Ventures 2022-23

SIGMUND WEIS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY WE

DEAN’S CORNER

WITH MATTHEW ROUSU

Times are exciting in the Sigmund Weis School of Business. We are the only business school in the world that guarantees students an internship in a foreign country, and many of our students study and intern abroad more than once.

We have historically had great placement rates (typically 98%), and this year might have been the best year ever for placements. Our recent graduates and current students accepted jobs and internships at many of the world’s top companies.

Our faculty, staff and alumni create new and amazing opportunities for students — some of which you’ll learn about in this Ventures, including commercial real estate certificates and our new focus on experiential learning.

I hope you enjoy this issue. The team who put this together did an amazing job, but nothing in print can do justice to the energy you feel when on campus. If you haven’t been to Susquehanna recently, please consider a visit as we’d love to see you in Selinsgrove! ■

Matthew Rousu Dean, Sigmund Weis School of Business

The Sigmund Weis School of Business hosts an annual event exclusively for admitted students who are planning — or strongly considering — to major in business at Susquehanna.

SIGMUND WEIS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SATURDAY

FEB. 25 SATURDAY

An up-close and behind-the-scenes look at the business school includes a tour of campus and our trading room (with live ticker updates), a seat in one of our mock business classes, breakout sessions for each business major, and opportunities for discussions with faculty, students and members from our alumni community.

We even have sessions especially for parents/supporters.

High school students take over campus while Susquehannans are on Spring Break. They arrive ready to sell, sell, sell — and receive a scholarship to SU!

The day-long event includes two rounds of role-play where students sell a specific product to experienced judges, and also workshops, campus tours and other activities.

Top Ten finishers earn cash awards and certificates. Attendees and participants are also eligible to receive an additional $1,000 scholarship on top of all other financial aid if they’re accepted and choose to attend Susquehanna University.

SIGMUND WEIS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Susquehanna University 514 University Ave., Selinsgrove, PA 17870 570-372-4455

The Sigmund Weis School of Business challenges and mentors all students, engages in scholarly activities, and serves our communities and professions. We equip students for successful careers in the global business environment and for lives of continual learning, achievement, leadership and service. Through integrating the liberal arts and business disciplines, we deliver life-changing theoretical, applied and experiential learning opportunities in an inclusive environment.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST

RECENT ALUMNUS PURSUES MBA … SEASIDE IN THE MED

BY JULIA DERRICK ’23

Susquehanna’s partnership with a university in Cyprus offers a fast track to a Master of Business Administration — and a room with a view.

After Eric Towse ’22 walked across Susquehanna’s stage to receive his diploma, he returned home — but not for long. The day before Commencement, the Staten Island native learned he was accepted into an MBA program on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

The recently launched 4+1 program allows Susquehanna graduates to take an accelerated path to earn an MBA at the University of Nicosia in 12 or 18 months — unlike in the United States, where it traditionally takes two years. With help and encouragement from Matthew Rousu, dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business, Towse became Susquehanna’s first graduate to enroll through this partnership.

While at Susquehanna, Towse was looking forward to his study-abroad experience in Australia, but unfortunately, the pandemic canceled his (and nearly everyone’s) travel plans in 2020. In February of his senior year, he learned of Susquehanna’s new 4+1 MBA and saw it as a chance for educational travel after the pandemic.

Towse says this opportunity seemed to check off all the boxes, explaining, “The fact that I could further my education while immersing myself in a new culture in a beautiful place was the reason I was so drawn to this experience.”

Towse majored in business administration at Susquehanna and has selected the human resources management master’s program. With Nicosia classes scheduled in the evening, Towse has time to explore beyond his sea-view apartment balcony with trip options to neighboring countries like Greece, Lebanon and Turkey.

“It’s crazy to think I can explore the world,” he says, “as long as I’m in my seat for class at 5:55 p.m.”

As for his plans after his MBA, Towse is keeping his career options open to include opportunities that may arise in other countries. He might also finally visit Australia. At the end of the day, he says he hopes for a job he enjoys. ■

WE MEAN BU

THE SIGMUND WEIS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS OFFERS STUDENTS THE RARE ONE-TWO PUNCH OF AN ELITE-ACCREDITED UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS PROGRAM

WITH A BROAD-BASED LIBERAL ARTS FOUNDATION.

BUCapped by a culminating course, the four-year path of a Susquehanna business school student is paved with preparation, mentorships, international opportunities and career support — grounded in a liberal arts foundation.

INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION + FUTURE-PROOF SKILLS

As a private national liberal arts college, Susquehanna University prepares students with intellectual and practical competence — such as effective communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills — that helps them adapt throughout their lives to the highly competitive and ever-changing workplace. Additionally, it is among the top 5% of business schools worldwide accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

BY AMANDA O’ROURKE

“What makes us different is we are a top business school in a liberal arts environment. We are also the only business school in the world that guarantees students an internship in a foreign country,” says Matthew Rousu, dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business. “The education and perspectives students get from studying at Susquehanna and studying and interning abroad give them a perspective and training almost no other college students in the world receive.”

There are certain milestones that students in the Sigmund Weis School of Business experience — a pathway that takes them from rookie first-year students to proficient seniors who may very well secure their first job before Commencement Day.

FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS ACTIVELY LEARN

Global Business Perspectives, the class taken by all first-year students in the Sigmund Weis School of Business, is a rite of passage. In their first semester of college, the course introduces them to team-based learning, case study research and live presentations.

“It sets our students up for success for the rest of their time at SU. It’s the reason they get internships at earlier stages,” says Theresa Finley, assistant professor of economics and instructor of GBP. “Our students are such leaders when it comes to working in teams and giving presentations because they are exposed to it from the beginning.”

