Parent's Newsletter - Spring 2008
The Goizueta Undergraduate BBA Program is delighted to bring you the second edition of the Parent's Newsletter, featuring highlights, articles and updates from students and the Program Office.
Goizueta is dedicated to developing "Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise." Read about how the Undergraduate Business School Leadership Conference in February provided a group of BBAs with a hefty dose of leadership training. See how students are applying what they are learning in the classroom as evidenced in the Business Plan Competition article. Learn how the Career Management Center is taking a proactive approach to address current market conditions. And did you know that your daughter or son has the opportunity to study abroad at 31 partner universities in 18 countries?
We hope you enjoy this slice of what is happening in the BBA Program. We want to hear from you about what you would like to read about in future editions of the newsletter. Please send your comments and suggestions to parents_newsletter@bus.emory.edu.
Lee Pasackow, Business Librarian and Newsletter Editor
Lee_Pasackow@bus.emory.edu
Stories featured in this issue...
- New Associate Director, BBA International Programs
- 2008 Undergraduate Business School Leadership Conference
- Business Plan Competition
- News from the Career Center
- Kudos to our BBAs
- Goizueta Investors
- 2008 Class Gift
- Parent Newsletter Raffle Winners
- Second Annual Advanced Research Challenge Highlights Exceptional Researchers
New Associate Director, BBA International Programs
"I've already lost an international student! I've only been on the job for eleven days!" Panicked and pacing the baggage claim area at the world's busiest airport, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, these thoughts drummed through my mind to the rhythm of my racing heart. As Associate Director for International Programs, I have the privilege of welcoming our exchange students. In the office earlier that week, I painstakingly drafted an arrival schedule, cross-referenced by airline and accounting for time spent in line at customs. That table clearly noted Simon ought to be standing in front of me at north baggage claim #8.
I turned slowly in place, willing Simon to appear, but no luck. Sighing, I pushed from my mind catastrophic thoughts of where Simon might actually be, and returned to the group of students already assembled. Weary and excited Italian, Romanian, Chinese, and Singaporean faces stared back at me. "Let's go the van so I can take you to Emory." I led the way, hoping I looked more confident than I felt.
Fitting seven international students—and their luggage—into the rented van required an advanced degree in engineering. Since none of us boasted one, we did our best. With students sitting over, under, and beside their bags, I steered the van north through the city. I pointed out Atlanta landmarks - Turner Field, home of the Braves; the state capitol building; Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site -and heard ahs and saw heads nodding in recognition.
When the first buildings on Emory’s campus came into view, I realized how much I was going to love my new job. Most of the students were awestruck, even those with previous American visits under their belts. The main sentiment whispered in accented English and undulating Italian, concerned Emory's impressive size. All I had to do to be successful with these students was connect them with just a handful of the relationships, resources, and realities that make their home among the grounds of our campus.
Every day, I do just that, in small ways and large. I introduce exchange students to domestic ones interested in leaving Goizueta to study abroad at one of our 31 partner universities in 18 countries. I answer questions about academic credit, insurance cards and employment eligibility. I find handsome rewards in this work like the hesitant smile when David realized a study abroad experience would fit into his academic plan. Jamie surprised me with a gift of a mouse to decorate my office for the Chinese New Year. Just last week, we experienced the triumphant discovery of Eric's ordered textbook on a back shelf of the student post office. Thankfully, I also found Simon. My trusty schedule had failed me. He was not due until the next day, and arrived right on time.
Dr. Valerie Molyneaux is a new addition to the BBA Program Office, joining the Goizueta Business School after five previous years of service at Emory in the Division of Campus Life. If your student wants to discuss exciting study abroad opportunities, she can be found in Goizueta 316.
2008 Undergraduate Business School Leadership Conference
As I step into the BBA program office, four students inundate me with questions while others are scattered throughout the office working on various projects leading to a two and a half day international business conference. Trying to deflect questions, I scramble for the seven-page master "To Do" list. I make my way to my laptop. In a subconscious effort to avoid the mounting fears of opening my inbox, I recount the past few days: six and a half hours of sleep in the last 72 hours and a solid week of nothing but delivery meals. (We fondly call this part of the conference "training to be an investment banker.") Sorting through 200 new emails, I find two emails from previous chairs of the Undergraduate Business School Leadership Conference (UBSLC). Twenty-four hours before one of the biggest events in my college career, each email offers sincere congratulations for making it this far and a few words of wisdom.
