The MBA for Executives Programs at UNC Kenan-Flagler have launched a virtual conversation site, EMBATalk.com, directed at potential applicants who are looking for straight talk from students, alumni, faculty and staff about the MBA for Executives experience.

Each month, EMBATalk.com — which is linked to the official Kenan-Flagler MBA for Executives Programs' Web site — posts a new topic of interest to working professionals who are thinking about returning to school to earn an MBA. Current students, alumni, faculty and program directors are invited to post articles on each topic based on their own personal experiences.

"EMBATalk is the next best thing to talking face-to-face with people who understand the challenges of entering an executive MBA program," said Penny Oslund, executive director of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s MBA for Executives Programs.

The first topic of the virtual conversation on EMBATalk.com addresses the return on investment of an MBA with the provocative title "You’ve got to wonder, ‘Is it worth it?’" Articles about this month’s topic include:

• Faculty Insight from UNC Kenan-Flagler professor Hugh O'Neill, associate dean for the MBA for Executives Weekend and Evening Programs. He says students calculate their ROI based on their career goals and offers insight into the three types of executives who benefit most from an MBA: "climbers, shifters and founders."
• An Alumni Perspective from Charles Peckham (OneMBA ’04). Peckham describes his career shift from being an engineer with business experience to being a business manager with an engineering background.
• A Student View by Jeffery Hammer (EMBA ’07), who already is seeing his investment pay off in increased salary and job responsibilities.
• The Director Outlook by Oslund, who shares the executive MBA secret to making career leaps.

Visitors can comment on or ask questions about articles and get responses from the articles’ authors. The Web site also features EMBA Preview, a "do-it-yourself" information session, including short videos of students and alumni giving feedback about their executive MBA experiences.

"EMBATalk is not meant to replace our Web site," added Oslund. "Rather it should be seen as an additional interactive tool that we hope will help prospective students in their search for an executive MBA program."