The active-learning course requires students to do in-depth market research on a real company and culminates with a team presentation to invited business executives, many of whom are Susquehanna alumni. Over the years, students have taken deep dives into companies such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Burberry, Chipotle, Lowes and Under Armour, among others.

Their research requires them to delve into all aspects of a company, from its financial performance to the health of the industry as a whole and growth opportunities within it — all with the close mentorship of upper-level student coaches who have already completed GBP.

“Global Business Perspectives appeals to two different kinds of students: students who know they want to go into business and others who are interested in business but aren’t yet committed,” says Finley. “Students in GBP are going to hear about all of the different majors we have to offer in the business school and will also get a lot of handson experience in each of them.”

Greta Polsky ’22 coached a team that was studying Post cereal. Her team proposed that Post partner with Turkey Hill to develop a product called Cocoa Pebbles ice cream:

Turkey Hill chocolate ice cream with Cocoa Pebbles cereal rolled into it. The team even created their own version of the frozen treat for the judges to sample on the team’s presentation day.

“In 2021, Post brought out their own ice cream line featuring two flavors: Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles,” Polsky says. “It was so cool to see a product my team dreamed up now available in stores!”

Having thoroughly enjoyed her experience as a student in the course, Polsky says graduating to a coaching role was a natural progression for her.

“The main thing that I gained from the coaching experience was overall project management skills. Since I was the one who had been in their shoes, I had to be there to guide them not only to yield the best result possible, but also to teach them valuable lessons of professionalism and tenacity throughout a project that took months of preparation,” Polsky said. “I still think that GBP was one of the most valuable classes I took while at SU, and I definitely think that being a coach helped me see all of the ways that it helps shape students into young professionals.”

“GBP helped give me an overview of the different aspects of the business world, and during my time in college it definitely reflected the necessity for a strong work ethic from the start,” she adds.

Because the course fulfills the first-year seminar requirement, GBP covers business fundamentals, functional areas of business and business careers, and opportunities provided by the Sigmund Weis School of Business and the broader university — from Global Opportunities to the Career Development Center.

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SOPHOMORES PAIR WITH INVALUABLE ALUMNI MENTORS

For the first time in 2022–23, all sophomores in the Sigmund Weis School of Business receive two to three alumni mentors to support them as they navigate their second year of college.

“Our first-year students experience Global Business Perspectives, which offers a lot of support and guidance from upper-level student coaches, and our third-year students are often studying abroad and interning, so we identified this need for our second-year students,” says Kristie Anderson ’99, programs coordinator. “We thought this would be a great way to give them additional support and guidance.”

Second-year students receive multiple mentors who expose them to varying fields and share their real-world and educational experiences with the goal for students to build meaningful and lasting relationships and networks with experienced professionals. Students are encouraged to connect with their mentors about career topics such as résumé and cover letter review, job search process, interviewing and networking.

Michelle Rickenbaugh ’05, now a senior manager of corporate compliance and transformation at KPMG, volunteered to participate in the program as a way to give back to the business school. She credits Jerry Habegger, professor emeritus of accounting, with taking the time to talk her through career options and personal goals when she was a student at Susquehanna.

“Looking back, I can see so much growth in myself during my college experience and I really appreciate the time and energy that people put into my future career,” she says. “I’m very happy to pay it forward and work to support the next SWSB generation.”

As a mentor, Rickenbaugh hopes students use her as a sounding board for the questions and concerns on their minds. “I think it’s important to get to know each other so that the student is comfortable asking questions and sharing their thoughts,” she adds.

CONNECTED TO ALUMNI EVERY YEAR

Break Through is an annual conference that connects students with alumni who want to help them as they move toward graduation and beyond. Initially launched as a business school program, Break Through is now a campus-wide event for students in all majors.

Many panel discussions are tailored to business students, with sessions geared toward every major in the business school, as well as sessions that focus on financial literacy, working internationally and how to pivot when a first plan doesn’t work out. Additional conference programming includes a career expo with regional and national employers, résumé review, mock interviews, affinity group networking, free LinkedIn headshots and more.

Susquehanna marked the 10th anniversary of the event in 2022 with unprecedented participation from the SU community. Nearly 200 alumni gathered virtually and in-person, and approximately 700 students attended 36 panel discussions during the expanded six-day conference.

“This program wouldn’t be possible without the buy-in from our alumni,” says Allie Grill, director of Susquehanna’s Career Development Center. “And not just engagement during that event, but sustained engagement. Alumni do a great job of staying in touch with our students after meeting them at Break Through.”

Matthew Curran ’92 has participated in several Break Through events in various ways, from panel discussions to speed networking and one-on-one meetings with students.

“I received my first job during an on-campus interview, and I want to provide that same opportunity for current students,” Curran says.

As executive vice president at insurance provider Sompo International, Curran finds himself in a position to influence hiring, and has taken the opportunity to bring on several Susquehanna students as interns and full-time employees. In Susquehanna students, Curran says he has found well-rounded employees bolstered by their liberal arts foundation.

“What we see in our Susquehanna employees is a fundamentally strong educational background, as well as valuable interpersonal skills,” Curran says. “It’s that liberal arts background that gives them a leg up.”

OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR SEMESTER ABROAD, STUDENTS GROW

FROM TIMID, OFTEN FIRSTTIME TRAVELERS TO CONFIDENT

GLOBAL CITIZENS.

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CONFIDENT GLOBAL CITIZENS BY YEAR 3

Students who choose to spend a semester abroad usually do so in their junior year — and London is a popular choice. Begun by the business school in fall 1995, Susquehanna’s Global Opportunities program in London, partnered with Anglo Educational Services, is also one of the university’s longest running study-abroad programs.

Students spend a semester living and studying in the heart of London with fellow students from the Sigmund Weis School of Business. Classes are augmented by visits to businesses with cultural activities, as well as two international field trips to other European countries.

