 |
Before coming to SMU Cox, Carrie Ford (MA/MBA '08)studied marketing and art history at the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned her undergraduate degree. Ford says she loved every minute at UT Austin, but decided to attend a smaller graduate school that offered a closer-knit environment. She enrolled in SMU's Master of Arts/Master of Business Administration (MA/MBA) program-one of the few such programs in the country-because it allowed her to pursue her love of art while building a solid foundation in business.
Through the unique program offered by SMU's Cox School of Business and Meadows School of the Arts, students expand their skill sets across a wide range of topics related to the arts. The program also gives students the opportunity to network with alumni and professionals in the nonprofit and corporate worlds to gain insight into those environments as well as advice on their job searches after graduation.
Ford works closely with her mentors in the MA/MBA program because they understand her unique class schedule and her post-graduation goals. She also enjoys Cox's small class sizes, which allow students to get to know their professors.
"My classes at UT were massive," she said. "I had more interaction with my teaching assistants than with my professors."
The smaller classroom environment also allows students to foster relationships and learn to work with their classmates while they go through their graduate studies.
"Working with others might be the most important skill I have acquired in my time here," Ford said.
Ford has completed several internships during her time at Cox, and her enhanced ability to build relationships with gallery owners and alumni of the MA/MBA program has proven invaluable. Cox alumna, Suzanne Durgin, who currently works for the Dallas Theatre Center, proved especially helpful.
"Being able to sit down with Suzanne and learn from her experience in the program helps me to see what direction I should go," said Ford. "She also helped me see what internships would be most beneficial for my future goals."
During the spring 2007 semester, Ford interned in the marketing and development departments of the Dallas Opera. The experience revealed to her that nonprofits face many of the same challenges as for-profit companies. She was also able to directly apply what she'd learned in the classroom to the benefit of her employer.
"The development department solidified many of the components I have learned at Cox," she said. "It combined marketing to donors and non-donors, reviewing the budget, working in teams and building relationships-all the things I learned in management classes."
Ford is currently working with six other MA/MBA students on a project for Big Thought, a learning partnership designed to inspire, empower and unite children and communities through education, arts and culture. According to Ford, this internship is also allowing her to apply the skills she has learned in her Cox classes in practical ways.
After graduating in 2008, Ford hopes to spend some time working for a nonprofit organization before opening her own art gallery. With the experience and relationships gained at SMU Cox, she is confident she will have the necessary tools to operate a successful gallery.
|
