by jlansber | Apr 30, 2015 | Notes from the Dean
The close relationship between the Driehaus College of Business and the business community began more than a century ago, when DePaul became the first university to locate its business college in Chicago’s Loop. The move downtown fostered collaboration between professors and business leaders to bring real-world knowledge from the city’s center for commerce into our classrooms.
Over the years, the college’s relationship with the business community has grown, strengthening our academic programs and centers, enriching faculty teaching and research, and broadening career and networking opportunities for students and alumni. Generations of alumni have gained practical knowledge and connections for professional advancement through the college’s links to top companies. In return, the corporate community has profited from the professional contributions of our alumni, who have assumed leadership roles across Chicago’s business landscape and beyond.
In this spring/summer 2015 Business Exchange, we focus on our distinctive bond with the business community and how it benefits alumni, students, the college and the business community itself.
Our main feature story explores four examples of the power of these connections: our Sales Leadership Program’s success at preparing students for roles at Fortune 500 companies, bolstered by its corporate partners; our new Marriott Scholars program, which is exposing students to the real world of hospitality leadership; and our educational collaborations with McGladrey and, through the CEO Initiative, Medline, which are preparing professionals to be leaders within these firms. The theme continues in our coverage of Corporate Connectors, a successful DePaul program that links alumni and students to career leads at companies nationwide through a network of alumni professionals at these organizations.
Our college is always seeking new ways to expand professional relationships among students, alumni and the business community. One of our newest initiatives is a mentorship program that is being developed with the help of alumni and executives on the Dean’s Advisory Council. The pilot program will provide a more structured, ongoing mentoring network for our full-time MBA class and undergraduate transfer students involving fellow students and recent alumni. It will be supported by technology that will help match participants, facilitate training and track outcomes. I look forward to sharing more about this program as it comes to fruition, adding one more link between the college and the business community.
Ray Whittington
Dean, Driehaus College of Business
by jlansber | Apr 30, 2015 | Connections
Gustavo Marquez (BUS ’14), a financial analyst with Morgan Stanley in New York, learned about trading industry opportunities from Corporate Connectors volunteers.
When it comes to your career, with a little hard work and perhaps some help from DePaul, you just might land your dream job. DePaul’s Corporate Connectors program, a part of Alumni Career Services, offers a great way to get your foot in the door at a company that interests you, and best of all, it is a free resource for all DePaul students and alumni.
The Corporate Connectors program provides professional alumni contacts at hundreds of organizations nationwide, from Amazon to Zurich North America. Through the program, DePaul alumni offer to meet or correspond with fellow alumni and students who are applying to their companies or who want to find out more about a particular industry. The program is also useful for employees to meet fellow alumni (and new co-workers) to transition smoothly into their new job.
The program began in 2009, when the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., DePaul’s president, was interested in identifying alumni who could greet DePaul graduates on their first day of work. What started as a “meet and greet” evolved into a program where Corporate Connectors volunteers answer questions about their companies, help prepare fellow alumni for interviews and facilitate networking within the ranks. Many alumni volunteers have filled internships and jobs through this program.
“Since the inception of the Corporate Connectors program, there have been over 4,300 requests to connect, and many of these requests have led to informational interviews or networking opportunities within the companies,” says Colleen Fashing, associate director of alumni relations. “Many people don’t hear back from potential employers when they apply for a job—so this is a great way to get that direct connection. These volunteers can’t necessarily get you the job, but they can get you directly connected with the company.”
Gustavo Marquez (BUS ’14), a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York City, used the Corporate Connectors program to great benefit.
“I first found out about the Corporate Connectors program while taking classes at DePaul,” says Marquez, who majored in finance. “I knew that I was interested in the financial industry specific to trading, so the Corporate Connectors program connected me with a chief operation officer of a trading firm who gave me industry insight and great career networking advice.”
Colleen Fashing, associate director of alumni relations, advises a student about the Corporate Connectors program.
The Corporate Connectors program helped Marquez get a better understanding of the financial industry and the jobs available. Marquez was able to network with DePaul alumni and other key contacts in the financial industry and eventually landed an internship the summer of his junior year in the sales and trading division of Morgan Stanley. He continued to network throughout his internship and was offered a full-time position as an analyst as soon as he graduated from DePaul.
“I recommend the program to all students and alumni who take their careers seriously,” says Marquez. “It is extremely useful for anyone who wants to find out about a company or industry and go after what they want.
Marquez is so pleased with the program that he is interested in giving back to DePaul by becoming a volunteer to help alumni and students connect with his company.
The Office of Alumni Relations facilitates all initial connections made through the program, but it is up to participants to decide how to use it to their benefit. “It is important to be ready to talk to the Corporate Connectors volunteers,” Fashing advises participants. “They are performing this service on their free time, so do your research on their company ahead of time and be ready to use this benefit to your advantage.”
By Andrew Zamorski
by jlansber | Apr 30, 2015 | Alumni Profiles
Alumnus Profile
Robert Chatwani (BUS ’97)
Residence: Fremont, Calif.
Occupation: I work for eBay Inc. as Senior Director of Consumer Marketing. I have the privilege of leading buyer and seller marketing for the world’s largest online marketplace. We’re a dynamic marketplace with over $80 billion in annual trading volume and over 800 million listings of items for sale. More than 1 million people earn their part-time or full-time living on eBay.
