Business Week 2008 - with State Farm CEO Ed Rust

 

March 24 - 27, 2008

Photo: Jim Owens, Al Bowman and Ed Rust

Since the mid-1970s, the College of Business at Illinois State University has sponsored Business Week to foster students' appreciation for the array of skills required in a dynamic global business environment. During the four days of events, students from the College of Business are joined by those from many other disciplines, as they interact with industry leaders and explore a variety of life skills essential to their successful transition to the workforce. Corporate and industry leaders share specialized expertise with students and faculty and explore important issues and cutting-edge developments.

Business Week has significant student appeal and is actively supported by all 17 Registered Student Organizations in the College of Business. The activities are planned, promoted and executed by the 10-student Business Week Steering Committee with support from the Dean's staff. Cross-campus participation levels jumped significantly last year as a direct result of specific efforts by the steering committee to alert students and faculty in other colleges about speakers and activities that would be of special interest to them and to include area residents in several of the events.

With strong support from Dean McGuire and the College of Business Advisory Council, Business Week is offering new events and exploring fresh possibilities for 2008. Faculty, alumni, external business partners and the community are encouraged to support and participate in the events.

 

Sponsorship

 

Photo: Mike DeWalt and Business Week 2007 IMC Coordinator, Lauren Caudell '07.

For the first time sponsorship is being sought for Business Week to help defray expenses associated with the four days of events. Mike DeWalt '80, Director of Investor Relations for Caterpillar Corporation, is a member of the College of Business Advisory Council and chairs the group's Partnership Committee.

Mike is spearheading sponsorship efforts with direct support from Lenore Macdonald, ISU's Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, and COB Development Directors Claranne Perkins '70 and Amy Sajko M.B.A. '05.

Companies sponsoring Business Week will be recognized in a variety of ways before, during and after Business Week. Their support of this college-wide event is greatly appreciated and funds have already been pledged by several companies. A final listing of sponsors will be included in the next issue of What's New in the COB. If you are interested in contributing, contact Lenore Macdonald at lmacdon@ilstu.edu or call (312) 251-3505.

 

Monday, March 24

Ice Cream Social

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Lower Level Atrium - College of Business
This informal gathering in the College of Business Atrium is used to kick-off the week of events. Participants gather to discuss the upcoming activities and opportunities for interaction with industry partners.

Etiquette and Networking Dinner

5:00 -  7:00 p.m.

Brown Ballroom - Bone Student Center
This business formal event is co-sponsored with the Career Center and is free to all students at the University. Ray Angle, director of career services at Webster University, will offer an interactive networking session exploring the "dos and don'ts of dinner etiquette." Employers and Registered Student Organizations serve as table hosts and are joined by students sharing similar interests. To accommodate all interested in participating, the event is held in Brown Ballroom. Registration is handled through the Career Center's e-recruiting website.

 

Tuesday, March 25

Mock Interviews and Resume Critiques

8:30 a.m. -  4:00 p.m.

Various rooms in the College of Business Building
Representatives from approximately twenty employers will share their expertise as they spend the day conducting 20-minute mock interviews with students and then providing 10-minutes of instant coaching and feedback. Open to all students, registration is handled through the Career Center's e-recruiting website. Professional dress is required and students must also bring a hard copy of their resume for review. Although many students sign-up independently for the experience, many participate as a direct result of their involvement in particular classes and in Registered Student Organizations. Extra credit slips will be provided to students who complete a mock interview. Registration is handled through the Career Center's e-recruiting website.

 

Wednesday, March 26

Keynote Address

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Braden Auditorium - Bone Student Center
As a member of a national roundtable focusing on internet security, Rust will share about State Farm and efforts underway in corporations around the globe to take proactive measures to insure continuity in times of crisis. Extra credit slips will be provided to students at the conclusion of Mr. Rust's remarks.

Keynote Reception

3:00 - 3:45 p.m.

Old Main Room - Bone Student Center
This reception is open to the public and offers an opportunity to meet the keynote speaker and network with other attendees. Business casual is suggested.

