FA L L 2018
SIGM UND WEIS SCHOOL OF BUSINES S AT SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSIT Y
TOP STORY
New Space The Hub of Entrepreneurial Education | p.8
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Senior Seizes Opportunity with Tesla Kramer Shares Rx for Start-up Success
DEAN’S CORNER
A CONVERSATION WITH MAT THEW ROUSU
Matthew Rousu was appointed dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business in May, after serving as interim dean for one year. He joined the business school in 2004 and is also a professor of economics. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from Iowa State University. His research interests include political economy, experimental auctions, agricultural economics, pedagogy and public health. He has published more than 50 scholarly articles, and his book Broadway and Economics: Economic Lessons from Show Tunes was published this summer by Routledge.
FALL 2018
Dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business
MATTHEW ROUSU Interim Editor
BETSY K. ROBERTSON Director, Digital and Print Communications Contributing Writers
AMANDA O’ROURKE Digital Communications and Media Specialist
KATE WELLER ’03
What are your five-year goals for the business school? I want us to provide more life-changing opportunities for our students, to better connect our alumni with students, and to become better known as a premier undergraduate business school. Sigmund Weis School of Business faculty, students and alumni will work on a strategic plan for the school this year, but here are a few goals I would like to see included: •M ore opportunities for business students to complete international internships. An international internship is a life-changing experience that can alter a student’s career and life trajectory. About 30 percent of the school's Class of 2019 will graduate having completed an international internship, which I believe is the highest percentage of any business school in the country. But I would like for more students to have these opportunities.
Web Content and Social Media Manager
BRUCE BEANS Design
JOSIE FERTIG Creative Director
ERICA HOOVER Graphic Designer Lead Photography
GORDON WENZEL HEATHER NECESSARY Copy Editor
•M ore high-impact domestic experiences for students. We want to partner with employers on consulting projects and expand opportunities for externships and internships. We also want to have more projects working for businesses as part of our coursework.
KATHLEEN FLORIO
• I mprove the marketing of the school. I believe we are now one of the top undergraduate business schools in the world. We still have areas to improve, but our students have incredible experiences and land amazing jobs and internships. The Sigmund Weis School of Business “brand” is also strong, but not as strong as the quality of the program.
SIGMUND WEIS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
What do you think business students need in a business school education today? Graduates need to be able to think critically, communicate well (orally and in writing), think globally, and adapt to a changing business environment. That is the hallmark of a liberal arts education. They also need the technical foundations provided by an AACSB-accredited business school. Students who have these skills, along with a thorough grounding in accounting, marketing, finance and the other areas of business, will succeed immediately and throughout their careers.
As one of the few undergraduate business programs
Your area of study is economics. Why did you choose this focus? I love how economics explains the way the world works. When I took my first economics class, I couldn’t wait to study more and eventually use economic research methods to help study problems. (continued on page 19)
Susquehanna University 514 University Ave. Selinsgrove, PA 17870 570-372-4455
in the world to earn AACSB accreditation, we pride ourselves on our highly qualified faculty, rigorous curriculum, and continuous assessment and improvement processes.
SUSQU.EDU/BUSINESS
INSIDE
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 2
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2 | Student Spotlight Senior Seizes Opportunity with Tesla
4 | Faculty Spotlights Management Department Welcomes New Entrepreneurship Professor Ozlanski Recognized for Teaching, Advising Excellence Heuer Earns Award for Research on Fashion Industry
8 | Top Story New Space to Be the Hub of Entrepreneurial Education
12 | Campus News Summer Programs Flourish Department of Economics Recognized by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis New Beta Gamma Sigma Members Among the Best
16 | Student Spotlight Stein Fellows Spend the Summer Abroad
18 | Alumni News Kramer Shares Rx for Start-up Success Creating Valuable Opportunities for Students
2 | SPRING 2018
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST
SENIOR SEIZES OPPORTUNITY WITH TESLA BY AMANDA O’ROURKE When it comes to innovation, no company is perhaps more top-of-mind than Tesla. So when a recruiter approached senior Sara Costa about an experiential opportunity with the company, she jumped. “I wanted to work at Tesla because it is such an amazing company and I love the mission they stand for,” Costa says. “Tesla isn’t only about selling their electric cars or energy products; they are all about transitioning the world into sustainable energy, and I think that is very important.” Costa, a double-major in strategic communications and luxury brand marketing and management, first worked as a customer experience specialist over winter break and returned last summer to Tesla’s McLean, Va., store. “My main task was to talk about the company’s mission and products to people who enter the showroom. I talked to them about the company’s mission of transitioning the world into sustainable energy, as well as the characteristics of Tesla vehicles,” she says. “I was also responsible for collecting customer leads and following up with each customer to offer them a test drive in a Tesla.”
