You don’t need to be an aspiring comedian to participate in Patrick O'Meara’s “Open Mic Night”—you just have to be interested in learning more about pursuing an MBA at Niagara University in Ontario.
This is the second time the assistant professor of accounting has opened one of his MBA classes to guest students. Six individuals from countries including Argentia, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria participated in O’Meara’s FIN 644 Investments course via Zoom on Oct. 26. It was a valuable experience for both guests and enrolled students, O’Meara says.
“My students who are in the program learned a little about stock markets and business finance in other countries, and the students who are thinking about the program learned a little bit about the stock market in Canada and the United States, as well as got a feel for what it is like to be in a Niagara University classroom with their peers,” he said. “The current students also got to talk a little bit about why they took the MBA program and what they’ve gotten out of it.”
Next semester, students will be able to sample a class in FIN686 Derivative Strategies for Financial Institutions.
“I choose classes that I think people might have an interest in,” O’Meara said, noting that the first class he offered was ACC 601 Strategic Accounting Analysis.
O’Meara’s open mic classes complement the information potential students can get from other sources, such as the university’s website, and showcase the different courses available in the MBA program.
“It’s a way to get the word out about what you’re actually going to learn,” he said. “Many people who are thinking of an MBA program have two or more years of work experience, so they’re looking for a program that’s going to give them something that adds value to the experience that they bring.”
O’Meara encourages students from around the world to explore the options at Niagara University in Ontario.
“We want to build a diverse group of students,” he said, noting that the university’s Vaughan, Ontario, campus is in “the financial capital of Canada. It’s a great opportunity for students in all of our majors to come to Canada and spread their wings and develop themselves and their profession.”