"The word leadership in the conference name is truly derived from the organizers of the conference... As the conference begins this weekend, it is important to look at each other and understand what you have done and not if the bus shows up on time or if the students like the restaurants you chose. You have convinced schools, students and companies to spend over a $100k on a vision you all had as well as learned to communicate with different personalities to put on a premier program... I can honestly say I learned more in the preparation of the event than any class I took at school."
Right on schedule, these emails came with all the elements of a good business case: miscommunication, differing expectations, faulty assumptions, and high-pressure and time-critical decisions. However, this time it was real, involving my peers, friends, and the relationships I had built over the last four years.
I realize this conference will provide me with yet another pivotal life lesson. If I get through Friday—the day of four guest speakers, a case competition, three meals, a private networking lunch for our lead sponsor and an off-campus networking event for the 25 guest speakers and 114 conference participants.- then I will have learned that leadership is sometimes making a decision together to ensure the conference's success.
Carolyn Chandler, Co-Chair of the 2008 Undergraduate Business School Leadership Conference
About the UBSLC
The ninth annual UBSLC proudly hosted 114 student leaders from 50 leading institutions in England, Italy, Germany, China, Australia and the United States. As one of the best and most respected undergraduate business conferences in the country, the UBSLC is completely student-run.
During the two-and-a-half day conference, held on January 31 to February 2, BBAs and the UBSLC participants enhance their leadership capacity through developmental workshops, interactive programming and case competitions. The conference has a rich history of enticing some of the world’s most respected business thinkers to share their perspectives. This year’s keynote speakers included William Donaldson, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and AG Lafley, CEO and Chairman of Procter and Gamble. The primary goal of the UBSLC is to empower students with leadership skills and to inspire them to make a positive impact when they return to their respective campuses.
David Burton, Co-Chair of the 2008 Undergraduate Business School Leadership Conference
Business Plan Competition
Access Appalachian is the novel venture idea that my team developed in Dean Hershatter's Entrepreneurship class last fall. It is an adventure travel company offering novice hikers a complete package to hike the Appalachian Trail. We take care of all the logistical aspects of organizing a trip such as tour guides, equipment, food, transportation and even accommodations at local hotels. The purpose of our company is to make it easier for people to connect to the environment, especially the 2,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail running along the east coast, instead of pursuing conventional travel experiences.
We nonchalantly submitted our business plan to Queen's Entrepreneur's Competition that we heard about in class. In January, we were flabbergasted to learn that we were one of 16 finalists selected and invited to present our business plan to a panel of Canadian business leaders at the Queen's School of Business in Kingston, Ontario. We were competing for cash prizes totaling $25,000!
We started working diligently on revamping our presentation to make it competitive and appealing to venture capitalists and professional investors. The judging is based on originality of idea, marketing, finance, human resources, production/operation, overall viability and quality and conciseness of the business plan. The support that we received from Emory and the Business School was incredible. We created a professional looking brochure, interviewed leaders at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and obtained repeated feedback and advice on the presentation.
When we arrived in Kingston, Ontario, we were shocked at the excitement, organization and prestige that the competition had to offer. The teams were mainly from Canada, plus one team from Thailand and two teams from Emory. The first day of presentations was on Friday. After rehearsing repeatedly, we entered the presentation room to meet 10 judges. Our nerves were exceptionally high, but we managed to present at our best, passionately and articulately, for the allotted 20 minutes. We were then questioned by the judges for 10 minutes, followed by an additional 10 minutes of feedback. The toughest questions focused on the exact value that our business added, how we could call our company "green" while shuttling customers to local hotels, and our financials. The feedback centered on the overly ambitious scope of our business plan. We walked out completely unsure as to how we performed and what the judges truly thought.
At an elaborate dinner that night, they announced that we were one of six teams advancing to the final round on Saturday. We were surprised but extremely excited that real business people actually believed in our idea. Saturday's presentations were similar to Friday's, except that they were open to the public. We knew this would be our last time presenting this idea that we had worked on for six months now, so we gave it our all.
At the final gala Saturday night, the judges made us wait two hours before they announced the results. Access Appalachian received third place! Springing out of our chairs, we went to the front of the room to accept our award and $2000.
