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From left to right: Tim Orrange; Kaitlyn River Orrange; Paul Imbrone; Macy’s Florida vice president of community relations and government affairs; Wyley Farrand, Orrange’s stepson; Courtney Orrange, Orrange’s wife and Macy’s Florida director of store staffing and expense control; and N. K. “Trip” Tripathy, president, Macy’s Florida

You could say that Tim Orrange (MBA ’06) made the ideal candidate for pursuing an MBA at the College of Business Administration’s Downtown Center. A true urban professional, he worked as the advertising business office manager at the corporate headquarters of Macy’s Florida. In the summer of 2005, he had taken the GMAT and was starting to look at graduate schools in South Florida.

“Florida International University offered the right MBA curriculum at the right time in my career, and certainly at the right location—just a few floors down from my office in the Macy’s building where I work. Two evenings a week, I’d be sitting at my desk finishing up a day’s work, then take a quick one-minute elevator ride and be in class on time by 5:30 p.m. It couldn’t have been more convenient,” Orrange said.

And so Orrange became one of the first to join and graduate from the college’s Downtown MBA (DTMBA) program.

“You could say that my classmates and I were DTMBA pioneers,” he said. “That fostered a real sense of community and teamwork among us students as well as a shared sense of accomplishment.” 

Highly relevant program helps Orrange sharpen current and future job skills.

Orrange found that his MBA classes gave him the opportunity to use his past and present business experience to add value to group discussions and projects.

Tim Orrange and Kaitlyn River Orrange

“Equally important, I’ve been able to take the lessons I learned in class and apply them to my current job,” Orrange said.

In particular, he cites a behavioral science course that has helped him better relate to his staff, which includes two managers and seven hourly-based employees who report to him.

“I’ve relied on insights gained in that class to help me resolve several different ‘crisis’ situations here at work successfully,” he said.

Orrange notes that in addition to the evening classes, the DTMBA program includes professional developmental seminars (PDS) that focus on topics such as ethics, professional writing, presentation skills, and career counseling.

“The college did an excellent job of creating an atmosphere conducive for learning—with state-of-the-art classrooms, outstanding faculty, and a readily available support staff to guide us through our education,” he said. “I can honestly say that every course I took on the way to earning my master’s degree relates in one way or another to facets of my work in advertising and marketing.”

He also said that Macy’s already has recognized his achievement in earning a graduate degree and that the whole experience has left him “fearless” when it comes to the future of his career.

“With this MBA degree in my pocket, armed with what I’ve learned, I know I’ll have greater confidence moving into any new job opportunities that may come my way,” he said.

Balancing life, work, and grad school: “It can be done!”

Orrange admits that adding graduate school to the already hectic pace of work and life does have its challenges.

“The eight-week semester structure means that the learning is condensed and the pressure is on to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time,” he said. “The reality is, no matter how crazy the schedule becomes, you will be able to get through it. I learned so much from the experience, and I made some great contacts in the downtown Miami professional community along the way.”

Orrange graduated from the MBA program in December, 2006. 

His best graduation present arrived early—with the birth of his daughter, Kaitlyn River Orrange.

“Kaitlyn was born on the very day a final paper was due—and the day before a major final exam,” he said. “I was able to manage it all, balancing the demands of work and school with the welcome addition of a beautiful newborn baby girl into our family. I tell anyone considering taking on a graduate program: ‘If I can do it, you can do it. Just go for it.’”

To learn more about the college’s Downtown MBA program, visit: http://business.fiu.edu/chapman/mba_downtown.cfm. Or, call Lourdes Herrero-Matus (BBA ’98), program director, at 305-577-1681 for more information.

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© 2007 FIU College of Business Administration