Safee Hashmi found the right fit at MSU. At 21, he left Bangladesh to study in the United States. He completed a bachelor’s degree at a large Southwestern university before working as a business analyst in New York City. When choosing an MBA program, Safee sought the benefits of a smaller school-mainly an attentive and interested faculty-without sacrificing advantages of a larger institution. He wanted someplace big enough to provide a rich variety of ideas and opportunities yet small enough to keep everything close at hand. Now 26, Safee believes MSU’s College of Business is just right. "They take care of their students," he says.
Safee arrived at MSU in January 2005, midway through the launch year of the MBA program. He found a strong community of students, faculty that would both challenge and support him, and a chance to build on his education outside of the classroom.
"The University is receptive and welcoming to international students," he says. "That’s important because you can have new insights when different cultures and different perspectives connect."
His route to Mankato began when he left home in Bangladesh to study abroad. He graduated from the University of Arizona, where he focused on management information systems and developed his expertise in programming and Web development. He put those skills to use during his stint in New York City, where he worked as a business and technology analyst.
All the while, Safee figured he would be back in the classroom soon. He believes today’s business world demands an MBA, at least for the sort of work he would like to do. His dream is to start his own business and build it into something big, something that reaches into many communities and touches many people. And that dream led him to MSU.
Safee says his previous experience gives him an appreciation of the exchange he now encounters in the classroom.
"The instructors are knowledgeable," he says. "They have an insight into what’s going on in the market. They teach you what’s relevant in the real world."
While taking a full load of classes, Safee also works in Web development for the College of Science, Engineering, and Technology. Building an effective Web site, he says, is more than a matter of technology. Web sites are now critical marketing and communication tools for universities and businesses alike, and his job allows him to apply many concepts he has studied.
As he looks ahead, Safee believes his skills and education will provide valuable currency in today’s marketplace.
"The world is business," he says. "Everything we do is business. Business motivates us, drives us to make a better future."