The best part of the weekend was the realization that hard work truly pays off. Our idea started as a paragraph and turned into a 114-page business plan that professionals with entrepreneurial experience considered exceptional. In announcing our third place win, the judge commented that often finances, operations or marketing are outsourced by businesses. However, when you strip those elements away, the people are at the core. The judges believed in us as a team, in our ability to communicate, and the passion with which we sold our idea. The entire weekend taught us a great deal about what to expect in the real business world, as well as instilling in us a confidence that cannot be learned in the classroom.
The Access Appalachian Team: Jamie Mendell, Michael Buchbinder, Melissa Gavin and Romy Kalvaria.
Jamie Mendell, BBA08
News from the Career Center
- CMC Efforts in the Current Market Conditions
- New Director
- NY Trek
- Corporate Liaison Team
- Alternative Internships
- Goizueta Career Preparation
CMC Efforts in the Current Market Conditions
As job market conditions become more competitive, the BBA Career Management Center has taken a proactive approach in assisting our BBA students. We are preparing for the future by cultivating new relationships and reaching out to our existing networks. In order to better prepare students for the job search process, we have also introduced two new career preparation tracks, as outlined below. Additionally, we have surveyed both the junior and senior classes to determine who is still seeking employment at this time. From this data, as new listings come in, we are able to match the student preferences with company's hiring criteria and to make referrals on the student's behalf.
More specifically:
For students pursuing finance and consulting jobs, both of these areas may potentially decrease their hiring numbers in the fall recruiting season. In addition to working closely with our recruiting contacts, we are bringing industry professionals to campus to provide insight and advice on job searching in the current job market conditions.
For students pursuing general management and marketing jobs, many companies will continue to hire on an as-needed basis, versus using a structured on-campus recruiting process. Therefore, personal networking will be a critical skill that students need to develop. Our office will introduce workshops this fall to address networking within these areas.
For juniors, we are currently engaged in a very large push to achieve 100% internship placement for those students seeking opportunities this summer. We have sought the help of faculty, executive and evening students, and alumni in obtaining additional internship opportunities.
With respect to seniors, we have seen strong employment numbers thus far, consistent with the placement rates of the last few years. Many of our students graduating in May 2008 have secured jobs from their internship experiences in the summer of 2007. As of today, more than half of the graduating class has provided their employment information, and of those, over 70% secured employment in their chosen field. Of course, we are continuing to work with those who are still seeking in order to secure successful placements.
New Director
Andrew Rabitoy will join the BBA Program Office as the new Director of the BBA Career Management Center in early May.
Andy has been working in career services at UC San Diego for the last six years. He has significant expertise in building recruiting contacts, managing employer relations, developing educational programming and counseling students. Prior to joining UCSD, he worked as a technical recruiting manager and as a manager for a software company. He holds a BA in Organizational Psychology and a Masters in Career Counseling. Andy brings the knowledge and insight we need to expand the reach and scope of the BBA CMC. More importantly, he exhibits the dedication to students, engagement in his profession and commitment to quality that are the hallmarks of our BBA Program.
Benita Harris joined the BBA CMC in October of 2007 as the Program Coordinator.
NY Trek
During winter break, over eighty juniors went on the annual five day "Career Trek" to visit top finance, media and advertising firms in New York City. Company representatives and alumni from 18 firms discussed job functions, company culture and potential employment in their industry. The contacts the students come away with are tremendously important as they begin their summer internship job search. We visited the following firms: ACQUIS CONSULTING, BEAR STEARNS, BLOOMBERG, BMO CAPITAL MARKETS, C.I.T GROUP, CITI, CREDIT SUISSE, ERNST & YOUNG, GOLDMAN SACHS, GREY WORLDWIDE, HOULIHAN LOKEY, JP MORGAN, LEHMAN BROTHERS, MACY'S EAST, MERRILL LYNCH, NBA, OGILVY and TIME INC. The BBA CMC office hosted an event at the Tonic Lounge in Times Square, where Goizueta alumni living in NYC networked with the BBA students.
Corporate Liaison Team
We have introduced a new "Corporate Liaison Team" this semester. Our first team, comprised of ten BBA students, has volunteered to host recruiters while they are on campus to ensure that the interview process runs smoothly and that the companies have a positive experience.
Alternative Internships
In conjunction with the International Programs office, the BBA CMC is able to provide four international internships for BBA students in the summer of 2008 in Linz, Austria.