During their semester abroad, students are supported in-country by a business faculty member who serves as the program director to aid them in adjusting to their new environment of living, studying and doing an internship abroad, says Katarina Keller, associate professor of economics. Students earn SU credit for their courses and the grades they earn in London contribute to their SU grade point average.

In 2017, the program was redesigned to accommodate a new requirement — a 10-week internship with a British company. The business school has long had students interning in various parts of the world, but the London Program’s requirement bolsters the international exposure the school provides its students at a time when global experiences are increasingly important.

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“The London program provides students with tremendous experiences and a major talking point when they’re meeting with prospective employers,” says Jerry Habegger, professor emeritus of accounting. “It is a global world. Students must understand other cultures, other environments, and most London businesses are global. These internships set our students up for professional opportunities and success.”

Over the course of their semester abroad, students grow from timid, often first-time travelers to confident global citizens, Keller remarks.

“When students initially arrive, they do not know London and how to get around; however, soon they are excited and confident to experience what it is like to live in a foreign city and to make it their home,” Keller says. “They gain experience in their working relationships at their internships and are proud of their accomplishments. They soon feel confident that they can handle the academic requirements of a foreign country.”

London is just one of the study-abroad programs available to students. Read more about the international internship opportunities guaranteed to business school students — and their recent experiences — on page 12.

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4CAPPING OFF SENIOR YEAR WITH POLICY AND STRATEGY

Business Policy and Strategy is the capstone course that senior business majors take to graduate. The course integrates much of the knowledge they gain from earlier courses and uses a case method approach to solve problems facing top management.

One of the professors currently teaching the course is Basil Holobetz , who worked for more than 20 years as a global business professional before joining the faculty at Susquehanna.

“This course gives me the opportunity to speak a lot about what I did in my career before Susquehanna,” Holobetz says. “What we’re doing is taking all the disciplines in the business school and bringing them all into the same class.”

During the spring 2022 semester, students formed teams, each choosing a company within a common industry. Similar to what they did during GBP in their first year, the students conduct research into the industry, the company and the company’s competitors using Porter’s five forces analysis, which examines:

• The threat of new industry entrants.

• The threat of substitutes.

• Bargaining power of customers.

• Bargaining power of suppliers.

• Competitive rivalry.

“The course is all about trying to figure out the competitive advantage: who has the competitive advantage and why?” Holobetz says. “By the end of the class, the students have figured it out. They know why Apple is so successful, why Tesla is so powerful, and it’s really insightful.”

The Sigmund Weis School of Business rigorously prepares students for their postgraduate journey — beginning with their first semester through their capstone. Over the last three years, 98% of business students are employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation.

Every course, project, presentation or opportunity is designed to make the business school’s graduates as competitive as possible in a world that has become more demanding of intercultural and interpersonal competencies.

“The world is increasingly global, and to succeed, individuals need to work with people from different backgrounds and to be able to tackle problems from different angles,” Rousu says. “The combination of a top business education in a liberal arts environment with unmatched international opportunities gives our graduates a training they won’t find anywhere else.” ■

BUILT TO SELL

BY CLAIRE CURRY

Real estate program certifies business foundation, boosts students’ job prospects.

What would it take to build a sprawling 100-acre industrial park, including a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse and distribution center, on a former coalmining site in Hazleton, Pennsylvania?

Sigmund Weis School of Business students tackled that question for a spring 2022 case study in a new program that prepares them to earn a commercial real estate certificate. Upon completing a series of courses and passing an exam after each, a Foundations of Real Estate certificate is awarded by the Urban Land Institute, a century-old nonprofit organization with over 45,000 land use and commercial real estate development professionals.

Juniors and seniors in the program considered zoning and regulatory issues, financing, marketing and environmental and social impact, and applied the knowledge they gained throughout the semester-long program to develop hypothetical solutions.

“We talked about the work that went into securing permissions from the local government, as well as a tax abatement for bringing jobs to an economically struggling area, and why Hazleton was a good area for the development,” explains Evan Stutzman ’23, a finance major from Hughesville, Pennsylvania. “We then crunched the numbers in terms of costs and what the project might sell for upon completion.

“In short, we went through the whole thought process of a developer when building industrial real estate.”

The case study was based on an actual development done by Hillwood, the Allentown real estate development firm where Michael Alderman ’93, P’24 serves as senior vice president of the northeast region. Alderman, who has spent much of his career in the commercial real estate field, was instrumental in bringing the certification program to the business school.

CATCHING UP WITH THE BUSINESS SCHOOL

A ULI member, Alderman says the curriculum includes about 30 hours of on-demand videos supplemented by various readings. Five modules cover an overview, finance and investment, multifamily and office, the pro forma, and development, and each concludes with a test. To complement the material, he taught four in-person sessions that convened on campus on Sunday afternoons and created the case-study project.

Alderman says the case study is a great way for students to apply what they learn to a real-world situation, and to

something they’ll put on their résumé and it will help them land that job.”

According to Rousu, Stutzman “set the wheels in motion” for establishing the Foundations program at the business school when he reached out and expressed his interest in learning more about commercial real estate.

Rousu then met with Alderman to explore ways of expanding the school’s real estate educational offerings. “Mike has been so generous with his time, guiding

get a glimpse of the implications that extend well beyond just business.

“There are far-reaching aspects of the industry that involve political science, law, sociology and environmental issues,” he explains. “The build environment touches where we live, where we work, where we socialize and where we learn.”

Thanks to a generous gift from Roy and Barbara Kirch P’10, the program is offered at no cost to students. In addition to a certificate, students gain membership in the Urban Land Institute, which includes invitations to networking events and conferences. The school’s inaugural program drew 26 business students across all disciplines.

