Loyola Executive Spring 2010

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS MAGAZINE

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS

SPRING 2010

From Internship to Passion to Profession

INTERNSHIPS PROVIDE REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE STUDENTS CREATE LEARNING PORTFOLIOS FOR SUCCESS

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CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL CAPITAL OPENS

PROFESSOR ILLUSTRATES THE VALUE OF COMMUNICATION

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LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS Loyola University New Orleans President

The Rev. Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J. College of Business Dean

William Locander Coordinator of Internships and COB Marketing

Kathy Barnett Associate Dean

Angie Hoffer Area Chairperson of Accounting, Economics, and Finance

Lee Yao Area Chairperson of Management, Marketing, and International Business

Kendra Reed Development Officer College of Business

Traci Wolff Loyola Executive Editor Publications Editor

Ray Willhoft ’00 Loyola Executive Designer

Craig Bloodworth Photographer

Harold Baquet Contributors

Kathy Barnett Brian Danos Catherine I. Koppel William Locander

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS MAGAZINE LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS SPRING 2010 • VOL.3 • NO.1 • WWW.BUSINESS.LOYNO.EDU

COVER FOCUS 6 From Internship to Passion to Profession

FEATURES 10 Do You Have Experience?

14 The Center for Spiritual Capital ––A New Venture for the College of Business 18 The Business Profession Program: Creating Learning Portfolios For Success 22 Spending the Holidays in the South... America That Is 24 No “Failure to Communicate” Here!

Loyola Executive is published bi-annually for Loyola University New Orleans College of Business alumni and friends.

Please address correspondence to: Loyola Executive Office of the Dean 6363 St. Charles Avenue, Box 15 New Orleans, LA 70118 News and photographs for possible use in future issues may be submitted by readers.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Loyola Executive Loyola University New Orleans 7214 St. Charles Avenue, Box 909 New Orleans, LA 70118 Loyola University New Orleans has fully supported and fostered in its educational programs, admissions, employment practices, and in the activities it operates the policy of not discriminating on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex/gender, or sexual orientation. This policy is in compliance with all applicable federal regulations and guidelines.

The inside of Loyola Executive is printed on recycled paper using 10 percent post-consumer waste.

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From the Dean “Experience” is THE word in business education today! This issue of Loyola Executive is all about the experience that the College of Business’ students are getting to prepare them for life after Loyola.

In this magazine, you will see two articles that profile the importance of our internship program. Dr. Kathy Barnett is the “shepherd” of this program and recounts how important real-world experience is in getting a job or finding a career.

Likewise, the cover story shows how internship-to-passion-to-profession (especially if it is with a friendly giraffe) can dramatically change the direction of a Loyola student’s life.

The newly funded Center for Spiritual Capital addresses the spiritual side of our students’ growth. Thanks to our founding donor partners (John Levert and Doc Laborde), we now have a center that will help teach and research in the area of how Catholic values can play a role in creating a productive work environment. If we forget the errors in our past, we surely have another error on the horizon. My personal thanks to the founding donors and to Dr. Nick Capaldi for his leadership in this endeavor.

Lastly, we should say thanks to two faculty members, Drs. Michelle Johnston and Len Treviño. Michelle has provided leadership to the College of Business Executive Mentor Program which adds rich business experiences to our freshman class. Len took the initiative to orchestrate a Latin American trip for 14 MBAs and 6 undergraduates over the Christmas holiday. Those kinds of experiences add much value to our students’ lives.

Don’t miss the photos of our Wolves on the Prowl participants and annual Fall CoB Picnic.

This spring marks the end of my second year as dean of the college. While time flies, I could not be more proud of our staff, faculty, and students for what they have achieved over the last two years.

Sincerely,

William B. Locander, Ph.D. College of Business Dean

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From Internship to

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Passion to Profession “My internship completely changed my life” were the first words spoken by College of Business alumna Tracey Henneman ’09 when we sat down at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, La., for an interview. A 2009 graduate with a major in marketing and a minor in mass communication, Henneman was unsure what direction she should pursue with her business degree. She was prepared to work but she didn’t know at what.

Then one day an internship listing posted on Loyola’s Career Development Center’s website got her attention. Henneman was searching the site for internships in order to find something that would fulfill the College of Business’s internship requirement when something totally different caught her eye. The Audubon Nature Institute was looking for an intern in their development department.

