Success of the MBA attributed to affordability, outreach and quality

The program, regularly referenced in online forums for affordability and recommended in “Military Times,” has been grown regionally, Gallegos said.

A recent analysis of demographics show that MBA candidates hail mainly from Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming, with other smaller populations from Florida, California, and Texas.

“This substantiates CSC's role and purpose to facilitate quality, affordable education options for residents of the American Midwestern, high plains region,” Gallegos said.

He said the beauty of an MBA is that it is useful for midlife professionals in all walks of life. As of Nov. 15, 195 students are enrolled in the MBA program at Chadron State College. Students in the program have included a college president, a hospital CEO, a Silver medal Olympic sprinter, lawyers, veterinarians, and countless executives and entrepreneurs.

“It adds the tools of management methods, financial literacy, and common law business analysis to buttress one’s profession or tool a future pursuit. For instance, a chef, a nurse, a teacher, anyone with the knowledge of management systems, financial literacy, and legal frameworks would improve the competencies in any institutional administration from restaurants to hospitals and schools,” Gallegos said.

He believes the greatest strength of the program is a combination of its affordability, open admission and dedication to access.

“The more recent advances with mobile internet technologies, the digitization of education material, and the ubiquity of access has made asynchronous online education the disruptive assault in traditional brick and mortar MBA programs,” Gallegos said.

Outcomes are an important measuring stick in the age of assessment and accreditation and CSC has the data to support the claim that its graduates have met program expectations. MBA students entering and exiting the Chadron State program complete the Peregrine exam which provides feedback on curriculum.

“The Peregrine exam further allows us to compare and contrast ourselves to other programs. Its benefits include having both an inbound exam and an outbound exam, which allows a pairwise analysis. Other similar tests only offer the inbound aptitude,” Gallegos said.

CSC students in the MBA program score above the national averages in every section of the exam, according to Gallegos.

The entire business program, both undergraduate and graduate, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

It is the largest business program specialized accreditation body in the country. Although there is another accrediting body used by larger universities, its focus is on research, according to Gallegos.

“ACBSP has the focus of a pragmatic, relevant teaching based model. Not that research is discouraged but the emphasis is on assessing the program’s investment in compliance through contemporary faculty development, technology and high impact teaching practices,” Gallegos said.

The rigorous ACBSP standards make regional accreditation compliance with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) easily attainable, according to Gallegos.

“Dr. Richard Koza and Dr. Timothy Anderson are heavily affiliated with ACBSP in the global arena and their experiences serve to strengthen our program,” Gallegos said. “ACBSP accreditation is a powerful stamp of quality and pedigree and Chadron State College is very proud to broadcast this badge of merit.”