Banking professional Anthony Gattuso likes the convenience of attending MBA classes at his workplace.Anthony J. Gattuso always wanted to earn an MBA. Like
many working professionals, however, he hesitated to add another commitment to
his already busy schedule. “There was always a reason to put it off–personal
and professional obligations, etc.,” he recalls.
That changed when Gattuso, a vice president and senior
credit field officer at MB Financial Bank, heard about a new partnership between the MB and DePaul University to bring DePaul’s highly regarded MBA program to his
workplace. Gattuso now attends DePaul MBA classes with 35 of his coworkers two
evenings a week at MB Financial Bank’s Rosemont, Ill. offices.
“When I weighed the specifics of the program — the benefits
of an onsite program with a streamlined enrollment process, and an attractive
cost relative to a traditional program — it was an easy decision to enroll,” he
says. “I view the program as an opportunity to further develop my business,
leadership and managerial skill sets, while growing relationships with others
in the organization — all in a location that is convenient and conducive for
balancing my professional life with my personal life.”
DePaul Corporate Education Partnerships are Growing
MB Financial employees enrolled in DePaul’s MBA program offered onsite at the bank.
The DePaul-MB Financial Bank collaboration is one of 25 education partnerships that the university’s Corporate and Employer Outreach (CEO) initiative has forged with companies in the banking, healthcare and technology fields since DePaul launched CEO in 2013. The partnerships range from tuition discounts and professional development opportunities to MBA and other tailored degree program offerings at company facilities. In seeking partners, DePaul primarily targets Fortune 1000 companies that have headquarters or major hubs in the Chicago area.
Employers benefit from these partnerships as much as their
employees do, says Dara Crowfoot, director of DePaul’s CEO initiative.
“Hiring is returning to pre-recession levels, and
companies are looking for benefits that can help them attract and retain
employees, especially millennial generation professionals who place a high
value on education and training,” she explains. “These educational partnerships
help companies keep their best employees from being hired away.”
“Long-term,” she continues, “DePaul wants to
be recognized as a solution-provider for area businesses and organizations
seeking to cultivate and keep exceptional talent.”
Students Expand Internal Networks,
Gain Real-World Knowledge
One
big benefit of DePaul’s corporate-based degree programs is that they build camaraderie
and teamwork among enrolled co-workers, who progress through their studies
together as a cohort.
“I’ve
found that both the professional and personal connections with my
classmates/co-workers are stronger as a result,” says Dan Butterworth, assistant
vice president of consumer marketing at MB Financial Bank and a student in the DePaul
MBA program there.
Dan Butterworth, a DePaul MBA student at MB Financial, says he benefits from the program’s real-world focus.Butterworth
also appreciates the opportunity to immediately apply what he has learned to
his work at the bank. “The first class in our program, Organizational Behavior,
has given me tremendous insight into the obstacles decision-makers face. One of
my long-term objectives is to develop a skill set that improves my
decision-making ability. Needless to say, the program started off perfectly for
me.”
For graduates of DePaul’s corporate MBA programs, the career benefits
continue to accrue.
Matt Ley (MBA ’16), supply chain manager at Medline Industries, earned
his DePaul MBA at the global medical supplier’s far north suburban headquarters. Ley sought
the degree to enhance his knowledge of business because he had not studied
business as an undergraduate.
“Besides the immense benefit of networking with my fellow
employees, the program afforded me the
opportunity to explore, discuss and engage in multiple business disciplines,”
says Ley. “I have gained the ability to discuss marketing, sales, finance,
purchasing and management — topics I would have felt ill-prepared for based on
work experience alone. This increased knowledge means I have a larger pool of
options before me regarding future development and advancement.”
To
find out more about DePaul corporate education opportunities, contact DePaul’s Corporate and Employer Outreach (CEO) initiative at (312) 362-6911 or
corporatepartnership@depaul.edu.