Henneman had not considered working in the nonprofit sector until that day, but something about the area of development for a nonprofit agency intrigued her. She applied, was hired, and what followed was a crash course in nonprofit management— event planning, fundraising, donor relations.

At that time, the Audubon Nature Institute was rolling out its newest attraction—the Insectarium.

Henneman

found herself working on a myriad of complex tasks which she describes as “the most interesting and exciting work I had ever experienced.” As a development intern, she spent lots of time interacting with many of the institute’s donors. It was during this internship period that she realized nonprofit work was her calling. The donors made an impression on the then 20-year-old. “The

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donors are so very passionate about the organization. I began to realize how emotionally connected people are to the zoo, the aquarium, the parks.

Knowing that what you are doing is providing so much joy to others is rewarding to say the least.”

Six months into her internship, Henneman was offered a part-time job with the institute. But the real pay-off to working so hard as an intern came prior to her May graduation. Her boss in the development office recommended her for a full-time position as operations administrative coordinator, and once again, she got the job.

In her current position, Henneman serves as a liaison between the zoo and its many, many guests tending to special requests, questions, concerns, safety, and lots of committee work. What she likes best about her job is that no two days in a row are ever the same. She loves the challenges that the unpredictability presents. Not to mention the perks. She just returned from a trip visiting various zoos around the country in order to compare systems and solutions for all those daily challenges. She also enjoys a great deal of freedom in being able to create and present proposals for new policies and systems at the zoo. So great is her new-found passion for the nonprofit sector that she will soon pursue an advanced degree in public administration.

The day-to-day work isn’t the only thing driving Henneman’s interests and passion. Not only has she found a career through the Audubon Nature Institute,

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she has found a group of people who truly enjoy their work. She readily acknowledges that her accomplishments are in large part due to a group of dedicated colleagues that make things happen. This group of professionals took the time to teach and mentor her as an intern. She is proud to be a part of that family.

There is something else that makes this story so significant for the Loyola community. It wasn’t happenstance that the posting for this internship ended up on Loyola’s website. It was by design. Gina Trapani ’06, development operations manager, needed a student w h o w a s s ma r t , dedicated, intuitive, and a selfstarter.

Being a Loyola graduate herself, she knew Loyola was the place to start her search. “I’m very grateful that Mrs. Trapani looked to Loyola first,” says Henneman.

“She afforded me a great personal opportunity to get my foot in the door and find my way in my life’s work. I will forever be grateful to her and the entire development staff.”

A business grad in the nonprofit arena may seem like a fish out of water to some. But,

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when you consider what a Jesuit education means, nonprofits are a very logical ending to an academic career. As Henneman explains, “I don’t recall a particular moment at Loyola when I was aware of being taught the Jesuit ideals, but when I graduated, I definitely realized I had changed over the last four years.

There had been a shift in my thinking from something beyond just myself to working for a greater cause. That’s what I took away from Loyola. That’s what enabled me to be involved in something that is part of a greater good.”

Henneman’s job can be very demanding, requiring a great deal of professionalism. She

acknowledges that her internship experience allowed her to develop that professionalism and the confidence needed for the full-time position. But more importantly is the fact that what started out as a search to fulfill a degree requirement ended up with a fulfilling full-time job offer. One never knows where something will lead. Embrace the opportunities and who knows, you may find your passion somewhere among the giraffes, the manatees, or an exotic insect from a far away land.

We would like to thank Audubon Zookeeper Sarah Stough for her assistance with the animals.

What does it take to make our magazine come to life?

We couldn’t put together Loyola Executive without It takes a Harold Baquet. Loyola Photographer Harold Baquet—an artist with a camera. No matter the subject matter, Harold takes it all in stride capturing the moment so we can bring all the CoB characters—two- and four-legged—to you, our readers.

Thanks, Harold, for all your work!

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Do You Have Experience?

Students explore careers and You have heard the old adage, “How do I get a first job without experience and how do I get experience without a first job?” The answer: INTERN. According to Roberta Kaskel, director of Loyola’s Career Development Center, employers report that for students to have a true competitive edge in today’s market they really need to complete at least two, if not three, internships. Employers want students to come with a realistic “work” view and a proven track record of completing projects on time, the ability to work in teams, and a sense of engagement in their work that comes from having truly experienced the demands of professional settings. The long and short of it, employers consistently report that a full-time summer internship with quantifiable results trumps a 4.0 every time.