This summer, we will place five students in Service Leadership internships. This initiative enables student interns to make a meaningful contribution to an Atlanta non-profit service organization while addressing a real business issue. Selected students receive a financial stipend for this work from the Goizueta Business School.
Goizueta Career Preparation Series
The Goizueta Career Preparation series rolled out this year with two tracks, one in Consulting and one in Financial Markets. Each track includes eight sessions over the course of two semesters. Students learn about the industry, develop track-specific resumes, get direct-from-the-company input on interviewing and securing internships, and gain the skills and information needed to turn a summer opportunity into a permanent job offer. A third track, designed for marketing students, will roll out in the fall.
Kim Molee, CMC Associate Director. Please contact Kim at Kim_Molee@bus.emory.edu if you would like to host a reception in NYC for a future NY Trek or if you have any questions about the CMC.
Kudos to our BBAs
- Grace Shim (BBA08), cello, Winner of the 2008 Emory University Concerto Competition, played the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B Minor by Antonín Dvořák on March 6, 2008 with the Emory Symphony Orchestra
- Nicholas Valerio III, Associate Professor in the Practice of Finance, Goizueta Business School's 2008 Williams Award recipient. The Williams Distinguished Teaching Award is Emory's oldest undergraduate teaching award, recognizing excellence in undergraduate teaching
- Michael Buchbinder, Melissa Gavin, Romy Kalvaria and Jamie Mendell – 3rd place – Queen's Entrepreneurs’ Competition 2008, hosted by Queen’s School of Business in Kingston, Ontario
- Vanessa Gomez, Franklin Johnson, Philippa Laundy, Sherene Patel, Brendan Regan and Breana Tutuska – selected as one of 16 finalist teams in he Queen's Entrepreneurs' Competition and as one of nine national semifinalists in the 5th Annual S.E.E.D.National Collegiate Venture Forum
- Goizueta Business School's BBA Program ranks number 5 on BusinessWeek's list of the best undergraduate business programs, our third consecutive ranking in the top 5.
- Eden Chen, Aaron Ratner and Jingzhi Dai – Winners of the first Triton Venture Capital Case Competition, hosted by the Alternative Investments Group
- Michael Levy (pre-BBA) and Robert Stuhr - 2008 Woodruff Library Undergraduate Research Award for "Conflict Diamonds: a Study of Partnership Africa Canada and the Movement Against Blood Diamonds in Sub-Saharan Africa," written for SOC190: Making Sense of Globalization, freshman seminar.
- Kabeer Khurana, Joa Kim, Victoria Rothchild and Nicolas Sobredo proudly represented Goizueta at the 4th annual Business Strategy Challenge that took place March 28 at Georgetown University.
| Opportunities to Get Involved in the BBA Program |
|---|
| > Provide a paid or unpaid internship Contact: Kim_Molee@bus.emory.edu |
| > Serve as a professional mentor Contact: Lauren_Barden@bus.emory.edu |
| > Volunteer to speak in a class or student club Contact: Lee_Pasackow@emory.edu |
| > Allow students to shadow you for a day at work (see the Shadows article in the fall edition of the parent newsletter) Contact: Benita_Harris@bus.emory.edu |
Goizueta Investors
For my 13th birthday, my grandmother gave me ExxonMobil stock. I was not excited. Growing up in a house filled with toys and games (my father is in the family toy business), I was accustomed to receiving tangible gifts that supplied me with countless hours of entertainment with friends, not some piece of paper that went straight into an envelope to be mailed to who-knows-where. It was not until several years later that I learned to appreciate and understand just how powerful and lucrative this gift truly was.
Starting junior year in high school, I was fortunate to work for MSD Capital, L.P., Michael Dell’s private investment firm, in both investing and technology groups. MSD Capital exposed me to finance in a way that I could never have imagined when I opened my grandmother’s seemingly dull present. When I arrived at Emory, I was excited to learn more about the financial markets, as well as join a fraternity, play sports and take part in all the other great things that College has to offer. I became increasingly enveloped in the financial markets, surrounding myself with students who shared my interest. However, as a freshmen, finance classes at Goizueta were years away and I could not find any immediate opportunities to learn about the markets. I am not talking about the world of academia and the Efficient Market Hypothesis; rather, I am referring to what I saw flying across the 21" LCDs, gleaming back at every trader at MSD. I found three students who shared my vision and together we created Goizueta Investors.
