Fall 2015 by Atrium Media Group

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PRESIDENT’S Letter With a semester drawing to a close, it is incredible how many things have happened at Laurier. From our business school being renamed to the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, to coming together as a family during the lockdown, I am truly amazed by this school and my fellow Goldenhawks. However, one semester is just the tip of the iceberg of all of the things that Laurier has to offer: our school has a rich history full of remarkable people. Take Carson Kolberg, for example, the current Director of Operations at Meal in a Jar; or William Webb, the current Chief Investment Officer at Gluskin Sheff and Associates. Before leading successful careers, these individuals were Goldenhawks just like us: they walked through the concourse, played on Alumni field, and studied in the library. These two individuals, just like thousands of other Laurier Alumni, have paved the way for the present and future generations of Goldenhawks. Stories like these have inspired us to dedicate this issue to capturing Laurier throughout the years, by showcasing Laurier’s past, present and future. We are happy to announce that this year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Atrium Magazine. We have made significant progress over the past years, and we hope that you continue to join us on our journey. I encourage you to read the articles in this magazine, and truly appreciate our past, learn more about the present, and get excited for the future. Home will always be where the Hawk is. Happy reading! Yash Parekh President

EDITOR’S Desk Dear Reader, This issue is about the future. The future can be disconcerning at times in its infinite possibilities and endless hope. However, that perspective of that future is bleak and plain and this issue we wish to show the optimism that comes with the future, the endless possibilities filled with infinite hope that we think will carry us to someplace better - the future. The future is a composition of things past which is why we are dipping into the past to see what the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics was like before it got the nice name and nationwide recognition as being one of the best business schools in the country. Throughout the issue, we introduce alumni which have taken the SBE name to new heights and bring you a prespectives on how we think the SBE can be better still. I urge you, dear reader, to consider the building blocks which are being laid for the new building, to think about laying a few of your own because we lay the blocks now so that we can live in the castle later. To paraphrase Tennyson, I ask you to dip into the future, as far as the human eye could see and see the vision of world and wonders yet to be. Jeel Shah Editor-In-Chief

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THROWBACK: SBE THROUGH THE YEARS

“Discover the history that made us who we are today.” /Atrium Magazine Fall 2015

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LAURA ALLAN: THE PAST AND THE PRESENT “My experience at Laurier has shaped me in many ways.”

BY SYLVIA NOVAC

nyone who has taken BU111 or BU121 knows about Professor Laura Allan, what they might not know however, is that Allan was an undergraduate at Laurier. AMG sat down with the professor to learn about her experiences at Laurier, and what she feels students should strive towards doing right now. Many of us have a number of reasons, almost a scientific process, for choosing universities. We look at all the possible metrics from the school’s academic sitting to its social atmosphere. However, for Allan the choice had to do more with fate than a rigorous scientific process “… I chose Laurier simply because my brother was in the BBA program and I visited him and liked the campus.” Laurier has that effect on people, the ability to draw students into its cozy campus and make them feel like they are at home. The experiences that we have at Laurier, in and out of the university, shape the way we think and what we believe in.

themselves as a whole. According to Allan, “this is what is really going to matter to employers.” When it comes down to it, employers prefer individuals who don’t suffer from the “man with a hammer syndrome,” a person looking at all their problems in the same way a man with a hammer looks at a nail. Having one tool in the toolshed, for example being too academically focused or too focused on extra-curricular activities, can lead to employers believing you are not well rounded enough to function in the real world.

“A large part of university is developing yourself in the direction that you believe to be the right one.”

One of these for Professor Allan was working as a Teaching Assistant which she said “… really launched the path my career would take.” Allan was also a residence don giving her the opportunity to develop her soft skills in leadership and communication. Furthermore, the environment that Laurier provided *really* did inspire her to live a life of “leadership and purpose.”

This, according to Allan, is what separates Laurier graduates from the rest. The fact that Laurier graduates are “very engaged, have great leadership skills, they really want to make a difference in the world, and are as a lot of employers say ‘quality without arrogance’.” The emphasis on soft skills which is done right from first year is what allows Laurier graduates to develop themselves beyond a mark sheet. Furthermore, the organizational and leadership skills developed through projects like New Venture allows students to take the theory that is learned in class and apply it to real world scenarios.

