Bill Schwalback

Auburn University, Raymond J. Harbert College of Business Online MBA Program

“Loving husband and proud father of two. Team Leader dedicated to each members growth and adding organizational value.”

Age: 46

Hometown: Holbrook, NY

Fun fact about yourself: I was in the Florida Big Brothers/Big Sisters program as a young boy and was featured in a promotional segment on the local news. My Big Brother was Tony Flores, the then-General Manager of the St. Petersburg Cardinals (AA Affiliate for the St. Louis Cardinals). He took me to work some Saturdays and walking into the inner offices and back entrance of the stadium and watching the games from the dugout was the coolest thing to happen to 10-year-old me.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

• Auburn University, Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Auburn University, Master of Science in Finance
• Stony Brook University, Bachelor of Arts, Economics / Political Science (double major)

Where are you currently working? Suffolk County Department of Labor, Work Experience Unit Supervisor

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? My division works with people receiving welfare benefits. For my team and coworkers in other business units, I am most proud of the impact I had in increasing morale and creating an improved workplace culture over the years. Personally, there have been a handful of clients on my case load that I have seen move themselves off the welfare system and onto the next chapter of their lives, where they were able to support themselves and regain dignity in their lives.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I spent a lot of time researching different MBA programs. I was looking to make a career change into the private sector and wanted a program that brought name recognition to any job opportunities that came across my post-graduation job search. Making this future career jump, I wanted to obtain as many credentials as possible and decided to pursue a dual degree option in my education. Auburn University offered the recognition I was looking for while also allowing an MBA and MS Finance dual degree option in their program. Through their elective options, I was also able to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics. Additionally, finances always enter the decision process. Auburn offered an affordable tuition rate for their online MBA program allowing my investment and student loan debt load to remain reasonable.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? My favorite part of the Harbert College online MBA program was the many opportunities program leaders presented to visit campus. Personally, I visited the campus three times. My first visit, I took part in Camp Harbert, a voluntary 3-day on campus residency designed to introduce online students to the facilities and resources that Harbert College and Auburn University as a whole has to offer. Through this event, we were able to tour the campus and learn some of the traditions that Auburn University holds. This included a behind-the-scenes tour of the athletic facilities and a round robin style pickleball tournament amongst the students and staff. Staff also scheduled some in depth informational sessions with Career Services and an overview of the international immersion program.

From my first step on campus, I had a feeling of belonging. My second campus visit was for the capstone course presentations, an experiential consulting project ending with each team presenting their recommendations to real world companies looking for assistance in overcoming their financial or growth barriers. Again, working up to presentation day, Dr. Zachary and department staff scheduled exciting events, such as a football stadium tour and a presentation from the Auburn University Raptor Center. Since not everyone can accommodate a trip to campus, the MBA program does offer a virtual option for these presentations. However, I recommend making the trip if you are able.

My third visit to campus was to walk in my graduation ceremony. Again, the university does not require this if you are unable, but it created a physical association to all the work I put in and the sacrifices I made during the program.

How did your online MBA experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? My undergraduate years were before any remote learning options existed, with an online submission and collaboration portal only being introduced during that time. Auburn’s online MBA professors are more focused on topics and content rather than the broad spectrum of an undergraduate program. The core courses seemed more intertwined with each other, where I would use knowledge gained from previous courses to complete assignments. A majority of the core courses had a team project component. However, some professors allowed students to pick their groups via names or time zones and availability, while others randomly assigned students to groups. This mimicked the real world, where you can be assigned to a team or external stakeholders that you have not worked with prior. Whereas my undergraduate work was more individual work, this team focus allows you to become accustomed to working with different personalities.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Most importantly, know your “why”. Keep your goals in mind and keep moving forward those goals. To thrive in an online MBA program, you should set a base routine for schoolwork that also allows flexibility for work and family obligations when needed. Know that this routine may have to change each semester. Always keep your family updated on your planned schedule.

How has your online MBA education helped you in your current job? I learned some of the background finance and business aspects of how my department operates, which has helped put me in a position to add more value and move along a track to higher level positions. Specifically, the Organizational Leadership course taught me new techniques to better communicate with my team members, my peers, and my superiors.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? A little over a year after starting my MBA program, I was asked to lead a higher-level business unit, increasing my team from two direct reports to 13 direct reports. More recently, I accepted and started a new position with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services a week after graduating. In this new position, I will be working with local mental health facilities in a project management capacity.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? The online MBA program offered the flexibility to stay engaged with my family obligations and maintain my employment. I do not have any local MBA programs that possess the name recognition that I was looking for and would allow a class schedule that fits nicely into my work and family schedule. Since I am looking to move into a different industry, I felt that the online MBA program would offer more opportunities over an executive MBA program. With that being said, most of my recorded lectures were of live lectures where I was able to watch the professor interact with the on-campus students.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Through the Business Analytics certificate program, I was able to take courses utilizing AI. I learned how to use Python through one course on big data management. Another special topic course, Introduction to AI/ML, taught about real world uses of AI and how companies were implementing usage in their operations. Through a semester-long course project, I learned the nuances of quality prompt engineering for large language models. The success of this course and popularity among the students led to this course being integrated into the available offerings as a standalone course on a permanent basis. Harbert College of Business has since renamed the certificate Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, reflecting the school’s response to updated demand for AI knowledge and techniques.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: For two courses per semester, I spent an average of 6-8 hours per week, increasing to 10-12 hours per week when working through projects.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My ultimate long-term professional goal is to move into a senior leadership role responsible for an organization’s financial health. If I could simultaneously relocate to the Southeastern region of the United States, that would be perfect.

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