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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (June 17, 2010) — Marvin Eichorn, chief financial officer at Mountain States Health Alliance and a recent graduate of Milligan College’s MBA program, recently placed fourth out of 307 MBA teams in an international business simulation competition.
“Marvin’s high placement is a wonderful testament to his strategic acumen,” said Dr. Carolyn Massello, assistant professor of business administration at Milligan.
As a requirement for one of Massello’s MBA classes, Eichorn competed individually in the Capsim Management Simulations Inc. (Capsim®) competition. Capsim® is a provider of business simulations and business games used in more than 500 schools worldwide, as well as in corporate, fast-track training.
The competition, which began in January and concluded in March, consisted of computer simulations covering scenarios students experience in the real business world. Students make decisions in strategy and tactics, policy production, accounting, marketing, finance, quality control, human resources, leadership and teamwork.
“This competition dealt with real-life situations,” said Eichorn, who began his career as a CPA with Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young). “With 30 years of experience in the business world, I have faced many of these decisions over the years at work.”
Eichorn’s fourth-place finish allowed a team from Milligan to advance to the next round of competition, which began March 29. The team, led by Eichorn, consisted of Jessica Shelton and Brandy Carter, both residents of Gray, Tenn. Finishing 15th, Milligan’s team was just 20 points away from making the final round of competition.
Eichorn graduated from Milligan’s MBA program on May 8. He is pleased he has been able to integrate his years of professional experience with new information he has learned in the classroom.
“I was interested in Milligan because it is a Christian college and I liked that approach in the MBA program,” Eichorn said. “The instructors bring everything together very well. And another part of the attraction was that Milligan’s program meets just once a month, allowing me to keep up with my busy work schedule, while still completing the MBA.”
Milligan’s Master of Business Administration is a 14-month program designed for working professionals. It meets one Saturday a month ― either at Milligan or at Milligan’s new MBA satellite campus at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tenn. The remainder of the coursework is completed with ongoing Internet instruction. The program features a leading-edge curriculum rooted heavily in an emphasis on business ethics from a Christian perspective.
Classes for the fall MBA cohorts at the Milligan and Walters State campuses begin in September. The application deadline is Aug. 23. For more information about the Milligan College MBA program, call 423.461.8306 or visit www.milligan.edu/mba.