A large part of university is developing yourself in the direction that you believe to be the right one. Laurier has a number of opportunities, according to Allan, that “students should soak up,” because this will allow them to develop

Having the ability to take theory and apply it to real world scenarios and having multiple experiences throughout university to do that is what makes the Laurier graduate, a Laurier graduate. /Atrium Magazine Fall 2015

LOOKING AT THE LOOKING GLASS: A FIRST PERSON PESPECTIVE “To look into the past is to look into the composition of what one is today.” BY JEEL SHAH & BRITTANY KOORNSTRA

o look into the past is to look into the composition of what one is today; by analyzing the past, by looking at the looking glass we can come to know what makes us and quite possibly, where we might be going into the future. Laurier Archives, yes such a place exists, can only be found if you are looking for it. Most students don’t venture below the ground floor of the library, and some of us hardly leave the seventh. However, if you are keen to look at where Laurier gets its name and where it originates from, you have to find your way the first floor of the library; the button on the elevator that you accidentally pressed thinking it was the ground floor when it was in fact the first floor - that is where you must venture. The journey begins by going down a flight of stairs, through a crooked corridor and into a small room which is separated into two parts. The first being a viewing room and the second being a workplace. I ask the archivist to hand me ten years’ worth of AMG issues. And so, began my journey of looking at the looking glass. Atrium, as it was simply called, had humble beginnings. It began as newsletter which was stapled together by a Jillian Swartz, the founder. If you go to archives today and ask for the oldest issue, you will still see the neatly stapled newsletter in its original form. As I looked through the various issues, I realized that not only was I looking at AMG but I was looking at a written history of the events that class /Atrium Magazine Fall 2015

mates from long ago thought were important and furthermore, of the positive effects of technology on giving the individual the power to make something which was professional and innovative. The earlier issues were stapled together because the technology available to students was merely a stapler, a XEROX machine and paper; some universities were fortunate enough to have a few large computers but that was it. As time went on, the AMG magazines become more sophisticated in style. They stopped to contain only words but included pictures, different fonts, and were bound in a more professional manner. The problems however, haven’t surprisingly changed all too much. Looking back at the O-day issue of 1989 or 1994, or any year for that matter, and you can see that first years are being warned about BU111 (or its equivalent), to eat healthy food, and to join clubs. The sentiment is reminiscent the quote “History doesn’t repeat itself but it does rhyme.” In case of AMG, the themes repeat with variation, but in a more technologically advanced way. We have ceased to staple our articles together and we now use laser printers to print and bind our magazines to look exactly like magazines. Looking into the future, as far as I can see with my limited perspective, leads me to question and to wonder; to wonder what kind of technology will be used to create the 2025 issue of Atrium, and what topics they will be talking about. I suspect that the topics will be similar to our past issues with a slight twist but their medium will change significantly.

HERE WE STAND: SBE AT ITS FINEST

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AN AFTERNOON WITH CARSON KOLBERG “I knew that business was still a prescribed path, and I wanted to do more.” BY PEARL LEUNG & DIMPLE PRAJAPATI

e ar the corner of King and Eby in downtown Kitchener, there is a house that can only be described as cozy and familiar. A small garden sits at the front of the residence, framing the wooden stairs that lead up to a glass-paned room. Seated around a table, two men are immersed in concentrated brainstorming. This is Meal in a Jar’s office. For a successful company, you wouldn’t expect something so modest. Their office genuinely reflects the vision and nature of Meal in a Jar and its founder, Carson Kolberg. Carson was not what you’d consider a “typical” student. He had a general idea of where he wanted to be after graduation, but he didn’t get there by following a set plan. He just did what felt right. And that’s how he ended up in Waterloo. After taking a couple of years off, the Ottawa native came to Laurier as a Communications major. Despite ultimately wanting to start a business, he chose to stay as an arts student. “I knew that business was still a prescribed path, and I wanted to do more,” he said. As time passed, Carson immersed himself in the school’s business community. He became a Supplemental Instructor for BU111 and BU121. During his first co-op term, he worked at an international organization focused on personal development, igniting his desire to travel. This longing guided him to his role as President of AIESEC’s Laurier chapter. In his upper years, Carson took some entrepreneurship courses and eventually enrolled in Laurier LaunchPad. The twelve-week course flipped the classroom and gave students the power to flesh out their business idea. It was where Meal in a Jar was truly born. And so, when Carson graduated, he knew exactly what he was going to do. That same year, Laurier launched a new campaign: Inspiring

