credit program combines in-person gatherings and online classes taught by professors with years of experience in the industry and academics. While taking part in online classes, students meet with students in their cohort and others at three in-person residencies per year.
Students are also immersed in rigorous studies allowing them to explore and solve problems and challenges through empirical research. Students enter the program with real-world business problems to research and learn to apply theories and research skills, with an emphasis on sustainability, blue prosperity and human-centered artificial intelligence.
The program is geared toward established executives who have completed a Master of Business Administration degree or other master鈥檚 program and have extensive experience, including at least 10 years in their industry and seven years in a leadership role.
The has been a leader in business, research and outreach in Rhode Island since being established in 1923. Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the College today has more than 2,300 undergraduate and about 350 graduate students across 10 undergraduate majors, eight graduate programs, three Ph.D. specializations, and one executive doctorate program. The DBA program is accredited by the AACSB and is a member of the Executive Doctorate in Business Administration Council.
For more information, go to the program鈥檚 .