Celebrate homecoming with your T-bird friends March 25-28

Features for February 2010 Homecoming - Step up your Global Game! Homecoming registration has started. Celebrate with your T-bird friends March 25-28 on the Glendale, Arizona, campus. Register before Feb. 25 and receive a 10 percent discount. Read more... Super First Tuesday - March 2010: March 2010 has been chosen for Thunderbird’s fifth annual Super First Tuesday. Super First Tuesday is an annual Thunderbird social event that takes place in a particular month in cities all over the world. Read more... Thunderbird Oath of Honor Pledge Now Available for Thunderbird Alumni: The Thunderbird Alumni Network is pleased to announce that the Thunderbird Oath of Honor is now available for virtual signing by T-bird alumni. Read more... Brainstorm 2020: Where we are, and where we go from here: Thunderbird is updating its strategic plan, and we are looking to our key stakeholders to gather input regarding the future plans for the School. Read more...

News Briefs

Summer Global Business Institute
Have a friend or family member in college? Tell them about Thunderbird's new Summer Global Business Institute. This institute is designed to help soon-to-be graduates develop a global mindset, cross-cultural skills and a comprehensive understanding of business and its role in creating lasting prosperity worldwide. For more information, contact Cindy Janus at cindy.janus@thunderbird.edu or visit www.thunderbird.edu/bridge. Deadline: April 30, 2010

Thunderbirds in Haiti
Thunderbirds around the world have rallied to support Haiti in response to a devastating earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010. Click here to read some of their stories or to contribute your own story.

Rugby Alumni Weekend
RAW (Rugby Alumni Weekend) is an annual event held by TARA (Thunderbird Alumni Rugby Association) the first weekend in March. Alums who were involved with Thunderbird Rugby return to see old friends, make new ones and network with the student players. Thursday is golf and Pub Night. Friday is more golf, with the TARA Social at 6pm between alumni and student ruggers. Saturday is the hard-fought match for the right to claim the "Fruit Bowl" trophy, followed by the Rugby Banquet. More information can be found at www.tbirdrugby.org or by contacting Chuck Hamilton at chuck.notlimah@gmail.com.

Faculty to Alumni Webcast
Did you miss the last Faculty-to-Alumni Webast? Thunderbird Professor Christine Pearson, Ph.D. presented, "The Cost of Bad Behavior: How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business and What to Do about It." Click here to watch the recording.

Will you be the 2010 Thunderbird Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year?
Trevor Stansbury '92, founder of Supply Dynamics in Cincinnati, OH, is the 2009 Thunderbird Entrepreneur of the Year - will you be the 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year?  Tell us your story! The Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship is currently accepting applications for the 2010 Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year. Applicants must have started, managed and grown a business; substantially led the turnaround or growth of a business; or managed a larger business in a way that has demonstrated notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements. The winner will be written up as a case study that will be taught to entrepreneurship students at Thunderbird by Walker Center faculty. The winner also will be considered for inclusion as a case study in the world’s most widely published and used textbook on entrepreneurship, by Walker Center Director, Robert Hisrich, Ph.D. Nomination forms and information are available at www.thunderbird.edu/wcge. Nominations are due March 8 and the winner will be announced March 19.

Chapter News

Knowledge Network

Visit the Thunderbird Knowledge Network

Thunderbird Making Headlines

MBA Job Outlook Improving, BusinessWeek, February 3, 2010

Can Management Oaths Be Made Less Mockable?, Harvard Business Review, February 2, 2010

Business Education - Global MBA Rankings 2010, Financial Times, January 25, 2010

More Thunderbird in the News

February Features (continued)

Homecoming - Step up your Global Game!
Homecoming registration has started. Celebrate with your T-bird friends March 25-28 on the Glendale, Arizona, campus. The four-day event includes presentations from Thunderbird professors and the always-popular Regional Night. Alumni from all graduating class years are encouraged to return to campus. Register before Feb. 25 and receive a 10 percent discount.

Schedule:

THURSDAY
Attend a presentation by R. Michael Welborn, President of Global Brand Development for PF Chang's China Bistro. Then join students and fellow alumni to compete in a Global Pub Quiz hosted by the Scottsdale Alumni Chapter.

FRIDAY
Friday kicks off with a day of "globalosophy" with faculty presentations and career development sessions designed to step up your global game. Come ready to flex your global and intellectual muscles at sessions hosted by the Los Angeles Alumni Chapter. In the morning, meet with career change professionals to review your resume or make a career plan. After lunch, find out what Thunderbird faculty members are up to as they share their expertise. Close the day with a family-friendly tailgating dinner party. Wear your favorite Thundergear, drop the kids off at the Kid Zone fun area, and spend the evening with the Phoenix Alumni Chapter catching up with old friends and making new ones.

