Are you stressed about proposing? Not your marriage proposal, oh no, your thesis proposal!

Perhaps you are planning on proposing in January, perhaps in February or March, or perhaps even next year. To help remove the mystery of “what should be included in a thesis proposal presentation?” I encourage you to go sit in on a few proposals that others will do before your time comes.

The first batch of proposalers will go on Friday, Dec. 25, 2009, starting at noon (I know, what a very Merry Christmas they will have!). I suggest if you want to sit in on these proposals, get there at least 10 minutes early so you do not disrupt a proposal in progress.

At present the room is 62201, which has limited seating. However, this may change, so keep yourself informed (asking around or coming early and checking the Harvard room or 2nd floor classroom to see where a bunch of nervous souls are hunkered down waiting for their day of reckoning to start).

It will be your turn before you know it. Having watched a few, and learned the types of questions that are asked, will help you feel more confident when you prepare for your own.

Best,
Jojo

Department business cards are now being ordered! The cards are double sided, one side (white) with English information and the other (red) with Chinese information.  You can put in your name, email address, and other details.

After you fill in the information, please contact a member of the student council  to double check your information and pay.  Order and Payment deadline is November 29th.  The price is $250 for 300 cards.  If you order but not pay you will not receive cards.  Also note that you can only order cards if you have paid your student fees.

Fill in the form first, then confirm the information with the student council members.  They will be making announcements in class over the next two weeks.

If you would like to order a set, please use this form.

All you need to do is go to the NCKU Eagle office and sign up.  Simple as that!  Directions to the office are at the bottom of this post.

The students I’ve helped in the past have brought me all kinds of different things.  University applications, essays, diaries, resumes, theses…  This offer is open to any NCKU student who wants help with writing – it doesn’t matter what kind.

Please note that the editors will not edit your work for you.  We are here to help you improve your writing through one-on-one instruction and guidance.

So, if you need some help with your writing please stop by. If you know somebody that needs help, then please encourage them to come in.  This is a great program, but if it students don’t use it, then the University may decide to stop it.

—-

The NCKU Eagle Office is located in the Language Building, which is the building located between the NCKU lake (pond) and Kai Shan Rd. on the north side of the campus.  The office is on the fifth floor in room 26504.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me, Matt Gibson, at xpatmatt(at)gmail.com or call me at 0975.176.771

It is important that all of us understand what the AACSB means for us and our school. Some basic information is provided on the following website:

http://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation

This website provides a fundamental background of what the AACSB is and has a thorough outline of the standards that all AACSB schools should obtain for membership.

I encourage everyone to read up on this subject and continue to make AACSB a major goal for the IIMBA and NCKU.

Cheers,
Jay Dennison

The authors of Orgtheory.net published a a very comprehensive guide on this issue with some excellent graduate school advise. I’d say the most relevant of those are relevant for both IIMBA MBA and PhD students :

• #1: Get the rules!
• #2: The unwritten rules of graduate school.
• #4: How to make the best of course work.
• #5: Graduate school exams.
• #6: Why friends are important.
• #7: Picking your adviser.
• #8: Choosing people for your committee who aren’t the chair.
• #10: Choose a dissertation topic.
• #11: What to do while you are working on the dissertation.
• #12: Writing your dissertation, part 1.
• #13: Writing your dissertation, part 2.
• #14: Sorry, you can’t write your dissertation in 15 minutes a day.
• #15: Working With Your Committee

Read those, they are very helpful.

Good luck.

(Following is the presentation I gave)

Well take a deep breath, try to relax, and visit a Brilliant Checker during our office hours in 62201 (Mondays and Tuesdays) and the research room (Wednesdays and Thursdays) as per the downloadable schedule.

Over-achievers get hired:

Tips for job-seekers (especially for job seekers in tough economic times):

Top 10 Tools for Landing a Better Job

Various Articles Relating to this Topic

• A unique numerical identifyer, like how the Romans used to name their children,
• A suite of software no business student should be without,
• Access to the tubes,
• And some goodies here and there to keep the wolves at bay.

We’re aware that there are some issues regarding USB devices and we’ll be addressing that issue at a future date.  For now, please attempt to access your USB device through “My Computer,” restart the puppy or move to another machine better suited to your needs.

With kibble,

The kennel watchers,

Jason and Jojo

1. Announcement of Junior Class Student Council Election
2. What you should do if you are interested in being a part of the S.C.
3. Information about the Council timeline
4. Responsibilities of the Council
5. Message of Encouragement
Announcement of Junior Class Student Council Election

There will be a student council election for this years student council on November 18th at 930pm.  The election will be held at the weekly student council meeting on the second floor of the IIMBA building in the new research area next door to the IIMBA office room 62201.