“The biggest value that I gained was truly learning how one company operates—everything from the budget they have to work with, to where they advertise, to how long they take off for lunch. Since everyone at NOTMC was busy working on so many projects, they could not dedicate all of their time and resources to showing me everything. Instead, I was entrusted with responsibilities to get things done.”

Tyler Kauffman Marketing Major Internship: New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation

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business through internships “Being at Ogden Museum of Southern Art has taught me that business can be incorporated into something that people truly care for and enjoy. And learning about the behind-the-scenes aspect of music events is knowledge I can carry with me throughout my professional life. I am interested in the field, so networking with everyone I met during my stay as an intern proved to be beneficial.”

Samantha Foster Management Major Internship: Ogden Museum of Art

College of Business faculty members realized long ago the importance of student internships, including a requirement that all business students complete an internship in order to graduate. In these economic times, internships have become even more important for recent grads to compete for fewer job openings. Students are able to gain hands-on experience while also trying out different careers.

Dr. Kathy Barnett, coordinator of CoB internships, says, “Students often don’t realize the value of the internship until they’ve completed it. I have so many students that tell me they were more than a bit aggravated that we make them complete an internship when many other business schools don’t.

Students quickly add, ‘but I’m so glad you did. I learned so much. I wish I had time to do more internships.’”

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Given that most college students work their way through school waiting on tables or tending bar, the internship is often a student’s first up-close look at a professional business environment. As one Loyola student recently commented, “I was surprised how much of my coursework I could actually use while working in the real world. The concepts I learned in my Business Communications course were part of my daily work. I expected work to be so different from college, but Loyola really prepares their students.”

Students receive three hours of academic credit upon completing a minimum of 120 hours of work at an approved

“My internship at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation provided me with hands-on experience in a number of different areas. For example, I learned about the grant process and the research required in finding possible patrons for the arts.

Perhaps most importantly, I discovered that any connection, no matter how small you think it may be, is sometimes the most powerful connection when trying to get something accomplished.”

Catherine Watson Marketing Major Internship: Jazz and Heritage Foundation

internship site. Interns write a short report on their duties and activities tying in what they have learned on site to course concepts in addition to a few other career development assignments.

Barnett points out that the success of the program hinges on the willingness of business people to provide meaningful internship opportunities for students. Loyola is fortunate to have goo d working relationships with many local and national business organizations that offer a variety of possibilities for students. Internship supervisors spend time

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“I learned that hard work, however big or small, has a significant impact on improving our economy. So, whether it is simply entering data or translating documents for foreign use, it is all important. I also learned that relationships are important in business. I was able to meet with several influential participants in Louisiana commerce—for example, those involved in city planning. Building relationships with these people makes it easier for the World Trade Center to build relationships with foreign firms and to provide incentives for them to contribute to our state’s economy.”

Jennifer Gutierrez International Business/Marketing Major Internship: World Trade Center, First Stop

not only teaching the intern about the tasks at hand but also often mentor students regarding career choices, networking, and other survival skills.

Whether the internship leads to full-time employment for the student is not necessarily the ultimate goal, although it is certainly a most welcomed outcome. The experience provides crucial professional and career development k nowledge. Internships are truly unmatched in their ability to provide a win-win situation for both the students and the employers.

“During my internship, I had to answer to loan officers and experienced professionals, but as I showed I was able to handle what was given to me, I was given more work and more significant work. For example, instead of working on basic loan renewals, I was given a business proposal to read over and asked to calculate the projected numbers that were given to us to see if they were realistic. I learned a great deal.”

Myles Palumbo Accounting/Finance Major Internship: Whitney Bank

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The Center for Spiritual Capital A New Venture for the College of Business

“The great challenge before us, accentuated by the problems of development in this global era and made even more urgent by the economic and financial crisis, is to demonstrate, in thinking and behavior, not only that traditional principles of social ethics like transparency, honesty and responsibility cannot be ignored or attenuated…It is a demand both of charity and of truth.”

