Since 1969, Virginia Tech has served local residents, government and industry in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area.
While the planned Innovation Campus in Alexandria is anticipated to triple Virginia Tech’s local footprint, it already boasts more than 45 graduate degree and certificate programs, as well as many laboratories and research centers, spread across the region from Arlington to Leesburg.
Among those degree offerings, the Pamplin College of Business offers two different MBA program options that serve working professionals looking to advance their careers without leaving the workforce.
The Executive MBA offers an accelerated, cohort-based option for mid-career professionals. Students meet bi-monthly for weekend classes at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Ballston.
The experiential learning curriculum focuses on strategic management in a global environment with an emphasis on leadership and governance, business analytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, and globalization.
The working professionals who pursue the Arlington-based Executive MBA at Virginia Tech get a rich education in the fundamentals of business — accounting and finance, marketing, operations, ethics, communications and leadership.
But woven around foundation courses are “experiential modules” designed to accelerate development in four essential and current areas: business analytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, leadership and governance, and global business.
The hands-on experience of the integrated modules is meant to allow Executive MBA students to immediately put their learning into action. That’s the idea behind all of Virginia Tech’s MBA programs — giving working professionals the tools they need to advance their careers as they pursue an MBA.
“What we did at Virginia Tech a few years ago was to say that we really want to focus on the working professional — someone who wants to enhance their career or make a change in the direction of their career, but not at the expense of continuing to be a business professional,” says Pamplin College of Business Dean Robert Sumichrast. That allows those students to come into the classroom, he adds, “and use what they’ve learned as part of the experience of the MBA program.”
Virginia Tech’s Evening MBA program moved up three places to No. 14 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 rankings of the best part-time MBA programs.
The Northern Virginia-based program now ranks as the top public university part-time MBA in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The report assessed more than 300 part-time MBA programs across the country on factors such as student quality, peer reputation and the ratio of part-time to full-time students.
“This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Evening MBA has featured in the top 20 programs nationwide,” said Dana K. Hansson, director of MBA programs. “We believe the faculty expertise and high level of flexibility we offer are key factors in continuing to attract high quality students to our program.”
The Evening MBA is one of three MBA programs offered by the Pamplin College of Business. With many shared courses and faculty, the Executive and Professional MBA program options offer a similar academic experience to the Evening program, but with alternate formats and locations to better serve a range of students.
These days, there isn’t just one way to get an education, says Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business Dean Robert Sumichrast.
Popular program options for working professionals include MOOCs, coding bootcamps, technical certifications and master’s degrees. The question is which one to choose.
MOOCs — massive, open, online courses — let students audit courses online, at no charge, through well-known universities. Students may also participate in paid versions of the course, which add graded assignments, extra support and a certificate for successful completion.
Coding bootcamps vary widely in their duration, format and cost, but all have a similar goal: to help students ramp up quickly on coding skills, especially web and mobile development.
Technical certifications are credentials that show people have passed a test and, in some cases, worked in a given job for a set period of time. These can be inexpensive to attain, if the student is willing to do self-study. However, they’re of limited duration; when the technology is updated, the certification needs to be updated, too.
Then there’s the master’s degree:
- It’s only available through institutions that have gone through an accrediting process to prove the quality of their instructors and courses.
- In the leading schools, faculty have practical experience in the subject and bring cutting-edge information to their students.
- The program generally includes a community of alumni with deep connections and support.
The online Master of Information Technology, offered by Virginia Tech, adds an additional benefit: It has been jointly developed by faculty from both business and engineering, which means it can strike that sweet spot of “technical and soft skills” that employers truly value, notes Sumichrast. The combination, he says, “makes for a really well-rounded student coming out of the program.”
So how do you choose a program? Read More
Hungry for school reform? What about school lunch?
Chef Dan Giusti will be visiting the District next Tuesday, December 11 to share his transition from heading a two Michelin star restaurant, to revolutionizing the way K-12 students eat.
After years in fine dining, Giusti founded Brigaid in 2016: a company which recruits trained chefs to lead institutional kitchens under the premise that students deserve real, wholesome food, cooked from scratch with care and passion.
Giusti will also share his vision for Whittle School & Studios, where he was recently named Executive Chef in Residence.
All are welcome to experience a unique presentation from a chef who is innovating how the future leaders of tomorrow eat during the school day.
Hosted at the Whittle School & Studios Parent Information Center at the Mazza Gallerie from 6-8 p.m., Whittle School & Studios is delighted to partner with Dan in his mission to reimagine school lunch.
Visit the Whittle School & Studios website to register for the latest in the Whittle Talks Series featuring Chef Dan Giusti!
Northern Virginia and DMV-Area Families: An innovative and global preschool-Grade 12 school is coming to DC next year – The Whittle School & Studios! Aimed at educating and nurturing curious, compassionate global citizens, The Whittle School is the brainchild of entrepreneur Chris Whittle, American media and education leader, former chairman of Esquire Magazine and founder of Whittle Communications and Avenues: The World School as well as Edison Learning.
The School’s philosophy and curriculum are based upon best practices from countries around the world, with an emphasis on personalized education, experiential learning, and immersive language and cultural knowledge acquisition. From the start, The Whittle School will open a second campus in Shenzhen, China, and over the next 10 years will open campuses in leading cities around the globe. As one school with many campuses, Whittle is a modern, innovative concept that will develop smart, engaged, well-rounded and globally-minded students sought after by top universities and colleges.