“What I found interesting is that some students [in the class] had already landed jobs, and they thought this certificate would be helpful and make them more valuable at their firms,” says Dean Matthew Rousu about the program’s first class. “For other students, it will be

students through the projects and working with me before starting to help get us connected with the Urban Land Institute,” he says. “This program would not have happened without him.”

Stutzman became interested in commercial real estate as a sophomore when he discovered a YouTube channel about breaking into the field. “I decided I wanted to take a serious look at it as my career choice,” he says, adding that he’d like to work on an acquisitions team someday.

Having the ULI certification on Stutzman’s résumé will no doubt be to his advantage, Alderman says. ■

The Foundations program continued at the business school for the 2022–23 academic year, with Stutzman and Daniel Bragen ’24 — a native of Warminster, Pennsylvania, and double major in economics and mathematics who also completed the inaugural semester — serving as teaching assistants. Rousu intends for it to become a permanent part of the business curriculum and be available to students university-wide in the future.

There are far-reaching aspects of the industry that involve political science, law, sociology and environmental issues. ”

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GA NING GL BAL ADVANTAGES

BY CLAIRE CURRY

The Sigmund Weis School of Business guarantees international internships for students to learn how to navigate cultural differences in the workplace.

TO LEARN IT IS TO LIVE IT

This past summer, Julian Deshommes ’23 immersed himself in an international internship — and another culture and language — in the south of France.

“Working there was a really eye-opening experience,” says Deshommes, referring to his internship at Web Alternatif, a software development firm in Grenoble, located at the foot of the French Alps.

While he had visited Paris before, he preferred the lesser-known city for his internship in part so he could improve his fluency in French, a language he studied through high school and tested out of at Susquehanna. Unlike in Paris where people speak both English and French, in Grenoble, French is the primary language and the one Deshommes used exclusively to communicate at work and in all of his day-to-day interactions.

In addition to his commitment to improve his language skills, Deshommes applied his knowledge of finance to create a forecasting model that maps out the firm’s projected profits over the next three years.

Interning at a small company helped the management major, originally from Blandon, Pennsylvania, to see that his career options aren’t limited to roles in large organizations or even, for that matter, to firms based in the United States.

“I met new people, learned the language and learned a lot about startups,” he says. “The atmosphere is completely different than how it is in the U.S.”

Deshommes is among more than 75 business students whose internships abroad were fully funded over the past 15 years by the endowed Eric Stein Fund for International

Experience, a scholarship created by a generous gift from the late Eric Stein ’69

“The Stein Scholarship allowed me to focus on my internship and my experience,” Deshommes says. “It lifted the weight of financial burden in order for me to go abroad. It was one less thing I needed to worry about, and it made all the difference.”

TRAVEL ON THE RISE

In-person international internships are on the rise at Susquehanna, and over the past year, more than 60 business students have interned throughout Europe and in Asia — in France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Vietnam — and the number continues to increase. There couldn’t be better news at the Sigmund Weis School of Business, whose January 2020 announcement of guaranteeing an international internship experience for every business student was made just before the Covid pandemic hit.

“We are back and in full swing,” says Matthew Rousu, dean of the business school, about the growing number of students traveling abroad once again to gain global business experience. “You learn a lot from an internship, and it can lead to a job offer. Studying abroad in and of itself is an amazing opportunity. When you combine them, it’s an incredibly powerful experience.”

GOING GLOBAL WITHOUT LEAVING HOME

The Sigmund Weis School of Business considers global experiences so valuable to its students’ education that when travel shut down in the midst of the pandemic, the school’s leadership responded quickly, working with the

CATCHING UP WITH THE BUSINESS

SCHOOL

GO office and various partners to create meaningful remote alternatives.

Since 2020, more than 118 business students completed remote internships with firms in Singapore, London, Barcelona and many other cities around the globe. In addition to learning about global business and expanding their skill sets, they got crash courses in working remotely — a necessary capability in a world where the typical workplace now often includes some combination of in-person and remote models.

Thomas Dinneny ’22 credits his 2020 international internship with a fintech company in London for helping him land his dream job as a financial analyst with the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, better known as “Freddie Mac.”

Though his GO trip to study and work in London for the fall 2020 semester was canceled, Dinneny says the remote international internship, which he completed from his living room in Sterling, Virginia, delivered meaningful results. He gained real-world work experience that not only strengthened his résumé, but also helped him land a competitive internship with Freddie Mac in the summer of his junior year, which ultimately led to a job offer from the firm that kicked off his career.

“I think [the remote internship] was a huge factor,” says Dinneny, who graduated magna cum laude with dual bachelor’s degrees in finance and economics. “It also prepared me for working virtually. I think it’s a tradeoff. I didn’t get that in-person cross-cultural experience, which is unfortunate, but I did get the virtual cross-

Students in the fall 2022 GO Long SWSB London Program pose outside Windsor Castle in England. Front row, from left to right: Alexis Row ’24; Anastasia Evans ’24; Leah Tessarvich ’24; Heather Riefenhauser ’24; and Phoebe Berner ’23. Back row, from left to right: Alec Gahring ’24; Edward Nestor ’23; Max Olree ’23; Nathaniel Sealy ’24; Ethan Harner ’24; Tanner Gold ’24; and Leanne Van Essendelft ’23.

cultural and professional experience. Now that everyone’s working remotely, I’m already two years ahead.”

While the world has reopened and students are traveling once again, Rousu says that remote internships will continue to be offered. They prepare students to succeed in the new world of work — developing critical discipline and time-management skills as well as facilitating the technologies that support employees in working virtually. They also make it possible for students to begin gaining work and international experience earlier, which could help them qualify for additional internships later on.

