January 31, 2018
It wasn’t long after Suzy Konecky ’20 began her position as the development director at Buxton School in Williamstown, Mass., that she decided to pursue her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at MCLA. “I thought it might augment my skill set so that I could be more effective in my job,” she explained. “I also just have a love of learning. I wanted to keep expanding my knowledge, and it seemed like a good fit.”
Fairly new to the world of development, “I thought the classes at MCLA would help me gain skills that would propel the work that I do, faster,” Konecky said.
“I came to Buxton with experience in communications, marketing, and sales, and am comfortable connecting with our donors and our alumni. However, I didn’t speak the business and financial language that some of them speak, and I wanted to be able to,” she said.
Konecky earned her bachelor’s degree at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where she studied international agriculture and rural development. She began her MBA last fall.
“I didn’t really consider any other places because MCLA is right here. It’s so convenient,” she explained. “The classes are on every other Saturday. This program works really well for someone who is also working full time and leading an active life here.”
At MCLA, each MBA course is offered one at a time, and runs for six weeks. The part-time program is designed to meet the needs of the working adult learner. Students meet in a cohort model, through which they may connect strongly to both faculty and their peers. According to Konecky, she is learning what she planned to learn. Thus far, she has taken two classes.
“I have enjoyed them a lot,” Konecky said. “I appreciate the really small group setting and the cohort model. The professors have been excellent. And, because I am going through the classes with the same group of students, we get to know each other well.
“Seeing the same faces from class to class and having that community around the academics is really supportive,” she added. “It feels really cooperative and conducive to learning. It’s a nice community of people.”
Previous to her position at Buxton, Konecky worked at Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown, where she was a cheese maker and then the operations manager. Her work included production and making cheese, a focus on sales, as well as business development and marketing.
It was at Cricket Creek Farm that Konecky first heard of MCLA’s MBA program; one of her previous employees had earned his MBA degree at the College. “When he was applying, he asked me to be one of his references,” she said. “After a few months into this position at Buxton School, I remembered this program that he had spoken so highly of.”
Konecky said she would recommend MCLA’s MBA degree program to others.
“The classes move at a really nice pace,” she explained. “I haven’t finished it yet, of course, but it’s a good program. I really appreciate the cohort model, and the professors have been very generous to me with their time.”
