News

The School of Business Administration at Portland State University has named Carolyn McKnight director of its Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs.

McKnight will be responsible for executing the coaching and "360-degree assessments" that full-time MBA candidates will receive as part of their graduate experience at Portland State. McKnight will also teach a new class in Leadership and Development and will lead the Office of Graduate Business Programs, which provides graduate placement and career services programs to round out candidates' educational resumes and ready them for full employment.

The assessment and coaching element, an integral part of the MBA program starting fall 2004, will ensure that all full-time students in the MBA program are proficient in 12 leadership, communications and interpersonal skills and competencies. McKnight will also direct the incorporation of these competencies into the technical side of the MBA curriculum.

"Our MBA students are incredibly fortunate to have someone with Carolyn's corporate background as their MBA coach," said Scott Dawson, dean of the School of Business. "Carolyn's experience is well-suited to this fall's curriculum expansion and she clearly adds value to the overall program."

The SBA's expanded curriculum integrates "soft skill" managerial competencies and innovation practices with "hard skill" technical courses. The curriculum update was developed out of an SBA task force reviewing nationally prevalent criticisms that business school programs have not prepared students for the needs of today's and tomorrow's industry and business community.

"I am here to ensure that the students we graduate from the MBA program not only achieve the technical competency benchmarks we set, but also demonstrate proficiency in the 'soft' competencies that today's managers need to contribute to the economy," said McKnight. "PSU's School of Business Administration is the state's premier business education platform; we are responsible for developing and launching competent and contributing students into the business world. In the bigger picture, we are creating stewards of the local, regional and national economy. My goal is for our business students to have all the skills to be those stewards upon graduation."

McKnight brings to the School of Business Administration over 25 years of public and private sector experience in leadership and organizational development. She was most recently vice president of Organizational and Personal Development at Planar Systems of Beaverton, Ore., where she directed human resources and leadership development while also leading the corporation's effort to embed "intentional culture." McKnight holds degrees from Tennessee Temple University and Pacific Graduate Institute.

Portland State University's School of Business Administration is the largest business school in the Pacific Northwest. Located in downtown Portland, Ore., the school provides top caliber programs and nationally recognized faculty to more than 400 graduate students. Additional options in Management of Innovation and Technology, International Business and Finance; Master of International Management; and Master of Science in Financial Analysis are also available. The school is also home to the Center for Professional Integrity and Accountability, the Food Industry Leadership Center, and the eMBA and Executive MBA programs.

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