—Pope Benedict XIV 14

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Just as global financial markets were crashing in fall 2008, and the American public was decrying greed and the seeming lack of morality in American corporations, a small group of New Orleans, La., businessmen were meeting monthly to discuss the intersection of Catholic values and free enterprise.

Participating in the noncredit seminar, “Catholic Social Thought and the Market Economy,” led by Loyola professor Nicholas Capaldi, Ph.D., the Legendre-Soulé Distinguished Chair in Business Ethics, the dozen or so business leaders were inspired by their readings and discussion and started to urge the formation of a center at the university that would capture and incorporate the essence of Judeo-Christian morals into business education and practice.

The volatile economic climate late in the last decade also didn’t go unnoticed.

“The scandals and recent economic crisis have always informed my teaching,” says Capaldi, who teaches business ethics, “but they gave a greater sense of urgency to the founding of the center.”

In spring 2010, businessman John B. Levert, Jr., and the College of Business officially launched the Center for Spiritual Capital. Dean Bill Locander says, “The center will be a cornerstone of Loyola’s College of Business.”

The center is a first of its kind at a Catholic university. According to Dean Locander, “It is only right that a center devoted to the organizations that emphasize a culture of entrepreneurial thinking, trust, and moral decisionmaking be housed in Loyola’s College of Business.”

Loyola’s center is a research, education, and outreach organization Spring 2010

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housed in the College of Business that works with scholars, policy experts, and business leaders to connect academic learning and real-world practice. It is aimed at serving industry leaders and traditional students alike who will exercise more profound roles as entrepreneurs in both commerce and culture. Through coursework, retreats, and other activities, the center’s mission is to promote sound interdisciplinary research and innovative ideas that advance a sustainable, free, prosperous, and responsible civil society.

The center’s outreach programs with executives will reaffirm, reeducate, and inspire leaders to make more contributions to the greater good, while promoting the importance of spirituality in modern workplaces and a culture of trust and moral decision making.

At the core of the center is the notion that wealth obtained honorably contributes to the betterment of society and improves the conditions that keep people from flourishing. “The center wants to emphasize how creating wealth and jobs is one among many ways of achieving social justice,” explains Capaldi. “The great debate among Catholics is not whether but how to help the poor. There are many ways of doing this that are not mutually exclusive.”

Capaldi points to two papal encyclicals, Centesimus Annus and Caritas in Veritate, to support this philosophy. In Cenresimus Annus, Pope John Paul II explores the positive aspects of business and production as a means to help impoverished people escape “the humiliation of subjugation.”

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Guiding Principles: • A partnership of business and academe promoting the idea of spiritual values in the workplace.

• A search for new ethical norms in economic relationships through exploration of issues of spiritual capital.

• A desire to give rise to a spiritual culture for organizations grounded in leadership which fosters and empowers the human spirit.

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development in the midst of the global economic crisis and promotes the pursuit of profit if it is used responsibly and contributes to the common good.

The center will feature lectures by speakers with a sound understanding of these themes and how traditional faiths can play a vital role in retrieving and reinvigorating the spiritual roots of business practice; conferences of scholars and CEOs who delve into the ethics of commerce and the religious roots of business; forums including journalists, academics, clergy, and students on challenges to spirituality in the work world; and a full-service resource center providing everything from curriculum enhancement and faculty development to seminar planning and advice to individuals, small corporations, and nonprofits.

The center will also offer a 12-hour graduate certificate program in the Central Business District of New Orleans, La., for middle and upper-level business leaders to explore the spiritual foundations of business decision making, analyze key elements of erosion in social virtue and social capital, and critique the teachings of mainstream religious traditions on business.

Capaldi’s hope for the center is “to establish a home for a new network of business leaders, academic leaders, religious leaders, and community and political leaders in general to focus on the search for renewed ethical norms to guide the evolving economic relationships of the post-modern era.”

Finally, Capaldi feels that “entrepreneurs are not the source of today’s problems but very possibly the solution.”

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John B. Levert, Jr., Founding Partner of the Center for Spiritual Capital “Right is right even if nobody is doing it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it,” says John B. Levert, Jr., paraphrasing the words of the Rev. William Byron, S.J. That’s the philosophy Levert follows as one of southeast Louisiana’s most successful businessmen and a generous benefactor and former member of the Board of Trustees of Loyola University New Orleans.

