A Glimpse of Gotham

New York, NY, is a world capital of finance and retail, and experiencing the city is an education in itself. This year, two groups of MSU business students got a close-up view of business in the Big Apple.

In March, eight senior finance majors attended the Finance Leaders’ Conference in Manhattan, organized by the Financial Management Association (FMA). The conference offered advice on career paths and goals from industry professionals; a headhunter’s insights on interview skills and employers’ priorities; sessions on topics like teamwork and leadership and opportunities to make connections with peers. The group enriched their experience with tours of the New York Stock Exchange, the Federal Reserve Bank and the Museum of Finance.

“New York City is an eye opening experience,” remarks Instructor of Finance and FMA advisor Dr. Helena He, who accompanied the group. “Our students were able to see how the markets and financial system work. They received advice from leaders in one of the world’s financial capitals.”

The MSU chapter of FMA minimized costs with fall fundraisers like doughnut and pizza gift card sales. With added support from the Dean’s Office and the Department of Finance and Economics, the only major out-ofpocket cost for attendees was the conference registration fee. The FMA chapter is now working toward the 2018 conference, in another financial center: Chicago.

“I could not thank Mississippi State and the COB enough for affording our chapter such a great opportunity,” states Devin Hamilton, MSU FMA President. “The conference was a great experience for me – particularly the sports finance section – and being able to bond outside a classroom helped form friendships that will last for years.”

The second student group attended the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2017 Big Show. Mississippi State marketing students and fashion design and merchandising (FDM) students made up 31 of the 34,500 in attendance. FDM students have attended before, but this marked the first cross-college trip that included marketing majors.

Joining the students were marketing faculty Dr. Melissa Moore and Dr. Robert Moore; FDM faculty Dr. Charles Freeman, Dr. Catherine Black and Caroline Kobia and MSU entrepreneurship director Eric Hill. Most costs were covered by the NRF’s Foundation and Student Association as well as MSU’s College of Business; Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis and Business Law; School of Human Sciences and Center for Retail and Cotton Product Development.

The Big Show attracts heavy hitting keynote speakers such as former U.S. Presidents, Cabinet members and CEOs like this year’s Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group. The expo featured 500-plus retailers in all areas – from technology to fashion to engineering.

The student program drew about 400 for sessions on skill development and résumé building and for speakers ranging from recent graduates to CEOs of major corporations, like designer Rebecca Minkoff. Afterward, at a career fair, some 40 employers invited limited numbers of students for interviews the next day.

“Our students stood out – 75 to 80 percent got at least one interview,” notes Freeman. “That speaks strongly to the quality of our students. Recruiters later told us MSU students were professional, polite, well dressed and had awesome looking résumés.”

Students came away with a whole-picture sense of the collaboration needed in retail – that what is done in marketing, design, technology, production or sales affects all other areas. They saw that in business, success comes when all work together.