Costa’s role was important. As she has learned through her coursework, marketing luxury products and services presents a number of unique challenges, including the importance of establishing strong relationships with customers. Her Tesla experience was her first opportunity to put this principle into practice. Costa credits Susquehanna’s unique luxury brand marketing and management major—one of the few such undergraduate programs in the country—with helping her profile stand out on her LinkedIn page. She said her Professional Development course helped hone her interview skills and produce a polished résumé. She believes the Tesla opportunity has given her a solid foundation for her future plans. “I hope it will allow me to showcase my experience working in the luxury sector and marketing to a completely different audience than a regular brand,” Costa says. “The luxury industry is very competitive and hard to get into, so I hope that having this unique experience working for such an amazing company will help me postgraduation.” ■
SARA COSTA ’19 luxury brand marketing and management
VENTURES | SUSQU.EDU/BUSINESS
FACULT Y SPOTLIGHT
IN THE CL ASSROOM
MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT WELCOMES NEW ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROFESSOR BY K ATE WELLER ’03 Lori Ellison joined the university’s Department of Management this fall as assistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship. Ellison was drawn to Susquehanna’s growing entrepreneurship program and the opportunity to collaborate more with student entrepreneurs in smaller class sizes. This fall, she will teach Principles of Management and a new sustainable entrepreneurship course. Ellison previously was an assistant professor at Towson University in Towson, Md., where she taught courses in strategy, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship and society, business ethics and sustainability, and management and leadership. She was the faculty coordinator of Towson’s twice-yearly, live strategy case competition and received the Towson University Office of Academic Innovation’s Innovation in Teaching Award in 2017. She has worked with three different university-based entrepreneurship centers and focuses her research on
best practices and university/community partnerships for social entrepreneurship. “I’ve always been passionate about entrepreneurship, the role of business in society and the potential for universities to work with entrepreneurs to promote the positive impact of business in the community,” Ellison says. “Business educators and entrepreneurs are still discovering how business can best serve social needs. The social impacts of business include not just technological advancements and economic growth, but also issues related to social justice, culture, equality, healthcare and the environment.” After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics and international affairs from Indiana University and working at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Ellison earned a master’s degree in professional accountancy from the Kelley School of Business at Indianapolis and a doctorate in management from the University of Maryland. ■
LORI ELLISON Department of Management
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VENTURES | SUSQU.EDU/BUSINESS
Michael Ozlanski '05, assistant professor of accounting
OZLANSKI RECOGNIZED FOR TEACHING, ADVISING EXCELLENCE BY K ATE WELLER ’03 Michael Ozlanski ’05, assistant professor of accounting, has earned the Sigmund Weis School of Business’ annual teaching and advising award for going above and beyond in the classroom and with student advisees.
“The really cool thing about being at Susquehanna is that it is so student-focused. I get to come to work every day and help 18- to 22-year-olds, who are our future, to achieve their dreams,” he says.
“Dr. Ozlanski has quickly established himself as one of the top teachers in the Sigmund Weis School of Business,” says Matt Rousu, dean of the school and professor of economics. “His nominators noted his excellence in teaching Global Business Perspectives and accounting classes, and his ability to integrate the arts to help students learn.”
By teaching a range of courses with small class sizes, Ozlanski sees students develop from their first year to their senior year—and even beyond.
“He is always willing to provide academic, work or life advice to any student who stops by to chat,” Rousu adds.
His own postgraduate friendships with Susquehanna faculty and staff helped bring him and his wife, Tammy ’06, back to Susquehanna in 2015. ■
Ozlanski says he is humbled by the award and always tries to approach his interactions with students from a place of care and concern.