“Business should be conducted along those principled lines,” Levert says. And now, Levert has the chance to spread that philosophy with the launch of the Loyola Center for Spiritual Capital.

Levert is a former chief executive officer of Howard Weil Labouisse Fredrichs, Inc., which he joined in 1970, and currently serves as president of Tripp Corporation, United Lands Company, Inc., and as a director of Evangeline Farms, Inc., which owns and breeds Paso Fino horses. Prior to joining Howard Weil, Levert was the executive vice president of Metal Building Products in Harvey, worked as a salesman for Carl E. Woodward Construction Company, and was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

He is well known and active in New Orleans’ charitable and professional organizations, having served as past president of the United Way and governor of the National Association of Securities Dealers. He also was a board member of the Public Affairs Research Council, the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Business Council, the Business Task Force on Education, and a member of the Economic Development Committee of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce. Levert was awarded the Papal Knight of St. Gregory Award in 1989 and the Humanitarian Award from the Arthritis Foundation in 1989.

Levert attended the University of Virginia and received his bachelor of arts degree from Tulane University in 1954, but he also has a long and dedicated history with Loyola.

He is a member of Loyola’s Heritage Society and the Society of St. Ignatius, and he served on Loyola’s Board of Trustees from 1989 until 1997. In 1998, he was named an honorary trustee.

Levert and his wife, Anne, reside in Bush, La., and they have two grown children, John Levert, III, M.B.A. ’95 and Anne Hardy ’85.

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The Business Profession Program: Creating Learning Portfolios for Success

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Students took a tour of Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World.

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Decisions about the future can be complicated and often scary for college students, particularly in their freshman year. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Preparation for life after college should begin the first day students set foot on campus. Not surprisingly, most college freshmen just don’t “get it.” Let’s face it—they have other things to think about. Loyola’s College of Business is committed to preparing students for their work lives— that time beyond classrooms and textbooks. Whether it’s finding one’s career passion or figuring out how to contribute to a greater good through that passion, the CoB seeks to equip students with the necessary tools for success.

A new program, initiated by the CoB this past fall, serves to address issues related to transitioning from college student to real-life opportunities. The Business Profession Program: Creating Learning Portfolios for Success (Portfolio for short) was launched in the fall of

2009 with the freshman class of 150 students. Modeled after a program at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Portfolio is a series of eight non-credit semester courses

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that begin in the freshman year with topics related to personal development and culminates in job search planning and interviewing in the senior year.

The inaugural semester included programs that

helped freshmen to identify personal strengths and career interests that would further their understanding of the many opportunities that await them—both at Loyola and beyond.

The first of such programs was StrengthsQuest, an online assessment by the Gallup organization required for all incoming Loyola freshmen.

The StrengthsQuest assessment provides students with a tool in which to identity their predominant strengths and understand how to use those strengths to their advantage in all aspects of their lives.

Portfolio discussions, led by university personnel trained in StrengthsQuest assessment, allowed students to further explore their results and interpretations.

Next, students were enrolled in the career assessment

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program, CareerLeader—a software program utilized by more than 400 business schools worldwide. Results provided students with insights into what careers would be a good match for them based on their interests and personality. Loyola students are able to access information on numerous industries and career options

helping them to better understand what they might like to do when finished with their studies in the CoB. The final Portfolio assignment required students to attend a campus-wide event.

The assignment was designed to have students experience something beyond their usual activities and think about the event topic in terms of Jesuit ideals. (See box for student comments.)

The focus of the spring semester program is for freshmen to begin exploring various industries and possible career opportunities. We kicked off the spring course in January with a program on the tourism industry—a natural tie-in with New Orleans and the Carnival season. Freshmen (many of whom had never experienced Mardi Gras before) were treated to a tour of Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World and dinner.

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Mary Beth Romig, director of communications and public relations for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, spoke to the freshman class on the impact of tourism on the New Orleans economy.

Students got an up close look at the Mardi Gras industry.

In February, the Portfolio program hosted a session for students titled “Your Career Starts Today” with New York-based business consultant and trainer Mary Crane.

Crane talked about how to start building a professional mindset now in order to successfully transition from college life to the fast-paced work environment.

The final assignment of the spring semester will have students researching and profiling an industry of interest to them. Students will have to think about how their strengths and career interest might fit with a future in that industry.

