More than numbers get crunched in CEBA every Monday and Tuesday night.
On these nights, the hallway near CEBA’s northwest entrance transforms into a dining room – complete with 11 tables covered with white tables cloths.
Seated at these tables are graduate students in the Flores Professional MBA Program. The grad students crunch on cuisine prepared by Envie Catering, such as feta shrimp pasta, herb vegetable salad and nut and fudge-covered brownies before heading to their evening classes.
The 42-hour Professional MBA Program classes are offered on Monday and Tuesday nights to accommodate students’ work schedules.
The program aims to meet the needs of busy professionals who want to continue their education, said Program Director David Shields.
“This is a premium-price program,” he said. “It’s approximately $27,000 for 33 months.”
For $27,000, tuition, books, parking and subscriptions to The Wall Street Journal and Fortune are covered, along with the cost of two weekly meals.
Aaron Corcoran, a PMBA student, said he and other students need motivation because of the hefty price of tuition, and something as minor as a meal can help give them that desire.
“If they didn’t offer incentives, it might deter students,” he said.
Ed Schexnayder, also a PMBA student, said having the catered dinner is convenient for his schedule.
“The Professional MBA Program is geared toward people who work full time,” Schexnayder said. “It’s making it a lot easier because we come straight from work.”
Meals have been included in the PMBA Program for the past three years, and they offer students a chance for more than just physical nourishment, Shields said.
“It gives students a chance to work on team projects,” he said.
Schexnayder said the meals are good for networking.
“We have big classes, and being able to meet on a personal level makes it easier to give class presentations,” Schexnayder said.
This is the first semester the meals and classes have been in CEBA. In previous years, PMBA classes were held in the Law Center and dinner at the Faculty Club.
But with the convenience of having dinner in the same building as classes, some students are not completely satisfied.
Schexnayder said he preferred eating at the Faculty Club.
“It was more like a restaurant,” he said. “This year it’s kind of like they stuck us in the stairwell.”