lives with leadership and purpose. “It was interesting because that’s what my whole [Laurier] experience was,” he said. “I got the opportunity to step into […] leadership roles, and find my purpose.” Since Carson became a Laurier alumnus, the university has changed. Before he graduated, Carson went to a Breakfast with Blouw session. It was a cold winter day. None of the other attendees showed up. So Carson got to chat with the Laurier President, one-on-one. Blouw spoke about his plans and vision for the school. Back then, they were still focused on growing student numbers. These days, Carson sees the conversation shifting from quantity to quality. He believes the school has begun to see the importance of “having better quality education and more intensive activity, more […] integration with the community, and really exposing students to the reality of their city […] rather than saying, ‘we’re here.’ Students come in, they do it, they leave.” The business faculty itself has transformed. When Carson was a student, the Business Program was focused on producing finance students. Now, there is a greater selection of courses in all functional areas. “It’s almost like Laurier is disrupting Laurier,” he said. “It’s like a startup inside the school is changing the way the school is thinking.” Through its transformation, Carson believes Laurier can become significant locally and globally. The students will “not just be humans doing, but humans being.” The school will “not just be a school doing, but a school being.” Lastly, he added while chuckling, “I hope their football team gets better.” 11/Atrium Magazine Fall 2015

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A CONVERSATION WITH MARIA MUSTANSIR “As a school, we are on the verge of grasping excellence.” BY TYLER WANG & KEVIN LI

t is clear that Laurier is committed to its efforts to grow and develop into a premier institution, but the question remains, how is Laurier changing and how is Laurier “Building Canada’s Best Business School”? To find an answer to this question, we sat down with Maria Mustansir, a Laurier alumni and PwC associate to talk about the past, present and future of our school. We begin our journey by exploring the reputation and the quality of the Lazaridis SBE. The perception of Laurier in the public’s eye is that Laurier is an average university; however, after we started on our path, we learned that School of Business and Economics is one of the best business schools in Canada, and we are gaining recognition amongst employers due to our co-op program and the quality of our education. Despite a prevailing misconception that Laurier graduates don’t have the same quality of placements as the so-called “elite” business schools, Maria noticed that Laurier graduates are valued by employers. In fact many Laurier graduates end up in the same positions as students from the traditionally “elite” business schools such as Queen’s and Western Ivey. What really sets Laurier apart from other business schools is the heavy emphasis on soft skills such as presentation skills, teamwork, and communication; skills that are highly transferable to all facets of business, especially accounting. Maria noted that her time at PwC is primarily spent interacting with clients, and that the skills she gained at Laurier gave her the confidence to fulfill her dream, which was to be an accountant. Furthermore, the case studies that we do in our classes are real world focused and thus Laurier students are better equipped to deal with business problems. These business problems are in variety of areas including 14/Atrium Magazine Fall 2015

technology. Through the rebranding effort, Laurier is putting an increased focus on technology and innovation. The technology sector is the future of business and Maria believes that with an increased focus on technical skills, innovation and the new, state-of-the-art Lazaridis Hall, Laurier students are better equipped to become successful and innovative entrepreneurs, and candidates for established tech companies. Technical skills are very important, but confidence is also crucial. Maria feels that Laurier’s “Building Canada’s Best Business School” campaign is really beneficial to students, because the campaign helps students gain the confidence necessary to continue to grow and compete to be the best business students in the country. The renowned football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence”. In order to help Laurier chase perfection, there are some aspects that Maria feels Laurier could improve on. She feels that Laurier is too focused on Finance, Accounting and Marketing, as a result, other specializations such as HR, Supply Chain and Entrepreneurship are being sidelined. It is important to devote more resources to the less “popular” specializations, because there is a plethora of untapped opportunities in those sectors, and it is important to provide support to students who wish to pursue a career in those fields. As a school, we are on the verge of grasping excellence. Laurier is an excellent institution with plenty of room to grow, and with our rebranding to Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, we are one step closer to becoming Canada’s best business school.