Today, Goizueta Investors (GI) is Emory's premier Investment Club with over 462 participating members. GI is for students who are interested in learning about finance. Created with the beginner investor in mind, GI provides free educational content that is jargon-free and helps to bridge the gap between academia and the real world. Through meetings, specialty seminars, advanced workshops and an elite GI Roundtable, Goizueta Investors seeks to teach BBA and pre-BBA students about global financial markets in a fun and dynamic environment. We are also developing several new programs that we hope will continue to bridge the gap between the world, which I am leaving, and the one, which I am entering.
It is from this experience that I can now speak to my grandmother about Exxon not only as a consumer, but also as an investor.
I invite you to view our website for information on upcoming events at www.GoizuetaInvestors.com. If you are interested in sponsoring a GI event, please contact invest@learnlink.emory.edu. We would also be happy to hear any questions or comments from you.
Michael Becker, BBA08, President and Co-Founder of Goizueta Investors
2008 Class Gift
The 2008 BBA class gift will be green this year! We are considering various energy saving devices for the business school such as solar panels or an energy monitoring system like the one installed in the new Turman dorm.
The fundraising campaign will run until April 24. We will have a silent auction and will solicit donations at the school Monday - Thursday. Parents will be receiving shortly solicitation letters with more details about this exciting campaign. We would sincerely appreciate your donations to our class gift so we can truly make an impact on energy conservation at Goizueta. The students will decide on the final energy saving device, based on the funds donated. The check will be presented at Class Day on May 7 to Dean Benveniste.
Tao Bao, BBA Student Council President, 2008
Picture (left to right) Tao Bu, Sam Shapiro, the Programming Chair, and Mara Adelson, the Senior Representative who is running the gift campaign along with Jeff Roland
Parent Newsletter Raffle Winners
We are pleased to announce the winners of our February raffle. These ten students sent their parents the first edition of the Parent Newsletter and their parents sent us back comments. We value parent feedback and have incorporated some of your suggestions in our second edition. Please continue to send us comments to parents_newsletter@bus.emory.edu and watch for future raffles.
- Individual Networking Lunch with a Goizueta MBA:
Grace Ahn, William Bucciero, Amanda Gross, Brena Hanly and Noah Hauser - Lunch with Dean Benveniste on March 4:
Jason Brenner, Thomas Dugan, Sarah Kurinsky, Philip Li and Sameer Nanabhai
Second Annual Advanced Research Challenge Highlights Exceptional Researchers
ATLANTA (April 16, 2008) – The winning team in the second annual Advanced Certificate Challenge, sponsored by the Goizueta Business Library and the Undergraduate BBA Program, used a variety of information resources to analyze Volkswagen’s latest turnaround plan and determined the best strategies for success. Chun-Hao Chang, Diego Dias and Rishav Kohli were the proud winners of Microsoft products, thanks to the generosity of Emory’s Microsoft Account Representative, Jim Bacik.
Eighteen BBAs researched the turnaround strategies of Volkswagen and Home Depot and presented their findings and research methodology to judges Associate Dean Hershatter, Assistant Professor Jill Perry-Smith and Business Librarian Lee Pasackow on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in the Woodruff Library.
Participating students had completed six classes in the Business Research Essentials series, which offers students the opportunity to build research skills in a variety of business-related subject areas. Advanced Certificate graduates can: 1) determine the nature and extent of information needed to address specific business issues; 2) access information efficiently and effectively; 3) evaluate information critically and 4) apply information effectively to accomplish a specific business purpose.
Since the program began in Spring 2002, over 700 students have participated in Business Essentials classes offered each semester by Goizueta Business Librarians. Attaining a position in the professional world is highly competitive. Goizueta BBAs distinguish themselves with critical thinking and decision-making skills earned through Advanced Research Certification.
The students who have earned Advanced Research Certification are:
| Elvi Belina | Stuart Madiefsky |
| Elsy Bellina | Nevena Martinovic |
| Chun-Hao Chang | Daniel Palacios |
| Tony Chen | Igor Patrushev |
| Diego Dias | Blair Saeks |
| Alexander Greenhouse | Tanya Shringarpure |
| Tiffany Han | Daniela Voicu |
| Rishav Kohli | Russell Waldman |
| Philip Li | Shiyun Wang |
