Inflation of Degrees!
May 1, 2021 19:35:52 #
I had always wanted to get my MBA degree and while I lived in Houston the late 1960’s I began on that path at the University of Houston at night. Since the company I worked for did not seem to value their employees having a masters’ degree, I told my district manager that if I got at least half way through the courses for my MBA, I would not accept any transfer or promotion until I graduated and then I was leaving the firm. That seemed to work because I was promoted within that year and lost my first attempt at earning the diploma.
Years later, when in my early forties and living in the Rio Grande Valley, I happen to by chance to notice an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal of Pepperdine University offering a Presidents and Key Executive MBA at the Woodlands, near Houston. I quickly planned to attend the initial screening meeting and was accepted. While they said this was to screen the candidates, I believe it really was to determine who could afford the $12,000 tuition.
Classes were to be held one weekend a month for a year. A Pepperdine dean would fly in for the weekend for an intense couple of days. There was always a lot of homework assigned before the next session. I found the classes stimulating and challenging. It was really giving me an education. The professors were usually the head of their department. To the best of my ragged memory, there was a quantitative quarter, human resource quarter, and the last quarter was strategic planning.
Most of the members of my class were middle managers of large corporations that was paying their tuition. For instance, one bright and capable classmate could not master a foreign language thus had never graduated from the University of Texas, so he had been held back by that. His employer found this as a solution to the problem.
Our graduation ceremony in Malibu, California was in April of 1979 and the class flew out for the ceremony to get our colors draped over our black gowns. It was a fun trip and was the fulfillment of a life long goal. It had been touted as having ten times return on investment, but I doubted that. Much like Forrest Gump saying he had received a million-dollar wound, but the government must have kept all that money, since he had not seen any of it. You are never too old to do something important!
Many years later, I am living in Houston and was invited by the official local representative of Pepperdine University to a meeting with a group of potential candidates who were interested in taking the PKE MBA course at Pepperdine. However, the course had been radically changed. Now were required to fly out to Malibu one weekend a month for classes, and the tuition was now raised to $112,000. Wow! Just Saying…RJS
Years later, when in my early forties and living in the Rio Grande Valley, I happen to by chance to notice an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal of Pepperdine University offering a Presidents and Key Executive MBA at the Woodlands, near Houston. I quickly planned to attend the initial screening meeting and was accepted. While they said this was to screen the candidates, I believe it really was to determine who could afford the $12,000 tuition.
Classes were to be held one weekend a month for a year. A Pepperdine dean would fly in for the weekend for an intense couple of days. There was always a lot of homework assigned before the next session. I found the classes stimulating and challenging. It was really giving me an education. The professors were usually the head of their department. To the best of my ragged memory, there was a quantitative quarter, human resource quarter, and the last quarter was strategic planning.
Most of the members of my class were middle managers of large corporations that was paying their tuition. For instance, one bright and capable classmate could not master a foreign language thus had never graduated from the University of Texas, so he had been held back by that. His employer found this as a solution to the problem.
Our graduation ceremony in Malibu, California was in April of 1979 and the class flew out for the ceremony to get our colors draped over our black gowns. It was a fun trip and was the fulfillment of a life long goal. It had been touted as having ten times return on investment, but I doubted that. Much like Forrest Gump saying he had received a million-dollar wound, but the government must have kept all that money, since he had not seen any of it. You are never too old to do something important!
Many years later, I am living in Houston and was invited by the official local representative of Pepperdine University to a meeting with a group of potential candidates who were interested in taking the PKE MBA course at Pepperdine. However, the course had been radically changed. Now were required to fly out to Malibu one weekend a month for classes, and the tuition was now raised to $112,000. Wow! Just Saying…RJS
May 1, 2021 20:01:07 #
Mauwehu
Loc: Norwalk Ct
I’ve always thought of you as a master.....didn’t know it was certified. Did you ever attend the school of Hard Knocks?
May 1, 2021 20:05:47 #
Yes, and that's exactly why I wanted formal education. I have noticed your sage and salty comments often, would you consider helping with my getting a Zoom Oral Storytelling thing going. It isn't professional and I'm not a pro either, but storytelling is important. Just Sayin...RJS
May 2, 2021 09:33:53 #
Mauwehu
Loc: Norwalk Ct
Robert J Samples wrote:
Yes, and that's exactly why I wanted formal education. I have noticed your sage and salty comments often, would you consider helping with my getting a Zoom Oral Storytelling thing going. It isn't professional and I'm not a pro either, but storytelling is important. Just Sayin...RJS
That sounds interesting RJ.
Salty and sage? You’re very kind.
I’m interested.
May 2, 2021 14:21:12 #
May 2, 2021 18:57:43 #
Fallbrook Ken: Professor Duke Page was our primary professor. Was he still with Pepperdine when you were going thru? Just Sayin....RJS
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