Amongst the different Whittle educational offerings, there will be a strong boarding component for Upper School with both full boarding and 5-day boarding options. This allows families to make the best choices for them and their students, balancing school and family life. The campus, a collaborative learning hub, will open in September 2019 at the former Intelsat building in Washington, DC, offering students access to the City as a valued educational tool. For 5-day boarding students, transportation will be offered to and from the School on a weekly basis.
To learn more about The Whittle School, please visit our website at https://www.whittleschool.org.
You may also contact Matthew Pohl, Director of Enrollment Strategy, [email protected], 646-851-5260.
*** No. VIRGINIA OPEN HOUSE: Sunday November 18, 4pm, Ritz Carlton, Tysons
Come meet members of our leadership team and learn about our vision for a modern, global preschool-Grade 12 school with campuses around the world, launching in Fall 2019 in Washington, D.C. and Shenzhen, China. ***
RSVP: nova.whittleschool.org
Photos courtesy of Carlos Rosario School
It’s the Carlos Rosario School’s Sonia Gutierrez Campus! From an email:
“On Friday, June 5th we’ll be having a street naming celebration at the Sonia Gutierrez Campus at 5th and V street NE. I think a lot of people (especially those walking on the Metropolitan Branch Trail) might not know what the building is and what we do. It would be great to spread the word through Popville.
On Friday, in addition to remarks from the mayor and city councilmembers, the event will also include the unveiling of the street sign, food prepared by culinary arts students, student performances and student-led tours. It should be a good party complete with a Mariachi band, traditional Ethiopian dancers and good food prepared by our students.”
On June 5th the Carlos Rosario School will host a street naming ceremony and celebration to honor the national award-winning Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School that has transformed the lives of over 70,000 Latinos and other immigrants for the past four decades.
The D.C. Council unanimously voted to commemoratively name the 500 block of V Street NE as Sonia Gutierrez Campus Way. The naming ceremony will take place in front of the Sonia Gutierrez Campus in recognition of the legacy and impact of Sonia Gutierrez, the Carlos Rosario School’s founder and innovative educator, for her 43 years of service to the Latino and immigrant communities of Washington, DC.
This is the first time in Washington, DC history that a street is named in honor of a Latina!
What: Street Naming Ceremony and Reception to include student-led entertainment and tours as well as food prepared by Carlos Rosario culinary arts career training students
Who: Key attendees include city councilmembers, key community leaders, school leaders, and members of the greater DC region’s immigrant communities including adult immigrant students and graduates
When: June 5, 2015 from 10:30am to 1pm
Where: Sonia Gutierrez Campus, 514 V Street NE
From an email:
“DC Public Schools is pleased to announce the 10th annual Beautification Day on Saturday, August 23rd, 2014, from 9AM-1PM.
Join over 4,000 volunteers for a variety of projects to help clean and spruce up schools in preparation for the students first day of school. Activities will include gardening and landscaping, organizing books and libraries, painting, flower planting and more.
· When? Saturday, August 23rd from 9AM to 1PM
· Where? When you sign up as a volunteer, you’ll be able to select your school choice. We recommend you register as ‘flexible” whenever possible to ensure all schools receive quality care.
· How? Here is the registration link.
· Why? As a valued member of our community, your presence matters! Show up, have fun, and foster meaningful relationships with schools and neighbors.”
UPDATE: from MPD:
“The Metropolitan Police Department, Third District, are on the scene of Meridian Hill Charter School in the 2100 block of 13th St, NW, investigating a call for a possible shooting.
At this time nothing is found. We are investigating where the telephone call originated.”
UPDATE 2 From MPD:
“Reports of a shooting at a school in the 2100 block 13th Street NW are false. There is NO active shooter. – MPD PIO”
Final Update from MPD at 3:15pm:
“The incident was resolved and no crime occurred.”
A reader sends the photo above and writes:
“Large police, fire and emergency presence on 13th Street NW from U Street up to at least W Street. Meridian Public Charter School was evacuated a few minutes ago too.”
Another reader sends the photo directly above and writes:
“Not sure what is going on but dozens of police and fire trucks, the police helicopter, and uniformed Homeland Security officers are on the scene and have blocked off the roads. Lots more police are arriving right now (10:20 AM).”
@DCPoliceDept tweets:
“Traffic Advisory: Police activity in the 2100 blk of 13th St NW. Street Closures on 13th – 14th St NW from U to W St NW.”
Updates as more info is known/released.
North Twin Oaks Plot at 14th and Taylor St, NW
A reader passes on the following email about saving the Twin Oaks Garden:
“We are writing to alert you, as members of the community, to a situation affecting the Twin Oaks Community Garden at 14th and Taylor streets NW. As part of the impending large-scale renovation of neighboring Powell Elementary school, the north side of the garden is currently slated for demolition, to be replaced by a faculty parking lot.
This garden is a beautiful space operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and has been under cultivation for at least seven years by community gardeners, and used for DC’s summer youth programming long before that. Between the north and south sides of the garden, which is divided by Taylor Street, there are a total of 63 10’x15’ plots, five bee hives, three major compost operations, and numerous trees, many of which were just added by Casey Trees.
Twin Oaks gardeners and DPR were not included in the Powell renovation planning process, and only last month became aware of the threat to the garden. We’ve begun a dialogue with the DC Department of General Services (DGS), which is managing the project, to consider alternatives that can both meet the needs of the school and preserve this historic community garden.
Please join us for a public community meeting with DCPS, DGS and DPR to help save the garden and show support for urban agriculture in our community. We believe that with community input and innovation we can arrive at a solution that both improves the school’s facilities and preserves this long-standing green space.
When: Wednesday, June 25th; 6:00 p.m.
Where: Powell Elementary School auditorium, 1350 Upshur Street NW“