LONDON CALLING

The most popular study-abroad program among business majors is the GO Long SWSB London Program because it combines a semester of study abroad with a parallel international internship experience. The 14-week program is also faculty led and, in addition to taking courses like Global Business Ethics and British History and Culture and working part-time in an internship related to their field of study, students get to explore the sights of London and those in surrounding countries.

The SWSB London Program began in 1995, and semesterlong internships were added to the study-abroad experience in 2017, explains Katarina Keller, associate professor of economics who also serves as the business school’s executive director of international programs.

“With the internship, the students get so much more out of the experience,” she says, adding that living and working abroad not only teaches students practical skills, like navigating their way around the city on “the tube,” but it also gives them a way to showcase their capabilities in a job interview. “They can be confident and really feel good about it,” Keller says. It also sets them apart from other job candidates who have not lived and worked abroad.

Julia Adams ’23 took advantage of the opportunity to study and work abroad through the London Program in 2021. As an intern at Bayswater College, an Englishlanguage school, she worked with the student services, marketing and sales teams. Her job involved writing blog posts, planning student events, and creating marketing materials.

CATCHING UP WITH THE BUSINESS

SCHOOL

Adams says her favorite part of the experience was interacting with her colleagues and students who attended the school from all over the world — including Turkey, Colombia and Japan — and learning about their home countries and traditions. During her stay abroad, she also took advantage of several sightseeing adventures throughout London, Italy, France and Holland.

“The biggest thing I learned from this experience was how to navigate cultural differences in the workplace, from mannerisms to language to spelling,” says the marketing and publishing & editing dual major from Palmyra, New Jersey. “I am so grateful for the professional experience that I gained during my time abroad. I know

it will continue to shape and inspire me for the rest of my life.” ■

Most Sigmund Weis School of Business international internships also meet the criteria for the GO experience, the university’s requirement that all students spend time studying and/or working away from campus during their college years.

SCHOLARSHIPS HELP STUDENTS TAKE FLIGHT

BY CLAIRE CURRY

Nearly all business students receive financial aid to support their international internships and, in some cases, like Julian Deshommes’, the trips are fully funded by scholarships such as the Stein Scholars Program. Previously offered to rising seniors, the program is changing this year to begin accepting applications from rising juniors as well, says Hualu Zheng, assistant professor of management and marketing and co-chair of the SWSB International Programs and Internships Committee.

“From our experience, we felt that some students would have to give up this opportunity because they are getting full-time [paid] summer internships domestically,” Zheng says. (While international internships count for college credit, they are generally not paid positions.) By opening the program up to rising juniors, students can benefit from working abroad and still have time to complete a second, paid internship before their senior year.

“We know how globalization has changed the way we do business,” Zheng says, “and we also know that the best and only way for our students to learn about international business is to actually get into another country and experience the culture.”

CAMPUS NEWS CATCHING UP WITH THE BUSINESS SCHOOL

KEEPING IT ‘REAL’

BY HALEY DITTBRENNER ’25

Guided by faculty members offering real-time mentorship, students apply classroom theory to help clients solve their problems. From the students, participating companies receive guidance and ideas on how to improve. From the businesses and organizations, students gain real-world skills and valuable experience they can add to their résumé.

Teams of students working one-on-one with businesses and organizations to apply what they learn in the classroom to deliver a presentation with fresh perspectives and creative management solutions — that’s experiential learning at the Sigmund Weis School of Business.

“Experiential learning creates tangible experiences out of seemingly theoretical course material. It encourages creativity and problem-solving by considering real business constraints, such as capacity, budget and location,” Lauren Smith ’13, visiting assistant professor of management, says. “It can also solidify student interest in different majors by providing them with experiences similar to what they might be looking to pursue post-graduation.”

Smith describes the typical, semester-long experiential learning curriculum as multi-step: students meet with clients over Zoom, create promotional ideas and products, receive feedback and create a final presentation for the company — all while strengthening their professional communication skills.

“I most enjoyed the opportunity to approach this project creatively, even if it did seem stressful at times,” says Jesse Houser ’23, a management major from Gilbertsville,

Pennsylvania, whose team worked with Ard’s Farm Market in nearby Lewisburg. “Because I was allowed to be creative and help a real-world business, I was more proud of my work at the end.”

Adding that students in her marketing course have found great success with experiential learning, Smith said they are building a client portfolio representing various industries, including the local farm market, a snowboard manufacturer, food and beverage companies, realty agencies, and tax, accounting and consulting firms. As part of their customer outreach and package innovation project for East End Coffee Co., of Lewistown, Pennsylvania, a team created a design-a-mug consumer game and biodegradable coffee bags.

Economics and finance double major Mohamed Djabri ’25, of Warminster, Pennsylvania, enjoyed gaining client experience with M&M Realty of Vero Beach, Florida. “It was great to interact with a person who wasn’t involved with the class and to solve problems using some of the things I learned,” Djabri says. “It was also fun to learn about the industry.”

Erik Anderson, an adjunct faculty member in business data science who’s taught Sigmund Weis School of

Business students for over five years, has incorporated experiential learning into his data collecting and modeling course. For the first two years, his classes completed the Teradata University challenge: a program where nonprofit companies give data sets to universities for students to analyze and give a presentation.

Anderson’s students have worked locally with SABER Shamokin, a community business organization that aims to improve the town’s economy and business growth. After poring through databases and tax forms, the class cross-referenced them for inaccuracies. Students also visited the town to confirm businesses were still in operation and conduct surveys by asking local residents what changes they would like to see. They created fiveyear plans for local businesses, identifying key areas for improvement within the business district.

“The stakes are also higher in fully immersive projects. The result isn’t just a letter grade, it’s also the satisfaction and respect of a real-life client,” Anderson adds. “I’ve seen more meaningful work from students because of this.”