The Business Profession Program will continue to evolve in order to keep up with current trends in the marketplace. According to Dean Bill Locander, future plans include the development of a CoB Career Placement Program and a

job placement coordinator who will work in conjunction with Loyola’s Career Development Center to assist business students in finding a career that matches their passion—simplifying what can be a sometimes complicated and scary process.

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Student Voices from Portfolio The inaugural semester included programs that helped freshmen to identify personal strengths and career interests that would further their understanding of the many opportunities that await them—both at Loyola and beyond.

As part of Portfolio, students were required to attend a campus event. Here are a few of the comments from CoB students regarding what they took away from the event: “The stories were very moving and gave me a new view of America’s justice system. I am thankful to be at a small liberal arts school that supports new ideas. This experience has changed my life.”

—Attendee: Voices of Innocence “Attending an event outside of your major area of study or comfort level ties into the Jesuit ideal of developing the whole person—and it’s a great way to experience something new.”

—Attendee: Loyola Ballet “Attending this event made me realize how much I take my freedoms and safety for granted. I now want to delve deeper into the social issues of these governments and societies to discover how we can help and get involved.”

—Attendee: Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Speaker Event “Camilleri’s message was a very simple one that I believe encompasses the Jesuit ideals we strive to uphold: in every human is the presence of God and thus we must strive to gain equality for all people.”

—Attendee: Migration, Poverty and Racism, Speaker Event “By attending this play rather than simply lazing around on Sunday afternoon, I feel as though my time was much better spent. It’s important for me at this point in my life to take advantage of the various opportunities Loyola and New Orleans offer in order for me to become a more fully mature individual.”

—Attendee: Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes “Attending this event was an enriching experience that allowed me to learn about a reality different from my own. This has opened my eyes and helped me develop a new appreciation for my life. Events such as these contribute to our education on a very different level.”

—Attendee: Voices of Innocence, Speaker Event “This event brought out emotions in me I never knew I had and made me want to do things to help I never thought I wanted to do before and for that, I am truly grateful.”

—Attendee: Katrina’s Internally Displaced People, Speaker Event

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Spending the Holidays in the South‌

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h ‌America That Is

A group of 19 MBA and undergraduate College of Business students spent part of their semester break visiting South America. Not a bad way to usher in the new year and learn about the global economy all at the same time! The trip to Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, included planned visits to area businesses and cultural sites. The group was led by Dr. Len TreviĂąo, Gerald N. Gaston Eminent Scholar Chair in International Business at the CoB. The trip, which counted towards three hours of academic credit, allowed students to explore international business environments and practices up close. Business visits included the Chilean American Chamber of Commerce, La Moneda Palace, IBM, McCann Erickson, La Serenisima dairy, the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, and Bodega Norton winery, among others.

A key aspect of a Jesuit education is understanding the importance of making our communities a better place for having been there. In keeping with that concept, students spent some of their time in South America on a service project with the Foundacion Nordelta. Loyola students visited an area school and spent time cleaning, painting, and having fun with some of the children from the school.

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No “Failure to Communicate” Here!

You don’t have to be very old before you hear a line from the American Film Institute ranking the top movie quotes.

The top two are:

#1 – “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind. #2 – “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” Marlon Brando in The Godfather.

Number 11 on AFI’s list of top quotes comes from the movie Cool Hand Luke. In the movie, actor Strother Martin utters the line to a young chain gang prisoner (played by Paul Newman) after his failed escape attempt.

#11– Martin says, “what we’ve got here is…failure to communicate.”

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It’s All About Communication

listening has complemented her professional consulting work in communication.

Overcoming the “failure to communicate” has been the life’s work of Michelle K. Johnston, Ph.D., associate professor of management with the College of Business.

She has been working with students and executives for more than 15 years to make sure that they are not guilty of failing to communicate. Johnston’s experience as a professional speaker and corporate trainer dates back to the early 1990s and along the way has influenced clients like Entergy, Pfizer

While an acclaimed professional speaker, it has been at Loyola where Johnston is making a difference and influencing students’ lives. “My goal in teaching any of my courses, whether it’s Business Communication at the freshmen level, Leadership at the senior level, or Management Communication at the

Pharmaceutical, Pan American Life, and Imperial Trading Company, to name a few.

