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By Sookhan Ho

BLACKSBURG, Va., January 12, 2007 -- The Pamplin College of Business will be hosting information sessions about its new Professional Master of Business Administration program. The sessions will be held at various regional campus locations throughout the state during January and February.

The college launched the Professional MBA last fall to cater to the particular needs of full-time, mid-level professionals who want a quality graduate business program with a convenient schedule that allows them to earn an MBA without interrupting their careers.

“The PMBA reflects the college’s strengths in research and business leadership,” says Steve Skripak, associate dean for graduate programs and MBA director. The program focuses on ethical and entrepreneurial leadership and the strategic management of information technology in a global environment. Courses are taught by full-time Pamplin faculty members and, in a few cases, appropriate adjunct faculty. “The college and its faculty are committed to providing students excellent value for their time and investment.” Students are enrolled only in cohorts, he says, to allow richer learning and networking experiences.

The PMBA will replace the college’s longstanding part-time MBA program, where classes have been broadcast to various sites around the state via the university’s interactive video conferencing network. This part-time program, Skripak says, will end at the conclusion of this academic year.

The PMBA is aimed at serving full-time professionals across Virginia, excluding metro Washington, D.C., where the university’s Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church will continue to cater to students through two onsite MBA programs: the Executive MBA, intended for more senior professionals, and a part-time MBA with a longer completion time than the PMBA.

The two-year PMBA has the same 48-credit-hour requirements as the college’s full-time, two-year MBA and confers the same degree. Scheduled over eight terms of three months each, PMBA classes meet face-to-face one weekend a month on Fridays and Saturdays. The meetings alternate between Virginia Tech facilities in Roanoke and Richmond. Some course content, Skripak says, is delivered via distance-learning technologies.

Program details will be discussed at the information sessions (dates and locations below). No reservations are required. For directions and admission enquiries, please contact the Pamplin MBA office at (540) 231-6152.

Friday, Jan. 26 Abingdon, Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 29 Roanoke Higher Education Center, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 30 Roanoke Higher Education Center, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 30 Virginia Tech Richmond Center, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 31 Virginia Tech Richmond Center, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 1 Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Center, 7-8 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 2 Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Center, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Virginia Tech’s nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of ethical values and leadership, technology, and international business skills. A member of its marketing faculty directs the interdisciplinary Sloan Foundation Forest Industries Center at Virginia Tech. The college’s other centers focus on business leadership, electronic commerce, and organizational performance. The college is committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students. It is named in honor of Robert B. Pamplin (BAD ’33), the former CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and his son, businessman and philanthropist Robert B. Pamplin Jr. (BAD ’64).

Contact Sookhan Ho at sookhan@vt.edu or (540) 231-5071.

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