One success came in spring 2022 when Anderson’s data collection and modeling class worked with Premier Inc., a Charlotte, North Carolina-based healthcare improvement company. After analyzing marketing data and Premier’s spending on medical supplies, the team presented a list of reliable supply companies. Anderson cited the students’ leadership, presentation skills and innovative ideas as reasons they stood out to the employers.

Brian Elsasser hired accounting major Gavin Perrin ’23, of Turbotville, Pennsylvania, as an intern following his work in Smith’s class with Wagner, Dreese, Elsasser & Associates, Selinsgrove, providing him with a valuable career network.

“They gave me a chance to see what options are available locally for me,” Perrin says. “I learned a lot of transferable skills I can take anywhere in the accounting field. The people I worked with were amazing and they continue to be great resources when I have questions about my future path.”

Just as students have gained much from the experiential learning program, clients’ needs have been fulfilled as well.

“The experience our firm has had with the marketing students at Susquehanna has been beyond our expectations,” Elsasser says. “They’ve taken real-world business marketing problems and applied their education and skill sets to create solutions that are easily applied to our problems, and we are already seeing positive results.”

To date, the business school has completed experiential learning projects with 34 clients across three countries: the United States, Panama and Greece. Within the states, they are based in Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. Many businesses and nonprofit companies are local to the Susquehanna River Valley area. ■

Companies in search of a business solution can complete the “Submit a Request Form” at susqu.edu/explearn.

The stakes are also higher in fully immersive projects. The result isn’t just a letter grade, it’s also the satisfaction and respect of a real-life client.

”

“

Erik

Anderson, Adjunct Faculty Member in Business Data Science

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT IN THE CLASSROOM

ALUMNI AS PROFESSORS BRING C-SUITE INTO THE CLASSROOM

BY LOGAN SWEET ’15

Graduates of the Sigmund Weis School of Business leave Susquehanna prepared for exceptional careers. They become corporate presidents, vice presidents, CEOs, CFOs, partners in major firms, successful entrepreneurs and more.

Sometimes, graduates like Tim Murray ’94 and Darrell Wilson ’78 are drawn back to Susquehanna by a desire to help prepare the next generation of business leaders, which allows students to learn from both scholars and practitioners alike.

“It is crucial that business students have classes by professors who are researchers, as it helps them learn how to think through problems in a scholarly manner,” says Matthew Rousu, dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business. “It is also equally important that students learn from professionals in the field. Thankfully, we have dozens of alumni who come back regularly to help students by guest lecturing, judging Global Business Perspectives Presentations, and mentoring students. Some of this teaching occurs more formally when business professionals also serve as adjunct professors.”

Adjunct professors are not full time — they usually teach a class or two per semester. In the Sigmund Weis School of Business, adjunct professors are expected to meet AACSB’s Instructional Practitioner criteria, which indicates that they bring professional skills into the classroom.

“We’re lucky to have many great adjunct professors who have amazing professional experiences and see value in teaching the next generation of leaders,” says Rousu. “They are an asset as they bring their professional experiences into the classroom and provide students with some different perspectives.”

USING EXPERIENCE TO INTRODUCE SALES CURRICULUM

“I returned to Susquehanna in 2018 for my 40th class reunion,” recalls Darrell Wilson ’78.

While on campus, Wilson connected with Dean Rousu and mentioned that he was finishing a part-time teaching commitment at Salisbury University, after having retired in 2017 as vice president of sales and marketing for Yuasa Battery USA.

At Salisbury, Wilson co-led the launch of the Mid Atlantic Sales and Marketing Institute, a research and academic center for professional selling. He also helped launch the university’s sales minor.

“Dean Rousu expressed interest in having me teach a sales class at Susquehanna and, after some discussion, I agreed to teach Professional Selling in the fall of 2019,” says Wilson.

The class quickly became popular and in May 2020, the Sigmund Weis School of Business and the Department of Communications launched a professional sales minor.

It provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the sales function in an organization and prepares them for a career in sales through a mix of business and communication classes.

In Wilson’s classes, students typically participate in role playing exercises to actively practice things like planning sales calls, developing meeting agendas, navigating potential pushback from senior leadership, and handling objections.

“As a class, we critique each other on how a mock sales call was conducted and what improvements could be made,” says Wilson, who is known to often play the role of a difficult buyer.

Wilson hopes to convey to students that the basics of selling — relationship building, identifying needs, presentation skills, qualifying customers, handling objections and closing the deal – are standard and transferable from industry to industry. Wilson’s own career spans 40 years and traverses several industries and customer types.

“We have fun with the exercises and always debrief on how the seller could improve their next sales pitch,” he adds. “I also try to stress that regardless of discipline — whether it be finance, marketing, IT, human resources, management or something else — everyone sells.”

COACHING FUTURE CEOS TO NAVIGATE WORKPLACE PRESSURE

“Being the former CEO of multi-billion-dollar corporation, I had never really given much thought to becoming a professor,” says Tim Murray ’94, who served as chief executive officer of Aluminium Bahrain for seven years until his retirement in 2019.

Located on an island in the Arabian Gulf, Aluminium Bahrain — commonly called Alba — is one of the largest producers of aluminum in the world. Prior to becoming CEO, Murray was its chief finance and supply officer, during which time he played a major role in Alba’s 2010 initial public offering.

“In 2019, as I was finishing a long career with Alba, Dean Rousu approached me about becoming an adjunct professor,” he says. “The offer was intriguing and I knew that bringing more real-world experience into the classroom could create tremendous value.”

Now, Murray leads the CEO Challenge course, which teaches students what it is like to be a corporate executive and how an executive team operates in a board room

environment. Students are divided into groups and each week the group has to form a new executive team led by a new CEO — ensuring that everyone gets to be CEO at least once. The groups in his class are given real-world cases to analyze and then must prepare formal presentations along with recommendations to the company’s board of directors.