Her expertise in communication has helped many a corporate client hone their professional communication skills—whether it is learning how to make powerful presentations that get results or how to run a meeting more effectively—and Johnston leaves them with an enhanced understanding of how important good communication is to their success. Her academic research work in

graduate level, is to bring out each student’s personality when they communicate,” she says. “I don’t want them to be robots who all answer interview questions the same, write cover letters the same, and give presentations the same way. I want each student to understand what makes them unique and interesting and incorporate those strengths into their leadership style. I want students to leave my course with confidence that they can

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interact in any business setting that’s thrown at them and sell themselves successfully.”

Johnston is a big fan of Loyola students and finds them to be hard working, creative, and capable of adding value to any business situation. As such, she has worked hard to make their time at Loyola more than just a classroom experience.

This program would be unlike most other business school mentor programs offered to college students. It would be for incoming freshmen. First-year business students would be mentored by executives from the New Orleans, La., business community. Johnston recalls, “the first two years were full of changes on our end and on the mentors’ end.

First-Year Mentors First-Year Mentors

Most of the mentors had not worked with 18year-olds in a long time and had to figure out how to connect with these Millennials. It was a challenge for all of us, but we learned on the go and made it work.”

The program was designed so that small groups of freshmen (five or six) would be paired up with a New Orleans executive.

Passionate about everyone being a strong writer and an effective public speaker, Johnston is also concerned about students’ ability to interact in social events. Over the course of a semester, students meet with executives for lunch or dinner, visit companies, and interact one-on-one. This allows the freshmen to develop and practice

In the spring of 2003, the College of Business wanted to improve its retention efforts. Retention rates had been hovering at about 78 percent for years, well below our sister school average of 82 percent. In addition, many of our students had expressed frustration that during their freshman year, they didn’t take any business courses and therefore did not understand what being a business major meant. They had not met a single business professor and felt little connection to the college.

So, it was Johnston to the rescue as the first director of the Executive Mentor Program.

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their professional communication skills.

While the Executive Mentor Program is exceptionally well designed, the magic ingredient that makes executives want to be mentors and students benefit so much from the program is Johnston herself. Her outgoing personality and devotion to students makes her a difficult person to ignore. She works

recover and build partnerships with the business community. They were most interested in how to start their own mentoring program, so Bill Locander, Kate Lawrence, and Michelle Johnston shared success stories with them. The visit was a huge success. In fact, Johnston just returned from Rome where she met with one of the visiting professors,

hard to find the “right” executives that have something special to offer our students and then “persuades” them to join the program.

Margherita Mori, who is an associate dean and professor of finance. Johnston and Mori are currently working on a cross-cultural analysis of disaster management and have more research projects in the pipeline. During her sabbatical next year, Johnston will visit the university and offer guest lectures. And once the Italian city and university are in better shape, we hope to offer Loyola students the opportunity to study abroad at the University of L’Aquila. Loyola has never had a relationship with an Italian university, and we think this one makes perfect sense. Italian lessons are definitely on Johnston’s list of things to do.

No failure to communicate in her future!!!

Italy OnOntotoItaly Last October, Johnston hosted a visiting U.S. State Department contingent of faculty members from the University of L’Aquila that was struck in April 2009 by a powerful earthquake (4.6 magnitude), heavily damaging the university and the medieval city of the same name. When arriving at Loyola, the Italian university had just suffered a devastating earthquake and the faculty contingent wanted to learn how to

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Good Food and Great Fun at CoB Fall Halloween Picnic The annual Fall CoB Picnic is always an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to take a break from their

Dr. Kathy Barnett’s dog, Truman, costumed as a Lassie look-a-like.

usual day-to-day schedules and studies and have some good food and great fun!

Drs. Levendis, Reed, and Matherne having a blue-man sort of day.

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Would you go to South America with this guy?

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Students took a break from studies to enjoy the CoB picnic.

Only good witches allowed at the CoB picnic.

Dr. David Luechauer and son Michael dressed for the links.

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Freshmen Step Up to Community Service with Wolves on the Prowl As is the tradition in the College of Business, the freshman Class of 2013 participated in the annual Wolves on the Prowl, Loyola’s national day of community service. Wolves on the Prowl, held every fall, works toward the Ignatian tradition of being men and women for and with others in communities across the nation. Students were involved in various community service projects including school beautification in New Orleans public schools.

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