Part-Time MBA provided student the flexibility to advance her career

Nearing completion of her undergraduate degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, majoring in public relations with a business studies minor, Lucy Cruz took an internship with the Philadelphia 76ers.

“Through working in the 76ers’ community relations department, I learned that I enjoyed building relationships and working with a sports team,” said Cruz.  Six months later, Cruz was a fan retention and ticket sales consultant with Rutgers University Athletics. 

At Rutgers, Cruz advanced to athletic development assistant, then to assistant director of athletic development, events and stewardship. “This area of work focuses on building relationships with alumni, fans and friends of the University to raise financial support for student-athlete resources, including scholarships, facilities, equipment, life skills, etc.” Cruz said.

“Through these experiences, I've come to enjoy non-profit management and I have learned that a non-profit is just like a business--and it must be run as such in order to be successful,” said Cruz. “This led me to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) concentrating on strategy and leadership at Rutgers Business School.”

“Managing development events is not a 9 to 5 Monday through Friday kind of job,” she said. “The Part-Time MBA program allowed me the flexibility I needed to manage my career and education. It also gave me another way of looking at things, thinking differently.”

“The program requires students to self-initiate coursework, presentations, research and gather data,” Cruz continued. “The Rutgers MBA also affords students outstanding experiential learning opportunities, like the Doing Business in South Africa course taught by Professor Jeffrey Robinson.”

During spring break, Professor Robinson led Cruz and her classmates on the study trip to South Africa to learn about the South African dynamic economy and business environment through hands-on learning.

“I took all my learning – from the classroom, team projects and presentations, and a better understanding of the global nature of business – and applied those theories and experiences to my professional and personal growth,” Cruz said. “My Rutgers MBA significantly contributed to securing my current position back at Temple University, now as associate director of athletic development operations.”

-Sean Ireland