“Once the teams are done presenting, I critique each person’s performance and then give them their grade,” he says. “This approach greatly accelerates the learning process, as students immediately apply what they needed to improve in their next presentation.”

In his corporate experience, Murray recognized that many employees fall short in preparing presentations and delivering them effectively under pressure. He explains that the cases are not intended to have a right or wrong answer, but rather to challenge the students to think critically in uncertain situations.

“In my view, how a group delivers and defends its presentation is far more important than the presentation itself,” Murray says.

PREPARING TOMORROW’S BUSINESS LEADERS

“Wilson and Murray offer our students a phenomenal opportunity to learn from global leaders in their fields,” says Emma Fleck, department head of management and marketing. “We are incredibly fortunate that they are willing to bring their knowledge and networks back to SU, and we are already seeing the impact of these alums through the internships and jobs our students are securing.”

Wilson and Murray both believe that graduates of Susquehanna’s Sigmund Weis School of Business are well prepared for success. They also credit Susquehanna’s small classroom sizes and its caring and supportive community as reasons for student and graduate success.

“Students want more than just a classroom experience,” Wilson adds. “The opportunities we have as faculty members to mentor them are enormous and can last a lifetime.”

“The classroom environment really allows professors to build a relationship with their students, which is critical to coaching them,” adds Murray. “Our success as professors may not be known for many years, but I am confident that we are preparing students for success and perhaps even some future CEOs.” ■

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT IN THE CLASSROOM BUILDING THE RANKS

The Sigmund Weis School of Business welcomed new faculty and administrator positions over the past few semesters.

KRISTIE ANDERSON ’99

Sigmund Weis School of Business Programs Coordinator

Anderson earned her Master of Education in business education/information technology management from Bloomsburg University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in accounting from Susquehanna. Prior to returning to Susquehanna as a professor, Anderson worked in both the private and public accounting fields in the areas of audit, tax and cost accounting. She previously served as an adjunct professor for various institutions in the areas of accounting, marketing, management and information technology. In her role as programs coordinator, Anderson is responsible for coordinating alumni networking and recognition events, helping students land job and internship opportunities, and launching and implementing the alumni mentoring program for second-year students.

RAJIB CHOWDHURY

Assistant Professor of Finance and Analytics

Chowdhury earned his doctorate in finance from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Prior to joining the Department of Finance and Analytics in the Sigmund Weis School of Business, he taught at Minnesota State University, Mankato. His teaching interests include corporate finance and international finance, and his research interests span corporate bankruptcy, CEO compensation, corporate social responsibility performance on mergers and acquisitions, and more.

FRANCIS FARINA Lecturer of Accounting

Farina earned his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center after receiving his Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University and Bachelor of Science in business administration from Suffolk University in Boston. His experience as a litigation attorney focused on disclosure and fraud claims under federal and state securities statues, shareholder derivative litigation concerning mismanagement and breach of fiduciary duties, and consumer protection actions. His accounting/auditing experience includes work as an external auditor with a Big Four accounting firm and senior internal audit management positions in banking and in higher education. His primary avocation is music, including longtime membership in the marching band for the Washington Commanders and participation in various college and community concert bands and pit orchestras.

HASSAN HUSSEIN

Assistant Professor of Strategic Management

Hussein earned his doctorate in organizational and policy development from the University of Minnesota. Before coming to Susquehanna, he was an assistant

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT IN THE CLASSROOM

professor of global business at Saint John’s University in Minnesota. He is also a visiting lecturer at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Hussein has published his research in several different journals and has consults with several United Nations agencies.

JESSICA JELSMA MASTERTON

Assistant Professor of Publishing and Media Entrepreneurship and Director of SU Press

In a dual role at Susquehanna, Masterton serves the Sigmund Weis School of Business and the Publishing and Editing program. She received her doctorate from the University of Cincinnati and her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Alabama. As an editor, she has worked for both independent and university-affiliated publications. As a teacher, she has most recently taught at Albion College and the Sewanee Young Writers Conference. Her interests focus on the intersection between art, education, activism and business.

ROBERT NICKEY ’84

Visiting Assistant Professor of Management and Marketing

Nickey earned a bachelor’s degree from Susquehanna University and a Master of Business Administration from Philadelphia University. He has over 20 years of teaching experience across several different universities. In addition, Nickey has 30 years of experience facilitating business collaboration in the areas of finance and strategic planning, and works with small business to improve profitability and identify strategic direction.

VIET PHAM

Assistant Professor of Accounting

Pham earned his doctorate in accounting at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Prior to joining Susquehanna University, he was an assistant professor of accountancy at Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio, where he taught courses in management accounting, financial accounting and federal income tax for undergraduate and MBA students. Pham’s research interests include corporate culture, diversity, public policy, debt contracting and auditing.

APRIL RIVERS

Lecturer of Accounting

Rivers earned her Master of Laws in Taxation from the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, and her Master of Arts in sociology from American University in Washington, D.C. Rivers has represented clients in private practice, served as a domestic relations hearing officer and worked as a judicial law clerk for criminal and dependency courts. Most recently, she provided legal research and writing services to law firms focused on municipal entities, insurance defense, personal injury and state/federal regulatory compliance.

AN EXAMINATION INTO ACCOUNTING ETHICS

Professor incorporates latest research findings into classroom lessons.

Even if you don’t know much about Enron, you surely know how Enron collapsed — in one of the largest bankruptcy filings in American history that also took down both the energy giant and the accounting company that helped cover up its misdeeds.

Andrew Felo, associate professor of accounting, conducts research into why and how unethical decisions are made in the workplace. His research won the Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year award from Strategic Finance magazine.

