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
