SMU continues to establish its presence in the national MBA program picture. Marci Armstrong, Associate Dean of graduate programs in the Cox School of Business has been named 2008-09 Chair of the Board of Directors for the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).
Armstrong is in charge of strategic leadership for eight graduate programs at the Cox school. She also teaches MBA and professional MBA students and is a six-time teaching award honoree. She has also done private consulting for companies such as Accenture, American Airlines, the FBI and Texas Instruments.
The GMAC is a non-profit education organization started in 1953, comprised of 160 leading graduate business schools worldwide and is dedicated to the advancement of graduate business school education. The GMAC also owns the GMAT exam, used in admissions processes for more than 4,000 business programs.
Armstrong will hold her position as chair of the board though July 1, 2009, and will lead the other 15 members comprising of representatives from academia as well as the industry side of business.
“I am especially excited about the opportunity to work with the Board in positioning GMAC as a thought leader and critical resource for the graduate management education community as we enter a new and increasingly competitive international marketplace,” said Armstrong, who has served on the Board for the past three years and was most recently its vice chair.
Armstrong has set goals for the upcoming year for the GMAC including exploring and developing new products and expanding initiatives for increasing diversity in applicants for business programs, Armstrong stated in a press release.
Other members of the GMAC organization feel the Armstrong is a good leader for the board, and that her experience in graduate education will be a great asset.
“Marci is the right leader for our Board at this juncture,” David A. Wilson, CEO and president of GMAC, said. “Her deep understanding of the changing nature of graduate management education and the corporate sector, as well as the needs and expectations of a new generation of students, will serve the industry and our organization well.”