“When I completed my doctorate in 1999, there were a lot of high-profile accounting frauds and there was a lot of interest in why these things keep happening,” Felo says. “What I’ve tried to do is to better understand what leads to these things because there are some really bad consequences — people go to jail; they lose their jobs.”

Felo, along with Steven Solieri of Queens College, conducted a study of Institute of Management Accountants members to examine two specific aspects of unethical behavior: tone at the top vs. tune in the middle (which refers to the organizational culture that exists at the leadership and middle-management levels) and the theory of self-concept maintenance (how individuals faced with an ethical dilemma find a “balance” that doesn’t challenge their opinion of themselves).

Felo found that tone at the top general ly plays a more significant role than tune in the middle, but there is some evidence that a more ethical tune in the middle partially (but not completely) reduces the impact of a less ethical tone at the top. He also found that how seriously employees view the consequences of their decisions has an impact on their behavior, but only when a leader demonstrates a weak ethical tone.

“One way to avoid these issues is to educate management accountants about the seriousness of the consequences of the decisions they make,” Felo says, “especially when the tone at the top and/or the tune in the middle are relatively weak.”

Felo believes his research has obvious implications for students preparing for a career in accounting.

“I try to incorporate this into my classes because there are a lot of gray areas — it’s not always clear cut; there is a lot of judgment involved,” Felo says. ■

OZLANSKI WINS NATIONAL ACCOUNTING TEACHING AWARD

Michael Ozlanski ’05, chair and associate professor of accounting, was awarded the 2021 George Krull/ Grant Thornton Teaching Innovation Award from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

The award recognizes successful and innovative practices in the teaching of junior- and senior-level accounting courses that continue to enhance accounting majors’ interest in accounting and pursuing the CPA profession as a career.

Ozlanski’s award specifically honors “Divvying Up Data: A Data Visualization Case,” a collaboration with Suzanne Seymoure, of North Central College, Naperville, Illinois. Known as an instructional resource, “Divvying Up Data” asks students to assume the role of a newly hired analyst for Divvy, the Chicago bike-share program. In this role, they use the Tableau data visualization software to learn data analysis and data visualization techniques. Instructors can implement the case into their classroom in multiple parts, and it is scalable for novice and advanced Tableau users.

“The case is unique because it enables students to interact with a large, real-world dataset with over three million rows,” Ozlanski says. “It is ideal for accounting information systems or data analytics courses.”

Ozlanski earned his bachelor's degree from Susquehanna University and his master's and doctoral degrees from Virginia Polytech Institute and State University. He joined the faculty at Susquehanna in 2015 and also serves as the Allen C. Tressler Professor in Accounting. ■

FLECK EARNS UNIVERSITY ADVISING AWARD

Emma Fleck, chair and associate professor of marketing and management, was awarded Susquehanna’s Lawrence A. Lemons Distinguished Academic Advising Award.

Fleck’s nominators described her as an exceptionally good advisor who has been instrumental in helping other faculty in the Sigmund Weis School of Business improve their advising. Junior colleagues noted that Fleck invites them to join her during her advising sessions so they can better understand the advising process.

“Her advisees often double major in an area outside her school, and she has made extensive efforts to understand those programs,” one colleague noted. “In other words, she not only seeks to understand and promote her own programs, but also those that will benefit her students.”

Fleck earned her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, and joined the faculty at Susquehanna in 2016. She also leads the entrepreneurship and innovation minor program. ■

HONOR Beloved Professors

by Helping Business Students

When you make a gift in support of the Dr. Jerrell Habegger or Dr. William Remaley Endowment Funds, you will help Sigmund Weis School of Business students for years to come — as the funds will support the school's accounting and finance departments in perpetuity.

Learn more and support both funds at SUSQU.EDU/HABEGGERANDREMALEY

Support the Sigmund Weis School of Business’s accounting department, while honoring Dr. Jerry Habegger’s legacy.

Dr. Habegger joined the SU faculty in 1989 and served as a distinguished member of the accounting faculty for over 32 years. During his time at SU, Dr. Habegger shaped the lives of countless students and formed bonds with colleagues as well. We are grateful for all who have benefited from his keen academic mind and his friendly, easy-going personality. Even after his recent retirement in spring 2022, his legacy at Susquehanna will endure thanks to those who support The Habegger Endowment Fund.

Support the Sigmund Weis School of Business’s finance department and honor the legacy of Dr. William Remaley.

Dr. Remaley joined the Susquehanna University faculty in 1973 and served in the finance department for 30 years. He was known for being an excellent teacher, and has been frequently credited by former students as having prepared their foundation of financial management concepts. In addition to advancing academic skills, he encouraged students to develop a strong work ethic and engage in continuous learning. In these and countless other ways, Dr. Remaley has positively impacted the trajectory of his students’ professional careers. He remains among many graduates’ most memorable faculty members.

STUDENTS majoring in business

MAJORS + three complementary minors

FULL-TIME FACULTY members

Private, undergraduate-only AACSB SCHOOLS

BY THE

Matthew Rousu, dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business, gives a glance into the school by the numbers.

RANKING of the economics department among liberal arts colleges

—St. Louis Fed, September 2022

LUXURY BRAND MARKETING & MANAGEMENT bachelor’s degree program in the country

BUSINESS SCHOOL that guarantees its students an INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP

COUNTRIES where business students have completed internships in recent years

CREDIT HOURS most accounting students earn while graduating in 4 years

Allowing for accounting majors to sit for the CPA exam without the expense of an extra year of school.

CREDITS of data analytics coursework completed by all business students

Business students who graduate BLOOMBERG CERTIFIED

Business sophomore students assigned a PROFESSIONAL MENTOR

Business students who get a FACULTY MEMBER ADVISOR

514 University Ave. Selinsgrove, PA 17870-1164 susqu.edu/SWSB