All Juniors are invited to join the election process and help to decide the President of the Student Council. We have decided that the President position will be an elected position and the remaining ~9 slots will be filled by volunteers. The organizational structure will largely depend on the amount of volunteers that are willing to contribute to the program.

Although the scheduling may be difficult, the only time to place a vote is on November 18th at the designated meeting. This makes logistics much easier, and will assure voters have the opportunity to see the people interested in the position.
2. What you should do if you are interested in being a part of the S.C.

You should begin by attending our regularly scheduled meetings on Tuesday nights beginning at 10pm. These meetings are held in 62201(next to the IIMBA office) and will give you the chance to see what we do, the types of things that we discuss and plan, and have a better idea of what you are getting into. This will also allow you to begin thinking about the ways in which you can grow and improve your program.

You should also read the limited amount of information contained in this email as well as browse the Student Council webpage for more information about what we do.

Finally, you should talk to current council members about their experiences. Have them answer any questions you might have. If you cannot get your questions answered, please feel free to contact me (philipmcandrew@gmail.com) and I will be happy to help you however I can.
3. Information about the Council Timeline

The council elect will begin meeting the week following the election. They will continue meeting with the old student council as a large team. This will give opportunity for any questions to be answered and advice to be given so that the things we have learned over the past year will be passed on.

The first responsibility of the new council will be the planning of the holiday party. The council elect will be in charge, and have the standing council available as a resource for planning and suggestions. It is important to the standing council that the creativity and fervor of the council elect be encouraged. There will be very little micro-management on this project.

Following the completion of the first semester the council elect will become the official student council with the seniors being involved on more of a project basis (ie.taking care of yearbooks, photos, class shirts, etc.) All decision making authority will be held by the new council.

Being involved with the Student Council is a little more than a one year commitment. Your time as standing council will be one year, and your involvement during the “council elect” period and the “senior project teams” period will be at your discretion.

If I am forgetting anything I am sure these ideas will be brought up again during the meetings.
4. Responsibilities of the Student Council

The Vision of the Student Council is: “To be an active student organization that encourages involvement, strengthens our global perspective, provides organization, enhances the value of our degree, and bridges the gap between students, alumni, and ultimately the world…and have fun!”

We strive to meet head toward this vision in the events that we plan and all that we do.

The responsibilities of the student council consist of, but are not limited to:
1. Hosting the Junior Welcome Party
2. Hosting the Senior Graduation
3. Hosting the Farewell Party
4. Monitoring and Controlling Class Funds
5. Class photos
6. Class shirts
7. Holiday Party
8. Representing school at various outside events
9. Helping to plan trips for the school

As the current student council, we has tried to do things that make life in the IIMBA a little better for the students. Some examples are:

1. Buying mosquito rackets for the RR
2. Assisting in multiple aspects of AACSB accreditation
3. Laying groundwork for future Alumni Association
4. Putting soap in the bathrooms
5. Hosting internationalization meetings and helping to connect international students and local students.
6. Disseminating information
7. Hosting social events
8. etc…. there have been too many things to name, and the more general they are the less meaning you will receive from this list.

Possible areas for the future:
1. Internships
2. Connection to the Tainan Science Park (think Stanford and the Silicon Valley)
3. More Alumni Connection
4. Further establishing the presence of the IIMBA SC as a student organization (bylaws, constitution, etc.)
5. Annual events to raise funds for students (ie. golf tournaments, concerts, etc.)
6. Connecting with other IMBA programs throughout Taiwan
7. Anything your creative mind can come up with…
5. Message of Encouragement

Well, if you made it through this entire post, then good for you. It took me a long time to write and to think about… so allow me to say, “thanks!” I hope that this was clear and gives you a little better insight as to how the transition of power will be handled and what the responsibilities of council members are. As I mentioned earlier, if you have any questions please feel free to email me or stop me when you see me.

As you can understand, having worked together with a team over the last year, and to see something come almost completely from nothing, I take a lot of pride and ownership in the Student Council. My team and I have become extremely close, and it has been an experience that I would never trade. Times were not always easy, and we had more that a couple intense meetings with differing opinions, but i think I can say that it has been rewarding on many levels to be a part of such a great group.

I can only hope that we have started something that we can pass off to you, and that you will be able to take ownership and make it survive and thrive greater than i could imagine. I really think that your class has the talent to make things better, and I can assure you that you that there are countless ways you can contribute and improve the young program we are in. It is truly a unique opportunity that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. It is not only about the experience of managing and coordinating things, but the relationships you build and the truly multicultural environment you work.

I hope to see many of you stepping up to the plate and making a difference in your school and self. You will not be the same person after a year dedicated to the student council, and I can promise that the changes will be for the better.

I look forward to seeing where the council goes from here.

Sincerely,

Philip McAndrew