Changing of the Guard

Aaron Lykken, Manager – Academic Services & Technologies

TMMBA Class 9 graduated earlier in the month and now Class 10 takes the helm as the senior group of students. Personally I consider them in their “Junior year” at this point as they are largely time management experts and widely knowledgeable about how the program runs, however I never feel that the group has 100% nailed down their study habits and figured out their team dynamic until Summer quarter is over.

With Class 9 gone, things have mellowed out a bit here from an operations standpoint at the Eastside Executive Center as we go from max student capacity during Winter through Spring to suddenly roughly half! Everything seems to be affected, from quieter hallways, one less classroom used, fewer teams and students using study spaces, less coffee being consumed, reduced course materials ordered, et cetera.

One of the great benefits this opportunity affords is the chance to get to know the newer group of students that much more. While Class 10 has been around for two full quarters, things can be quite chaotic at times with students relearning to be…well, students again, during the Winter (their first quarter) and Spring in addition to staff helping guide the veteran group to the finish line in the Spring. Summer eases up a bit on the gas-pedal and I feel that both staff and students interact more and make stronger connections in this simplified environment. I’m looking forward to some of the highlights the Summer quarter brings such as the leadership immersion (a student favorite) during the late Summer/early Autumn, the TMMBA Alumni Golf Classic (a very popular alumni/student event), and the legendary September break (also a student favorite – not pictured 🙂 ).

As you can see, what’s not to like about the Summer?!