The University of Iowa participated in a groundbreaking ceremony on a new 12,000-square foot shared use facility that will be home for its part-time M.B.A. program in the Quad Cities Friday, May 8, in Davenport.
The new building, at 4620 E. 53rd St., will contain technologically advanced classroom and student gathering space for the Tippie College of Business’ M.B.A. for Professionals and Managers (M.B.A.-PM) program, which enrolls about 160 students.
“The Tippie College of Business’ M.B.A.-PM program has been a part of the Quad Cities’ community for almost 50 years, and this new facility will strengthen that relationship and add even greater value to professional and economic development in the region,” says David Frasier, associate dean of the Tippie College of Business’ M.B.A. programs. The Tippie M.B.A.-PM program provides advanced management education for working professionals, helping their employers grow. Classes are offered primarily in the evenings, but also include online, weekend, and study abroad options.
The two-story building is being developed by Russell Construction of Davenport. The M.B.A.-PM program will occupy the lower level with three classrooms, five breakout rooms, one conference room and a student lounge. It will also be outfitted with technology that allows it to share programming with the M.B.A.-PM locations in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines.
Classes are currently held at the Palmer College of Chiropractic. Frasier expects them to move to the new building by January 2016.
US News & World Report ranks the Tippie M.B.A.-PM program 24th among part-time M.B.A. programs in the nation, making it the highest ranked part-time M.B.A. program in Iowa. Since 2004, more than 500 students have graduated from the program and now work at such iconic Quad Cities area employers as Deere & Co., ALCOA, Montgomery-Kone, Rock Island Arsenal, Riverboat Development Authority, AllSteel, and HNI.
Elective courses make up 40 percent of the coursework, so M.B.A. students can customize their experience. Students can choose from courses in leadership, strategy, marketing, finance, analytics, operations, entrepreneurship, or international business.