BUILDING A NEW ERA AT LAZARIDIS HALL

“Chase the possibilities and your vision of all that can be.” 15/Atrium Magazine Fall 2015

OPINION: WHY SHOULD WE GET AN ENTRANCE ESSAY? “...is a signal to us that we are now auditioning for center stage.” BY JEEL SHAH

very Laurier student has at some point heard a fellow Waterloo student joke that there aren’t two universities in Waterloo - just one. The other is simply a large high school. Of course, they are only saying this in jest and everyone who sits around the “table” laughs at the quip. However, after the thirty five million donation by Mike Lazaridis and the Government, we have graduated from our high school status and moved beyond. This so called graduation is a signal to us that we are now auditioning for center stage in the theater of business schools around country. What we develop to separate ourselves from the crowd is another discussion altogether. Before one can compete fully against their opponent they must have the same standards as their opponents. This is not to say that Laurier does not have the same standards as its contemporaries but it does lack one thing which would certainly raise its standard: the mandatory entrance essay. How can something so trivial (only in comparison to a new business building) have such a large effect on the standards of any university? The entrance essay is like the high shelf where the cookies lay, the student being the child who must raise themselves in order to get something delicious. To the child, the cookies even better when they try hard to get them. The entrance essay is very much like this. An impediment to an objective increases the value of the objective. However, many are skeptical of the costs and social implications of implementing such an essay. After all, we do have an entrance essay but it’s just not mandatory. The Applicant Background Summary (ABS) is in fact an essay that some business students fill out to supplement their application. This is not necessarily an impediment per se and furthermore, the costs of not writing it are: nothing. For instance, Queen’s University has the Personal Statement 16/Atrium Magazine Fall 2015

of Experience (PSE) which is heavily weighted, failure to write the essay is an automatic disqualification and submitting a poor one will have the same result. That is cost. If one is to survey the top universities around the world, all of them weigh an entrance essay with equal weighting to a student’s grades and some even more so. So are the costs either logistical or financial worth it? Yes, especially when the problems have solutions. If we are serious about implementing an entrance essay, we shouldn’t be worried about the potential problems which may arise simply because other universities have already done most of the legwork. One only needs to look to our contemporaries, Queen’s Commerce and Western Ivey to develop an idea about how to tackle the problem. Furthermore, the logistical problems of accepting applications or finding people to read them are already partially solved for because we accept the ABS! Therefore, we don’t necessarily have to design an entirely new system. We need to improve upon an existing one. The existing system will help project a per application cost if every student had to write one and what we would need to charge per application, as other universities do, to satisfy that cost. The benefits of implementing the essay are enormous. Firstly, the process will help the university select students who are well-rounded. Secondly, it will improve Laurier’s perception amongst high school students and even our neighbor, that Laurier has a selective process where only the best students go and that a high entrance average is not the only thing that will get you into the program. So, it begs the question: why hasn’t a mandatory entrance essay been implemented?

ON BUILDING CANADA’S BEST BUSINESS SCHOOL “What makes something great?” BY JEEL SHAH

hat makes something great? What kind of attributes does this something contain which make it great? There are possibly five to six attributes which all great things have in common. A couple of these are consistency and an expectation of excellence. So, what does a great school have? It must be consistency and expectation of excellence, of course. Our recent donation of $35 million has given us the opportunity to take the first step to achieving greatness; not to imply that School of Business of Economics wasn’t good - no, that would be a foolish thing to assume however, the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics (LSBE) has the opportunity to go even further. Achieving consistency and excellence is no easy task. The road is littered with pot holes and jagged rocks. In order to achieve consistency one must define it first. In the context of building a great school this means to output a certain kind of graduate consistently. This graduate is one who is well-rounded, well versed in international affairs and has up their sleeve a host of extra-curricular experiences which make them who they are. Forming this kind of graduate is no simple task. The Harvards and the Oxfords of the world have taken a long time to develop a selection program which caters to their standards. The first step to achieving our standard would be to implement a mandatory entrance essay. This entrance essay would allow us to become more selective of the type student who studies at the LSBE and furthermore, gives us the ability to sculpt an arrow head which already has its shape. The sculpting process is as important as the arrowhead. It is

