1 South Grove Street Westerville, OH 43081

614-823-1445 www.otterbein.edu/mba2016

Otterbein University’s advanced degree program inspires graduates to become creative and critical thinkers who possess strong problem solving skills, as well as better decision makers and leaders who deliver atypical success quotients. As director of one of the Midwest’s rapidly growing MBA programs, Eric Lloyd ’02 is an alumnus who has a vision to push the curriculum forward by making it more relevant to business and industry needs.

Lloyd increased connections with a wide spectrum of partners, Otterbein alumni and various professionals and industry leaders, to ask what they expect of graduates. He discovered companies want to work with creative thinkers who have strong communication and problem solving capabilities.

“Graduates also need to be innovative and know how to remain competitive in their own business and industry,” says Lloyd.

From this insight, Lloyd streamlined the curriculum to lean even more heavily on real world application through special topic courses and consulting projects. In addition to traditional coursework, there’s an emphasis on product development, innovation and the latest market trends. Lloyd says this approach is resulting in increasing interest from companies who want to build partnerships, making it possible for MBA students to quickly become a part of Ohio’s rapid creative and information technology startup growth.

“We want to branch out to serve some of the new organizations that have recently located here,” Lloyd says. “That will provide an opportunity for organizations to realize first-hand the talent our students possess.”

Otterbein prides itself on having a small student to faculty ratio, which Lloyd says fosters engagement and helps students feel connected and supported. “Our students thrive here because of the personal interaction with the faculty and the intimacy of the program,” Lloyd says..

OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY’S MBA PROGRAM:SHIFTING THE COURSE

Columbus: An Attractive Business Ecosystem

Ohio’s resurgence of activity as the nexus of technology, processing and manufacturing is why many Otterbein graduates remain in the region for work. “When you look at the Columbus region, it’s one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest,” Lloyd observes. “It’s a very attractive market right now. Columbus is number one for wage growth in the U.S. It was rated one of the most intelligent communities in the world because we have a lot of startup activity going on. The region itself is very attractive as is our MBA program at Otterbein.”

• Business Leaders of CoLumBus •