SATURDAY
Saturday morning is open for you to choose an activity with your classmates such as a day trip or a spring training baseball game. In the afternoon, sign up for a campus tour and see how much the campus has changed since you were here. To start the evening off right, join fellow alumni for a happy hour Vegas style hosted by the Las Vegas Alumni Chapter. The evening finishes with a Thunderbird tradition: World Night! Activities, food, culture and music abound at this truly Thunderbird event. Bring the family and enjoy the event with Thunderbird students.

SUNDAY
After a weekend of fun, spend a relaxing morning at the farewell champagne brunch enjoying the beautiful Arizona spring weather and saying goodbye to old and new friends.

For a detailed schedule of events and to register, click here.

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Super First Tuesday - March 2010
March 2010 has been chosen for Thunderbird’s fifth annual Super First Tuesday. Super First Tuesday is an annual Thunderbird social event that takes place in a particular month in cities all over the world and has two primary goals: 1. To bring together alumni, both recent and more distant graduates who may have been "out of the loop" with the Thunderbird community; 2. To give prospective students an opportunity to meet alumni in their local area and become part of the Thunderbird community.

Last year, 77 chapters and more than 2,500 alumni participated worldwide. Alumni provide a valuable perspective on the school, its potential to impact individuals and careers, and the Thunderbird mystique. Through your local Super First Tuesday event, you can reconnect with fellow alums and help inspire the next generation of T-birds.

Please click here to see a list of chapters hosting Super First Tuesday events. Don’t see your local chapter listed? Contact your chapter leader and strategize to create a special event. Do you know any prospective students? If so, be sure to invite them to attend. If you have questions about the event, please contact Andy Chen, assistant director of Global Recruitment, at andy.chen@thunderbird.edu or 602-978-7916 .

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Thunderbird Oath of Honor Pledge Now Available for Thunderbird Alumni

A message from the Thunderbird Alumni Network

The Thunderbird Alumni Network is pleased to announce that the Thunderbird Oath of Honor is now available for virtual signing by T-bird alumni. The concept of the Oath of Honor was introduced by Thunderbird President Ángel Cabrera in November 2004 at the first Thunderbird Ethics Day. Following much discussion and solicitation of feedback from T-bird students, faculty and alumni, the Oath of Honor was signed by the graduating class of Spring 2006. Thunderbird has recently been the subject of great publicity surrounding our Oath, which has served to distinguish us as a leader among business schools.

We as Thunderbird alumni have the opportunity to distinguish ourselves as role models for the global business community and society at large. Thunderbird has long been a global thought leader in the concept of global business responsibility as expressed in our mission statement:

We educate global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide.

We invite you to demonstrate our commitment to the Thunderbird core value of global citizenship by signing the Thunderbird Oath of Honor. We challenge you to show the world how our Thunderbird community can join together in a single act by pledging the following oath:

As a Thunderbird and a global citizen, I promise:
I will strive to act with honesty and integrity,
I will respect the rights and dignity of all people,
I will strive to create sustainable prosperity worldwide,
I will oppose all forms of corruption and exploitation, and
I will take responsibility for my actions.
As I hold true to these principles, it is my hope that I may enjoy an honorable reputation and peace of conscience. This pledge I make freely and upon my honor.

Our goal is to encourage as many T-bird alumni as possible to sign the Oath by March 15, 2010 so please encourage your fellow alumni to visit the oath of honor website today!

- The Thunderbird Alumni Network

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Brainstorm 2020: Where we are, and where we go from here
Thunderbird is updating its strategic plan, and we are looking to our key stakeholders to gather input regarding the future plans for the School. "Brainstorm 2020" kicked off with a faculty brainstorming session, and just this month brought in more than 70 staff members to participate in brown bag sessions. We have embarked on a world tour to gather ideas from our alumni, TGC and friends of Thunderbird, with sessions in Asia Pacific, Middle East, North America, Latin America and Europe.

But the process doesn't stop here. In order to involve those unable to attend the on-site sessions and continue the dialogue from past sessions, we are also utilizing social media efforts to maintain a level of communication and dialogue regarding this project. Internally, we have created a worksite within our new learning management system (TLE) for our faculty to engage as thought leaders in this project, providing insight through discussion forums and wikis. And, we have also made a blog available on our knowledge network website (www.knowledgenetwork.thunderbird.edu/2020) where anyone with an interest can review the work completed to date and provide their thoughts going forward, so log in and help us keep the dialogue going.

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