 

Thursday, March 27

Alumni Connections - 9:00 to 11:30 am
Alumni representing different majors and career paths return to campus to address classes, interact with students and faculty, and tour the College of Business Building. Faculty interested in having one of the alumni guests listed below visit their morning class should contact Amy Humphreys at alhumph@ilstu.edu at the earliest opportunity. These graduates will remain on campus to participate in the Transition Seminars described below.

 

Morning and Afternoon Alumni Guests

• Stephanie Calahan '85 HR/MIS - President of Calahan Solutions
• Erica Carone '04 IB/Spanish - Marketing Specialist with iPCS Wireless
• Jay Conforti '99 FIL - Sr. Manager Payroll & Tax Operations for HSBC North America
• Mark Coutre '86 MKT - VP On-Site Medical Services for Iteractive Health Solutions, Inc.
• Stacey Hart '89 MKT/IB - Senior Communications Consultant for Motorola
• Karli Kaster '03 BUA - International Marketing Manager for Career Builder.com
• Marc Levin '85 BUA - Independent Insurance Sales for Service Insurance Agency, Inc.
• Rhonda Milburn '00 BUA - Realtor for Jim Maloof Realty
• Scott Williams '05 IB/MKT - Implementation Specialist for Micros Systems, Inc.
• Shari Buckellew MBA '01 - Director, Children Discovery Museum
• Greg Morris '94 FIL - Sr. Merchandising Manager for Archer Daniels Midland
• Kristen Covey '96 FIL/INS - Global Foreign Currency Process Manager for Caterpillar Corporation

Alumni Transition Seminars

2:00 - 4:30 p.m.

Brown Ballroom
Based on feedback from student surveys conducted by Norris Porter, eight mini-seminar topics will be addressed by our alumni guests. The 12 alumni listed above will be joined for the Transition Seminars by five other distinguished graduates who have agreed to offer individual evening presentations sponsored by Registered Student Organizations. The Transition Seminars will explore issues, trends and concerns that complement coursework and classroom conversations and help graduates "hit the ground running." Each seminar will be co-hosted by two alumni at different stages in their careers and will be repeated four times during the afternoon.

Each of the eight concurrent Transition Seminar sessions is limited to 25 participants to encourage significant interaction between the hosts and audience members. An intermission with snacks will prove an opportunity for students to speak one-on-one with alumni. Extra credit slips will be provided to students who complete 3 sessions. This event replaces the alumni panel discussion format followed in previous years.

Evening Alumni Presentations

7:00 - 8:15 p.m.

Various rooms in the College of Business Building
Each alumni speaker will be hosted by Registered Student Organizations with shared professional interests. These presentations are typically well attended by students and faculty from the College of Business and across campus. As with the keynote address, the evening sessions are open to the public and extra credit slips will be provided to students at the completion of the presentations.

Evening Speakers are:

• Jay Cardwell '81 ACC, New York -CFO/COO for Sibling Entertainment Group Holdings, Inc., a company which produces Broadway musicals, shows in Las Vegas, films and a variety of professional sporting events.
• Sakun Ganason MBA '04, Redmond, Washington - Organization Capability Consultant at Microsoft.
• Al Medina '92 IB/French, Mannheim Germany - Trader & Logistics Manager for Bunge, a global agri-business.
• Scott Schumacher '85 ACC, Atlanta, Georgia - Finance Director for the Flavor Manufacturing Group at Coca-Cola.
• Keith Wakeman '86 MKT, Winston-Salem, NC - President of Pilot Therapeutics, a specialty pharmaceutical company.

The Business Week 2008 Student Steering Committee

President - Laura Kane
Vice President & IMC Coordinator - Lauren Mason
Secretary - Vanessa Contreras
Campus IMC Coordinator - Rachel Cobb
COB IMC Coordinator - Mallory Guymon
Catering Coordinator - Howard Gross
Participation Coordinators - Jessica Sieberns and Liz Thonn
Mock Interview Coordinators - Candice Warren and Alec Lance
Alumni Day Coordinator - Ben Stickley

Dean's Staff Liaisons - Norris Porter (neporte@ilstu.edu) and Amy Humphreys (alhumph@ilstu.edu) coordinate the work of the steering committee and should be contacted if you have any questions about Business Week 2008.