Colleagues—
It is hard to believe that we are already half-way through the year! I know many of you have finalized your classes for the fall and have already begun recruiting for the 2018 intake. As your eyes most likely need a break from reviewing a spreadsheet or file, please take a few minutes to catch up on what is happening in the Americas market of GMAC.
Annual Conference
It was great connecting with so many of you at this year’s Annual Conference. Energy was high among the 700+ industry colleagues and friends as we were encouraged to make “stress our friend”, learn how to communicate in turbulent times, and find ways to spark our creativity. A special “thank you” to each of you who played a role- from those who submitted concurrent session ideas to those who presented, facilitated, sat on panels, shared ideas- or simply spread positivity and good vibes. Even after 20 years- I am still thrilled to be a part of this community!
If you attended the conference, you should have received a link with session presentations. If for any reason you are unable to access the presentations, please contact your GMAC rep.
Undergraduates
The topic of undergraduate pipeline development surfaced in several of the Annual Conference sessions. Although GMAC rolled out Invest in Yourself, a program that targets undergraduate students on a number of U.S. campuses, we can’t do this alone. We need you to partner with us to connect with students on YOUR campus and champion the value proposition of a graduate business degree. Why not hold a destination MBA day? Have a graduate assistant speak to a class in the School of Engineering or Economics. Host Golden Key members for a pizza party. We can provide you with a toolkit including collateral, messaging, swag and a pricing discount for the GMAT. We just need you to provide the messenger.
Christa Johnson (the newest member of our team) is the GMAC lead assigned to this initiative. Feel free to connect with her at cjohnson@gmac.com. Christa will be attending Beta Alpha Psi, Golden Key and Beta Gamma Sigma conferences this summer/fall. Feel free to send the chapter leaders or advisors to her booth.
Engagement beyond Annual Conference
Many of you reading this were not able to attend the Annual Conference. If you would like to experience the same type of camaraderie, networking, best practice sharing and idea exchange, please take advantage of our Regional MeetUps. Last year we connected with more than 200 of you at these complimentary half day interactive sessions. In times of restricted budgets, MeetUps are a great way to ensure your team stays abreast of industry trends while exploring new ideas and expanding their networks. To find a MeetUp near you, please visit our professional development pages on gmac.com. (We’ll be in Houston and LA later this month.)
My final point before closing this post- please fill out the brief four question survey on International Student Immigration Advocacy. We are trying to determine next steps to further our impact on international student mobility. We would appreciate your feedback!
Enjoy the remainder of summer—
Sabrina
Sabrina White, Vice-President, Market Development
Americas & Europe
As always, if GMAC can assist you, please do not hesitate to contact your Market Development Manager.
Americas Market Development Team