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“You can foster these relationships as they move through the trajectory of their time at Susquehanna. These connections extend even beyond graduation,” he says.
FACULT Y SPOTLIGHT
IN THE CL ASSROOM
HEUER EARNS AWARD FOR RESEARCH ON FASHION INDUSTRY BY K AT E WELLER ’03 Associate Professor of Management Mark Heuer has earned the annual faculty research award from the Sigmund Weis School of Business for his ongoing research on fast fashion. Also called “cheap chic,” fast fashion is a business model that produces low-cost and low-quality apparel. That might sound good on the surface, but there is growing evidence that the trend harms both textile workers and the environment. “The textile industry is the second-most polluting industry in the world,” says Heuer, who recently co-edited a book on the topic. “The idea behind the book’s collection of articles is what can be done to change the game.” Eco-Friendly and Fair: Fast Fashion and Consumer Behavior was published in May by Routledge, a member of Taylor & Francis Group. “The chapters look at ways the fashion lifecycle can be extended through garment sharing and alternative uses for garments to keep them out of landfills. Are there ways that we can move the psyche of fashion shoppers toward buying higherquality items that last longer?” he says. Heuer’s research interests—which also include renewable energy in Japan and the effects of Marcellus Shale and natural gas fracking—often tie back to sustainability. After spending 20 years in the corporate sector, Heuer joined the business school faculty in 2008. “Trying to teach in the moment and find a way to reach the students is always challenging and really keeps me going intellectually,” he says. ■
SPOTLIGHT SNIPPET: JUST PUBLISHED A debut book by Matthew Rousu, Broadway and Economics, analyzes 161 songs from 90 musicals to explore what they can teach us about supply and demand, monetary policy and numerous
other core economic concepts in an gems, Broadway and Economics understandable, entertaining way. will be of interest to anyone in an introductory economics course Featuring classic songs from some as well as theatre aficionados. of the most popular shows ever Broadway and Economics is produced, along with some hidden published by Routledge.
VENTURES | SUSQU.EDU/BUSINESS
BY AN DA
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ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLASSES BEGAN MEETING THIS FALL IN THE DR. RICHARD E. AND SALLY F. CARUSO MENTORING AND INNOVATION CENTER, A NEW SPACE JUST OPENED IN THE BLOUGH-WEIS LIBRARY. The new center integrates technology, teaching and realworld experience by providing a place where students, faculty and mentors can collaborate. The center is funded through the Uncommon Individual Foundation Event Series and Innovation Program Endowment created by the Carusos to provide students the opportunity for experiential learning, mentoring and collaboration. The mentoring and innovation center will be the hub of entrepreneurship education at Susquehanna. The space includes various white boards for brainstorming, a large, wall-mounted touchscreen, furniture that can be easily rearranged for team work, and games and puzzles to stimulate creativity. A highlight of the space is the Ideum Duet multi-touch coffee table, which is equipped with ultra-HD displays, 3M™ touch technology and an Intel™ i7 quad core computer. The Carusos’ endowment will also support activities and events that help students exercise their entrepreneurial skill
VENTURES | SUSQU.EDU/BUSINESS
a place where students OF ALL MAJORS, faculty and mentors can collaborate.
Students discuss a project around the Ideum Duet multi-touch coffee table.
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set—through alumni mentorship and open mic nights for entrepreneurial pitches or problem-solving sessions with local business owners. Finally, the center will be staffed on an intermittent basis by student-mentors meant to facilitate brainstorming and idea generation with other students. “The Carusos envision activities that will make the university a cradle for natural mentoring activity,” says Mary Muolo, director of donor relations and stewardship. “Activities will consistently encourage students on the theme of becoming an entrepreneur of one’s own destiny in the pursuit of life, liberty and personal happiness. This is Richard’s philosophy in creating the Uncommon Individual Foundation.” Emma Fleck, associate professor of management, describes the space as one that uses technology in an effective and collaborative way. The location for the center—outside the walls of the Sigmund Weis School of Business—is deliberate. “Because most of our entrepreneurship classes are based in Apfelbaum Hall, we had very few students getting involved from majors outside of the business school,” Fleck says. “We wanted a place where all students across campus could feel welcome and engaged.” “The mentoring and innovation center is indicative of the university’s recognition that entrepreneurship is important across all academic disciplines,” she says.