easy for a great arrow to become dull but the reverse, not so much - that has to be intentional. A great university is one which is bursting with new ideas and thoughts, it is a petri dish for crazy and innovative ideas. In order to develop a culture such as that, a heavier emphasis has to be placed on thinking for oneself and for students to be encouraged to take the initiative in curiously questioning the prevailing ideas. By doing this, students come to ask themselves what can be changed and then to ask: what can be different? By asking what can be different students would take the initiative to change their environment to a higher ideal, more specifically the expectation of excellence. There is no better way to prod and question than to do it with a mentor, someone who has passed through and has experienced exactly what a student may be experiencing. By giving each business student the opportunity to find a mentor, for example an alumni, students would become more attuned to the world around them. It would give them an opportunity to build a strong connection with alumni and instill in them the thought to do the same when they graduate thereby building a stronger alumni network.

“A school like all other great things must consistently embody the excellence that is expected of it.” The journey to the destination that is a great business school is never linear. It tosses and turns, swirls and moves side to side. However, if the focus is shifted to the attributes of greatness then the road becomes easier to travel by, it becomes a little more tolerable and often shorter than one would expect. 17/Atrium Magazine Fall 2015

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SOFY CARAYANNOPOULOS: BUILDING THE SBE BRAND “Part of building reputation is a marketing exercise, and naming the school will help accomplish that.” BY SYLVIA NOVAC & BRITTANY KOORNSTRA

ith the $35 million contribution by Mike Lazaridis and the Ontario government, it is without a doubt that students will feel the effects of SBE’s drive towards innovation. These contributions are a part of Laurier’s efforts to merge the areas of business and technology. Dr. Sofy Carayannopoulos, Associate Professor of SBE, is witnessing a movement towards innovation among professors and the administration. Increasing the innovativeness of teaching is expected to help train students better for the workforce. According to Carayannopoulos, these efforts will ultimately increase the brand equity of the BBA degree. “Part of building reputation is a marketing exercise, and naming the school will help accomplish that,” says Carayannopoulos. The Lazaridis name will not only make Laurier graduates more visible, but is expected to draw in more resources to the school. Part of what distinguishes Laurier graduates in the workforce is their problem-solving experience which applies their course knowledge. The school’s use of immersive learning is done through live cases and group projects that take place throughout the degree. However, what limits the school’s ability to provide these opportunities is the amount of resources available. Whether it is through increased classroom space, funding, or faculty time, the expansion of SBE will lead to more opportunities for immersive learning. Only then will SBE be able to grow towards its vision of “Building Canada’s Best Business School.” In conjunction with drawing in more resources, promoting SBE’s accomplishments will happen through its current co-op students and graduates. Laurier’s renowned co-op program places students in various industries to solve realworld problems while applying course knowledge. As another form of immersive learning, much of SBE’s market-

ing takes place through co-op students when they are given opportunities to showcase their skills. Carayannopoulos is hopeful that the co-op program will continue expanding to provide more opportunities for immersive learning. Those Laurier graduates who are hired by co-op employers continue to promote SBE as company managers and corporate executives through making key business decisions. Building the SBE brand will happen not only through current students and graduates, but also at the high-school level. As SBE becomes better known among high school students, the number of applicants is expected to increase each year. According to Carayannopoulos, entrance requirements are expected to heighten in order to attract stronger applicants. Potentially higher admission averages, combined with a stronger focus on community involvement, will help raise the bar for applicants; doing so will ultimately raise performance standards for students as they progress in the program. The school will also reap the rewards of the Lazaridis name to further build brand equity. Mike Lazaridis, co-founder of Research in Motion, represents the importance of making wise business and technology-based decisions. For Laurier students, the Lazaridis name will contribute to what differentiates them from other schools. Through his invention of the smartphone, Lazaridis has demonstrated innovation through hard work and humility – qualities that are seen particularly in SBE students. “Symbolically, it makes sense as a name for us, and is internationally recognized,” says Carayannopoulos. Incorporating technology into the SBE brand will be reflected in the business faculty. Considering technology to teach course concepts is expected, according to Carayannopoulos. Therefore, this aspect of the Lazaridis name will help make students highly differentiated. 19/Atrium Magazine Fall 2015

