Student Profile: Paul Francisco '17

“Online learning works very well for me given the time demands of my work and family,” observes Isenberg Undergraduate Online student Paul Francisco. Owner and president of an electrical construction company in northeast Ohio, Paul is married and the father of three children—two of them college age. He plans to complete his course work this fall and earn his BBA in February.

“The curriculum has all been very useful to me as a businessperson,” Paul continues. That includes, he says, skills like accounting and statistics, but courses involving human resources have been especially valuable. “I employ 800 people; HR issues involving personnel, compensation, and diversity are critical. The business is really about people.”

In the online classroom, Paul who is 51, frequently interacts with students half his age. There is considerable online texting with digital natives who are more attuned to the medium. By and large, he notes, they are very respectful of him and each other. And with his extensive experience and business insights, Paul is an asset to many of them.

The soon-to-be Isenberg graduate joined the online program in 2012, following his own thorough search for options among top-flight business schools. Since then, Paul has taken two courses each semester. “My professors have consistently been available,” he says, “and Tania Fuller, my online program advisor, has been a tremendous resource throughout—always helpful.”

After graduation, Paul anticipates a possible void without courses on the horizon. Might an online MBA be in the cards? “That’s a real possibility,” he remarks. “And Isenberg would certainly be high on my list of business schools.”