Sally Caruso graduated from Susquehanna in 1968 and Richard in 1965. Richard went on to earn his M.B.A. from Bucknell University and his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. He has long credited his success in medical science to his liberal arts education and the mentors he encountered along the way. As founder and co-chairman of Integra LifeSciences Corporation, Caruso created a company that introduced an entirely new field to medical science—regenerative medicine. The correlation between his success and the mentoring he received from Susquehanna football coaches James Garrett and Bob Pitello led him to create the Uncommon Individual Foundation in 1986 as a way to “mentor it forward,” to help individuals and organizations embrace the power of mentoring to achieve success. The very first class to be taught in the space is Fleck’s Exploring Opportunities, an entry-level entrepreneurship course in which only about half of the students are business majors—a point of pride for Fleck. “An entrepreneurial mindset is something that is imperative in all that we do,” Fleck says. “It’s imperative for life, not just starting one’s own business.” ■
VENTURES | SUSQU.EDU/BUSINESS
C AMPUS NEWS
CATCHING UP WITH THE BUSINESS SCHOOL
SUMMER PROGRAMS FLOURISH About 30 high school students enjoyed the experience of living on campus for a week last summer while they learned about the world of business. The first-ever Wall Street Susquehanna camp gave students an up-close introduction to business and investing taught by Sigmund Weis School faculty. “High school students rarely get to work on company valuation. Our camp allowed students to use Bloomberg Terminals, something most undergraduate finance students at other schools do not get the opportunity to use, in order to do that work,” says Matthew Rousu, dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business. Students also learned how to read and analyze a company’s financial statements and how to make financial models using Excel. “The ability to value companies properly is a great skill financial advisors need.” The popular Leadership Institute for Entrepreneurship was offered twice, in June and August. High schoolers worked in teams in a simulated entrepreneurial setting, started and ran their own businesses, and engaged in a variety of business-related competitions, including developing their own infomercial. ■
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THE ABILITY TO VALUE COMPANIES PROPERLY IS A GREAT SKILL FINANCIAL ADVISORS NEED.
C AMPUS NEWS
CATCHING UP WITH THE BUSINESS SCHOOL
Professor Theresa Finley assistant professor of economics
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS RECOGNIZED BY FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS Susquehanna University’s Department of Economics has been ranked in the top 25 percent nationwide by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Susquehanna is listed 28th in the May 2018 rankings, alongside such colleges and universities as Middlebury, Wellesley, Amherst, Vassar, Oberlin and Colgate, and the U.S. Naval Academy. The ranking is based on the research output in economics and finance that is cataloged in Research Papers in Economics (RePEc). “This is a validation of something we’ve long known at Susquehanna, which is the value of the teacher-scholar model,” says Olu Onafowora, professor and head of the Department of Economics. “Our professors are not only
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passionate teachers, but accomplished scholars, and our students benefit greatly from that.” This is the most recent honor for the AACSB-accredited Sigmund Weis School of Business. The university was recently ranked as the No. 9 best college in Pennsylvania to pursue a marketing degree, according to Zippia Inc., which operates a website with career information for professionals across industries. Susquehanna’s Sigmund Weis School of Business is one of only a handful of private, undergraduate-only business schools in the world to receive AACSB accreditation, a hallmark of excellence in business education that has been earned by fewer than 5 percent of the world's business schools. ■