WILLIAM WEBB: CIO, PHILANTHROPIST, AND GOLDEN HAWK “We have gained a seal of approval.”

BY JEEL SHAH

luskin Sheff and Associates is one the largest buy side equity firms on Bay Street with $8.5 billion in assets under management. William ‘Bill’ Webb is the current CIO of Gluskin Sheff having worked with them for over 20 years, and is retiring at the end of this year to pursue philanthropy.

“Follow the things that really interest you.” Having been a part of the school as an undergraduate himself, sitting on the campaign committee for the school and being a major donor; Bill Webb provides a unique perspective on how the school has changed from the past, what the school is like now and where he believes the school will be going in the future. When Webb first stepped onto the Laurier campus the landscape was very different. It was the eighties. The internet hadn’t been born yet, the cellphone was non-existent and writing a term paper meant pulling out a typewriter, usually, and hacking away at the keys hoping you didn’t make a mistake somewhere. Before entering school, Webb came into contact with the late Dr. Tupper Cawsey, an organiza-

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tional behaviour professor who gave Webb the opportunity to work with him as a research assistant. This gave Webb the opportunity to develop some case studies which are still being used by business students today. Co-op played a large role in helping Webb decide “what he liked and what he didn’t.” This allowed him to work three terms at IBM in three different parts of the company. According to Webb, when he first entered IBM he was convinced he would continue working for them after he graduated, but by the end of the three terms his mind was set elsewhere; he knew that he “wanted to do something completely different.” So, after going through the international business program at Laurier and feeling that Laurier opened [his] eyes to the larger world, Webb ventured out to England for his first job and subsequently travelled around the world to places such as India, China and Australia. For Webb, this was following his passion, something which he recommends to everyone.

“Don’t be afraid to take the road less taken.” Following your passions, according to Webb, means that you will be doing something you enjoy. Not only are your

“...to try our best to attract the best students and the best faculty.”

passions beneficial in terms of how happy you are, but you will also learn more, have fun and will be able to “teach more, contribute more and have more insights”.

“Look after yourself.” Shifting gears, we asked Bill Webb about where he thought the university was going with the recent donation of $35 million. Firstly, Webb commented on the fact that just by gaining the $35 million from a “very very smart businessman” we have gained a seal of approval. Even though Lazaridis has contributed to other universities, notably Waterloo, the fact that he chose Laurier to make such a large donation to means a lot. With the additional funds the university will be able to even further their efforts of attracting the best students and furthermore, give us the opportunity to develop both our entrepreneurial and technological arms. There could be a number of impediments that could stop us from achieving our goal to build Canada’s Best Business School. According to Webb, one of the biggest impediments would be to “rest on our laurels and become complacent.” This will require us to try our best to attract the best students and the best faculty. Furthermore, according to Webb,

“alumni need to continue to support our school … not just while they are there but once they have graduated.” This is something, Webb feels, is done very well by American schools; but this is an area where Canadian schools are lacking and something Laurier can learn from. Attracting the best students means implementing a system which allows the university to filter for a specific candidate. This system could be something such as an entrance essay; as Webb put it “a comprehensive selection methodology including not just marks, [but] essays...” Building Canada’s best business school is not going to be an easy task and the prescription laid out by Bill Webb outlining the fact that we need great students, the best faculty and a strong alumni network will certainly put on the right track towards our goal.

“Keep your friends close.” The four books he recommends that everyone read are Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Creating Shareholder Value, The Last Lion and Man’s search of Meaning.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I dipt into the future Saw the Vision of the world and

e far as human eye could see; d all the wonder that would be.â&#x20AC;?

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