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As a courtesy to their professors, BBA+ Weekend students do not slip into class late. If they arrive when a lecture has begun, they wait outside the classroom for a break. And in one case, such courtesy paid off, in more ways than showing good manners.
Victor is president of his own company, QB Accounting Solutions, which provides accounting and tax services to a number of companies and individuals. Shirley is director of research and strategic development for The Beacon Council, Inc., an economic development agency for Miami-Dade County that promotes the county to multinational and smaller companies looking to expand. They were drawn to the BBA+ Weekend program for a variety of reasons. "I was interested in personal development," said Victor, who held an associate's degree in accounting from Miami-Dade Community College . "I looked at a number of other places, but the costs were too high. Also, I wanted to be able to finish in a short amount of time." Shirley had started at Florida International University as a full-time student in 1996, but had to cut back on school when she got a full-time job. "I wanted to retain my full-time job and go to school," said Shirley, who was then a research specialist at Cushman & Wakefield of Florida, Inc. and who discovered the program during an Internet search. "I didn't want to have to drive back and forth to classes a lot and, like Victor, I wanted to get the degree done quickly." The BBA+ Weekend program, which concentrates coursework into one weekend day per week, does not interfere with a working person's busy schedule. Logistics, such as registration, are handled for the students, making the program even more convenient. "Registration is very time consuming," said Shirley, "and you might have to postpone finishing your degree if a course you need is already filled or isn't offered when you need it. It's priceless to be in a situation in which all you have to worry about is your classes-rather than worrying about registering for them or whether they are available." It's personal services like this and known time to graduation that make the "+" in the BBA+ program worth it to people like Victor and Shirley. Both said they liked the cohort structure as well. "We became like a club-friends on a long-term basis," said Victor, a member of cohort nine, which graduated in 2002. For Shirley, a member of cohort eleven, which graduated in the summer of 2003, it was the fact that people helped each other out. "We were going through the experience together," she said. "We each had different strengths and areas in which we weren't as strong. We all encouraged each other and helped one another. Besides, we were very much alike. Our attitude was, 'We're here to do a job. Let's do it and move on.'" And both appreciated the dedication of the professors. "Going to school all day makes for a long day, but the teachers made the classes interesting," Victor said. As a morning person, he didn't mind the early schedule. For Shirley, it was a little hurdle. "I am not a morning person," she said. "I would complain about having to get up early and spend eight hours in class, especially since I would usually spend time with my family when I could. Then I would remember that the professors were also giving up their weekends to help me get to where I wanted to be." Even though they weren't in the program at the same time, Shirley is glad that Victor had been through it. "He understood what I was going through and helped me study," she said. Each found the BBA+ Weekend's emphasis on practical approaches to business problems and the preparation of presentations to be useful in their careers immediately. "What I most appreciated in the program was dealing with real-life business scenarios," Shirley said. "We learned how to approach real situations in business. Also, in my job, I make many presentations to companies that want to see what Miami is like. We learned how to present well." Victor agrees. "I use a lot of business plans and I think the program helped me perfect them," he said. "Also, I do a lot of presentations to prospects and new clients. The program really trained us in that." In the future, they may be able to support each other as they go through more schooling. Victor wants to pursue a master's degree in taxation and thinks he might like to become a CFO with a major company. Shirley, who would like to become an assistant vice president or vice president of research, is looking ahead to the Downtown MBA program that the College is offering beginning in the fall. Like the BBA+ Weekend program, it's an intense course of study, but she said she knows she can handle it and that it will be worth the effort. "The BBA+ Weekend program really paid off for me. I got a promotion right away and then a new job offer," Shirley said. "I think the Downtown MBA, which I'll be able to finish in eighteen months, will help me even further."
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When Shirley Baldiris was tardy for the beginning of a BBA+ Weekend session, she dutifully stayed in the hall. Victor Andrades, a BBA+ Weekend student from another cohort, was on a break from his class in the adjoining room. Though they had met before, the result of their chance meeting that day in May 2002 was an August 31, 2003 wedding, shortly after Shirley finished her degree. 