NEW BETA GAMMA SIGMA MEMBERS AMONG THE BEST Each spring, new members are inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma national business honor society at Susquehanna. To be eligible to join, students must rank in the top 10 percent of their class and display good moral character. “This is the highest academic honor that we can give in the business school,” says Rick Davis, professor of accounting and faculty advisor of Susquehanna’s Beta Gamma Sigma chapter. "For our students, it's confirmation that they are among the best and the brightest." The benefits of lifetime membership in Beta Gamma Sigma are increased professional networking opportunities and scholarship opportunities, as well as career and graduate school resources. Twenty-two students, along with Signe Gates ’71, chair of Susquehanna’s Board of Trustees, were inducted into the honor society for the 2017–18 academic year. ■
Our professors are not only passionate teachers, but accomplished scholars, and our students benefit greatly from that. — Olu Onafowora
Chloe Abell ’18, Milton Pa. luxury brand marketing & management
Arianna Lynch ’20, Long Branch, N.J. business administration
Joseph Arnau ’20, East Quogue, N.Y. accounting
Jill Pace ’20, Branchburg, N.J. luxury brand marketing & management
Collin Botts ’18, Maytown, Pa. accounting
Daniel Porell ’20, Westbrook, Maine business administration
Matthew Brown ’19, Westmont, N.J. finance
Mikalah Potvin ’19, Snow Hill, Md. accounting
Richard Farmer ’20, Maytown, Pa. accounting
Stacie Savoca ’20, Mount Joy, Pa. accounting
Maya Handiboe ’18, Mifflinburg, Pa. finance
Noah Schairer ’19, Lititz, Pa. accounting
Emily Hoff ’19, Bethlehem, Pa. business administration
Ryan Seibert ’19, Harrisburg, Pa. accounting
Priscilla Kim ’20, Reading, Pa. accounting
Nolan Stone ’18, Exton, Pa. business administration
Corey Kinney ’20, Hunlock Creek, Pa. finance
Shane Sullivan ’20, Lafayette Hill, Pa. finance
Tess Korinko ’20, West Milford, N.J. business administration
Ethan Tom ’20, Cranford, N.J. marketing
Dylan Lee ’20, Millville, Pa. accounting
Connor Young ’20, Ledgewood, N.J. finance
VENTURES | SUSQU.EDU/BUSINESS
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST
STEIN FELLOWS SPEND THE SUMMER ABROAD BY AMANDA O’ROURKE
BRIANA JOHNSON ’19
While living and working abroad, the late Eric Stein ’69 realized the importance of building international business competency in students. Prior to his death in 2006, he generously created the Eric Stein Fund for International Experience, an endowment that enables students in the Sigmund Weis School of Business to intern with companies around the world.
“The diverse academic foundation that I have built at SU has helped me tackle every obstacle sent my way,” she says. “Even as a marketing major, I have developed the financial background to help solve profit-analysis tasks, the graphic design knowledge to help draft new ideas for the company, and the communication skills that helped me adapt and speak up for myself throughout our daily meetings.”
This year, three students were named Stein Fellows and spent their summer working abroad.
Ryan Beckwith ’19, a finance major with a minor in creative writing, spent his summer in Tokyo interning with Titan Consulting, a recruiting agency that specializes in the Japanese health care industry.
Briana Johnson ’19, a marketing major from Kernersville, N.C., completed an internship at GirlCrew in Dublin, Ireland. “Using mainly a social media platform, GirlCrew created an app in which women can conveniently reach out to one another and plan fun adventures,” Johnson says. At GirlCrew, Johnson handled marketing analytics while also managing day-to-day challenges that included identifying weaknesses and opportunities regarding the efficiency of the company’s use of social media, and finding solutions to advance the company. Johnson plans to attend law school immediately after graduation on her path to becoming a sports agent.
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“My job was to do research for candidates who are looking for new jobs and try to match them up with job openings in client companies,” Beckwith says. “A few of the clients we worked with are global pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Bayer.” Beckwith’s biggest challenge was the language barrier, which he was able to somewhat overcome through a Japanese language class and his day-to-day dealings with coworkers. “The Japanese people were very patient when interacting with me,” Beckwith says. “I was able to learn enough of the
Second from left:
RYAN BECKWITH ’19
JIN ZHANG ’19
language to survive, and most people there can speak basic English.”
Zhang credited a supportive work environment with helping him tackle professional challenges.
Tokyo is considered one of the most exciting cities in the world, which was one of the reasons Beckwith wanted to go there.
