By Amy Robertson

B

riercrest College and Seminary in the same league as Harvard?

Why not?

Danny Gamache, who graduated from Briercrest College and Seminary (Caronport, Sask.) with an MA in Leadership and Management in 2000 and has been teaching in Briercrest’s college business program since then, was one of Michigan State University’s top picks for PhD studies in business management and strategy for the fall of 2010.

Michigan State University’s Eli Broad Graduate School of Management is consistently ranked as one of the top business schools in the United States. It has been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business since 1953, which represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools in the world.

Michigan State’s other top pick?

An MBA from Harvard.

“I don’t know if it fazed me very much,” Gamache said with a smile.

Gamache believes his Graduate Management Admission Test, a standardized test that students must take for admission to graduate business programs, was a big part of what made his application so strong.

Gamache scored a 750, which put him in the 98th percentile—worldwide.

“That felt really good,” Gamache said.

He also believes his graduate education at Briercrest College and Seminary, combined with the teaching and publishing opportunities he’s had while employed here, put him ahead of the pack.

An MBA, which is the most common graduate degree for a student pursuing doctoral studies in business, is a practitioner’s degree. A PhD in business, on the other hand, is a research degree—so Gamache’s teaching background in business theory was a big plus.

He’s already presented several papers at conferences, and years of teaching statistics will help him wade through his statistics classes at Michigan State.

Gamache, who will begin classes in Lansing, Mich., this fall, has been offered a full scholarship plus a stipend and free health benefits.

Two other universities, both in Wisconsin, and both of whom accept only two or three students to their PhD programs annually, offered Gamache similar packages. His choice came down to Michigan State’s reputation as one of the best and the culture among the faculty and students there. He appreciates that faculty members spend a lot of time interacting with their students.

After completing his degree, which involves two years of seminar courses and two to three years of examinations, research, publishing, and dissertation work, Gamache hopes to work as a professor at a research university, publish, and consult with businesses and corporations.

Gamache said he sees the next five years as a student as “a place of ministry.” He is looking forward to “being salt and light,” having a positive impact on the student body, and helping other students learn to integrate faith and integrity with business practices.