Education: My education has been the single most important factor contributing to my career progress. I went to Maine West High School in Des Plaines, Ill. I decided to pursue a degree at DePaul due to the reputation of the school’s business and economics programs. Attending DePaul also allowed me to continue helping my parents manage their small business. While at DePaul I took advantage of a foreign study program in Osaka, Japan, where I lived with a family and studied Japanese. Eventually, I was drawn to California and pursued an MBA at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.
Vital stats: After DePaul, I was fortunate to work in global management consulting at McKinsey & Co. After three years at McKinsey in Chicago and Washington, D.C., I moved to San Francisco to start a venture-backed Internet company. I eventually joined eBay in 2003, where I have been for the past 12 years. My wife (and best friend) and I have been married for 14 years and have three kids.
What I like best about my job: I work for a company with a very meaningful purpose, where we focus on creating economic opportunity for people throughout the world. I’ve been lucky to have five or six different positions within the company, allowing me to develop a broad set of leadership skills, as well as contribute to the company’s growth across different functions. What energizes me most is building great teams and helping individuals develop their careers.
The biggest challenge I face in my job: Managing my energy and the energy of my team. I believe that the way people feel at work influences how they perform, and the way people feel is defined by their level of energy. Energy can take several forms—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. I’ve found that helping my team manage their energy— not their time—helps improve engagement, focus and productivity. There are lots of ways to help them with this, but I’ve found the best way is to create an environment that fosters renewal, flexible schedules and decision-making empowerment.
Chatwani’s advice for new alumni:
- Do what you love—every day—and enjoy the people you work with. If you don’t love it, invest in making a change. Be authentic and be honest with yourself.
- Take your best idea—and dream one size bigger. It doesn’t matter if it’s about your career, about starting a new venture or about serving your community. Make your plans as audacious as possible.
- Don’t get too comfortable. When you’re early in your career, move around. Spend time working in a foreign country, changing roles or even changing companies. Doing so grows your capabilities and makes you a more valuable leader.
- Take responsibility for your own development. Play to your strengths, find great mentors and take measured risks. Most great careers are discovered, not planned. Embrace those unexpected opportunities that occasionally come your way.
by jlansber | Apr 30, 2015 | By the Numbers
DePaul business programs get high marks for academic excellence and diversity in recent rankings.
by jlansber | Apr 30, 2015 | College News
Executive Doctorate in Business Administration to Debut
Seasoned professionals who want to take their business knowledge—and their careers—to the next level have a new option: the Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (EDBA). The degree, which the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business will begin offering in September, is a three-year, part-time program for working professionals who previously earned business-related master’s degrees and have 8–10 years of experience in management or consulting.
Students in the program will learn to solve complex, real-world business problems using applied, evidence-based analyses of data. The program emphasizes practical business research techniques and will enroll a small cohort of 20 students to deepen networking relationships among students and research-focused faculty.
“We wanted to meet the learning needs of people who say, ‘I have my master’s, I continue to work but I still want to know more and dive deeper,’ ” says Robert S. Rubin, associate professor of management and the EDBA faculty board chair.
Ray Whittington, dean of the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, says “DePaul’s EDBA is a practical, career-advancing doctoral program that equips executives with the tools to rigorously analyze real business data and find hidden solutions.”
Visit go.depaul.edu/EDBA for more information.
Sandra Shelton (third from left) with three of the DePaul professors she helped mentor through The PhD Project: James Mourey, Stephani Mason and Willie Reddic.
Professor Earns PhD Project Hall of Fame Award
When Sandra Shelton received her PhD in accounting two decades ago, she was a rarity. There were only a handful of minorities enrolled in accountancy doctoral programs nationally then. Today, there are more than 1,200 minority business professors with PhDs, thanks in part to the tireless work of Shelton and other pioneering professors at The PhD Project.
Founded by auditing and accounting firm KPMG in 1994, The PhD Project is an award-winning nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in business education. Shelton, the KPMG Distinguished Professor of Accountancy at DePaul, was inducted into The PhD Project’s Hall of Fame in November for her role in mentoring diverse faculty and students. DePaul has the most professors nationally who are alumni of The PhD Project.
“The PhD Project gave me the opportunity to give back,” Shelton says. “I am so grateful to the program and KPMG. It has definitely made a difference.”
Alumni Connect Students With Sports Management
DePaul students got an inside view of Chicago athletics organizations, including the Bears, from alumni and others who work in sports management.
DePaul business students got an inside look at the internal operations of Chicago sports franchises through a unique management course that connected them to alumni and other professionals working in these organizations.
During five days in December, the class visited 14 sports organizations, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, Cubs and Blackhawks, as well as the corporate offices of athletics-related products, such as Gatorade. Faculty member Andy Clark, director of the college’s sports management programs, and his class were given extraordinary access to front offices and sneak peeks at new facilities, products and services by the 75 management and marketing professionals they met.
About 20 percent of the sports management professionals they visited were DePaul alumni.
“It was a great chance to meet people who are important in the industry,” says MBA student Ryan O’Neill. “We really got to know them and network with them. If you’re interested in the sports industry and looking to learn more about it, this course is a great experience.”