“It might sound simple, but I genuinely believe that a great company is created by the people who care about each other and want to work together to achieve a common goal,” he says. “During my internship, I enjoyed being around the people in the office. Everyone was friendly, patient and cared for me as an intern. We worked on the same projects and figured out solutions.” ■
“I knew coming in that it would be nothing like I’d ever experienced before, so I really enjoyed it,” Beckwith says. “It goes without saying that SU prepared me well to work in a business environment, but they also taught me about keeping an open mind when learning new things, like diving headfirst into a different culture.” Senior Jin Zhang, a finance major from Port Trevorton, Pa., worked as a financial advisory intern for United Global Capital, a globally focused investment and financial advisory firm based in Melbourne, Australia. “I was able to help manage our client's portfolio, and give investment advice and analysis of potential investment opportunities,” Zhang says. “Because United Global Capital is quickly growing, we were consistently getting new clients. I was able to take on a group of clients on my own and give them financial advice based on their financial tolerance and economic goals.”
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ALUMNI NEWS
OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST
KRAMER SHARES Rx FOR START-UP SUCCESS BY BRUCE BEANS A few years after graduating with her SU accounting degree, Deirdre “Digi” Casey ’94 Kramer entered the rapidly emerging field of prescription benefits management (PBM) and discovered that her passion wasn’t in core accounting but in operational accounting. “My role was focused more on revenue and gross profit accounting, inventory management, forecasting and managing operating costs, so I really learned the PBM business,” she recalls of the seven years she spent with Eckerd Health Services. Upon the sale of Eckerd, Kramer joined Catalyst Health Solutions in 2005 in an operational role focused on client pricing and margin optimization. “I’ve always been interested in finding ways to earn more money for the organization while, at the same time, reducing costs for our clients,” she says. During her eight years at Catalyst, Kramer held varied positions in both operations and finance, including serving as interim CFO for the Fortune 500 company. In 2013, Kramer teamed up with former colleagues to explore entrepreneurial opportunities in the health care field. Over the next few years, the team acquired, built, operated and divested several businesses, including a health care technology investment company, a wellness business, a small regional PBM and a prescription drug rebate aggregation company. The last of these businesses, Gateway Health Partners, was the most successful, managing over half a billion dollars in rebates prior to its sale to private equity in late 2017.
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Kramer’s parents, F. Thomas Casey ’63 and Doris Hoffman Casey, both attended Susquehanna, her father earning an accounting degree. At SU, Kramer played goalie for the women’s field hockey team that made the Division III NCAA tournament her senior year. She says, “Playing a sport can teach you so much about teamwork and leadership”—two attributes she has found to be critical in the business world. In business classes, she adds, “We were put into real-life situations, case studies that really taught you how to think, and because the classes were so small, you couldn’t hide from your professors.” Two years ago, Kramer contributed to a field hockey equipment fund. In the name of her parents, she also has established a scholarship for a business student. And this past winter, she hosted a night for prospective Susquehanna students and their parents in the suite she and her husband, Scott, a third-generation owner of a trucking firm, lease at Pittsburgh Penguins games. She proudly reports that two of the six prospective students are now enrolled. “The business school is second to none, and I would love to see more kids from Pittsburgh enroll at Susquehanna,” Kramer explains. She also successfully advised Gabrielle Stahl ’18, a business administration major with a human resources emphasis from Connecticut, to negotiate an equity stake in the company where she was interviewing.
CONTINUED FR OM COVER:
A CONVERSATION WITH MAT THEW ROUSU
My economics training has helped me in my role as dean. The question economics attempts to determine is how to maximize outcomes based on limited inputs. Because no business school can do everything, we need to decide what we can do to best train our students to live lives of continual learning, achievement, leadership and service.
“ T HE BUSINESS SCHOOL IS SECOND TO NONE ...” — Deirdre Casey ’94 Kramer
“A salary will earn you a living, but an equity stake has the potential to gain you wealth,” she told Stahl. “It was invaluable advice,” says Stahl, who after graduation joined the New York City human resources technology start-up company. Seeking more work-life balance, Kramer, the mother of 7-year-old twins, recently resigned her position at the private equity–owned PBM that acquired Gateway, but agreed to continue on a part-time basis focused on strategic projects. “However, if I re-enter the workforce full time again, it will be to start another company,” she says. “I much prefer building companies than operating them.” ■
How does the business school stay abreast of changing industry needs? We are in constant touch with Susquehanna alumni working in all types of industries. Systematic feedback is provided through our executive council—a group of alumni who meet with me semi-annually to discuss business trends, strategic initiatives and more. Also, alumni visit campus weekly and keep us abreast of current trends. Feedback from alumni is one reason we created the business data science major. We are also integrating Microsoft Excel skills more intentionally throughout the curriculum based on their feedback. How else are alumni helping business school students? I am astounded by the generosity of our alumni in terms of both their contributions of time and financial support. Dozens come back annually to help our students. Many times after spending a day sharing their experience and advice with students, they will come thank me for the opportunity. That is crazy—they just gave a day of their time to help our students—they are doing a service for us. But that attitude speaks to how lucky we are to have such an engaged alumni base. The business school also wouldn’t be where it is today without monetary contributions. Alumni and friends have helped to fund scholarships, the London Program, international internships, professorships—basically all aspects of the Sigmund Weis School of Business. I invite readers to please reach out if you would like to help financially, provide an internship or job for a current student, come back to campus to talk to our students, help recruit future Susquehannans, or assist in some other way. I am so thankful for our alumni and friends; they are a big reason that Susquehanna is such a special place. ■ VENTURES | SUSQU.EDU/BUSINESS
ALUMNI NEWS
OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST
CREATING VALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS BY BRUCE BE A NS John Rendina ’86, a business administration and marketing major, initially intended to sponsor two Susquehanna student interns this past summer at Seneca Insurance Company, the Manhattan-based insurer where he is the senior vice president in charge of U.S. operations. But after he and his CEO, Marc Wolin, met the potential candidates, they agreed to do more. “They were so impressive we had to have three,” Rendina says of the trio of seniors —finance majors Brittny Evangelista of Brooklyn and Jeanmarie Myer of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., and business data science major Kristopher West of Roselle, N.J. “And every day they made me proud to be working with them,” Rendina adds. “Mr. Rendina really took us under his wing and made sure we got everything we wanted out of our internships,” says Myer. The internships were just the latest example of Rendina giving back to SU and the Sigmund Weis School of Business —a practice that began soon after he graduated, with his participation in college recruiting nights. Explains Rendina, who transferred from Fairleigh Dickinson University to Susquehanna prior to his junior year: “Susquehanna quickly became a second home, a second family that I can always depend upon for guidance,
jobs, recommendations and second opinions. It gave me the academic, personal and professional skills to succeed in life.” Among his strongest influences were the Phi Mu Delta service fraternity, whose members are still “incredibly good friends,” and his mentor, the late Larry Isaacs ’43, retired business executive, former business school professor and vice chair emeritus of Susquehanna’s Board of Trustees. After graduation, the insurance industry was a natural career goal for Rendina. His mother, Nancy, was a writer/ editor for A.M. Best, the insurance-rating agency, and his godfather was an executive vice president for Traveler’s Insurance. Besides Seneca, he has worked for and held leadership positions with several insurance firms during the past 32 years. This past February, Rendina spent a week at Susquehanna as a guest lecturer teaching various business classes and meeting with students. He also set up a web visit from a venture capital executive to talk to entrepreneurship students. Rendina credits his desire to give back to Susquehanna to Isaacs. “Not only was Larry Isaacs my academic advisor, but he was my career and life coach who was instrumental in getting me internships and landing some of my earlier jobs,” he says. “Without his guidance, friendship and support, I don’t think I’d be where I am today.” ■
“ W HAT I MOST LOVED ABOUT IT WAS THAT … THE COMPANY REALLY LET ME FIND MYSELF BY ALLOWING ME TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE COMPANY.” — Brittny Evangelista ’19 20 | FALL 2018
“ B EFORE INTERNING WITH SENECA, I REALLY DIDN’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY. BUT THANKS TO THE OPPORTUNITY, I REALLY FEEL LIKE I COULD MAKE A CAREER WITHIN THIS INDUSTRY.” — Kristopher West ’19
L to R: Jeanmarie Myer ’19, Brittny Evangelista ’19, John Rendina ’86, Kristopher West ’19
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514 University Ave. Selinsgrove, PA 17870-1164