Dean Ilene Kleinsorge presents at the 2014 Celebration of Achievement
While it might not yet officially be summer according to the calendar, summer has officially arrived at Oregon State University. On Saturday, a record 5,878 Beavers officially became OSU alumni, and the hallways of Bexell Hall have gone mostly silent as students have left to enjoy a well-deserved break for the next several months. With another incredibly successful year behind us, it’s time to recognize the faculty and staff who make the Oregon State College of Business truly remarkable.
On June 5, the college recognized the outstanding efforts and achievements of our dedicated faculty and staff at the annual Celebration of Achievement awards banquet. This year’s award winners are:
Betty and Forrest Simmons Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award – Pauline Schilpzand
Byron L. Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching – Gene Young
Congratulations to all of this year’s award recipients, and thank you for all you do to make the College of Business such an exceptional place to learn, work and grow.
As the spring term winds to a close and students prepare for commencement and the feelings of freedom that summer inspires, now is the perfect time to reflect on the hard work and dedication demonstrated by our tremendously talented Graphic Design students from the School of Design and Human Environment (SDHE). Over the last week, there were two events that showcased the students’ work.
The first took place on June 4, as a very crowded Room 215 in Milam Hall was abuzz with energy as graduating graphic design seniors presented their final thesis projects to faculty, staff and classmates. Projects were far-ranging in their scope and intent, but all shared a common thread: each of them combined a thoughtfully designed project that had practical business applications.
Take for example Lillian Kansaku’s project for “Kenny: Your Money Pal,” a project comprised of a website and printed collateral designed to help college students navigate the sometimes confusing and overwhelming financial aspects of being a college student, or Michael McDonald’s “Sparkbulb” project that helps teach basic graphic design and digital marketing strategies to owners of start-ups who might lack the resources to hire a professional in the early stages of starting their business.
“Every year, I continue to be impressed with the talent, creativity and design acuity demonstrated by our graphic design students,” said Professor Andrea Marks. “Our students’ thesis projects not only demonstrate their research and design ability, but also provide proof that our students come up with truly creative and engaging solutions for practical, real-world business issues,” she said.
Check out some photos from the seniors’ design projects in the below gallery:
On June 9, junior year graphic design students taking Professor Christine Gallagher’s Collaborative Processes class presented their final game projects. Students in the class were divided into six teams and tasked with creating a board or card game from scratch. Not only did the students have to conceptualize a new game and establish all the rules and determine how actual game play would unfold, but they also had to design every aspect of their games from the game boards and cards to the game pieces and boxes that house them all. The results were very impressive as evidenced in the below slideshow, and the students had a great time playing each others’ games.
Thousands of students showed up on the quad for their chance to make an appearance on comedian Ellen DeGeneres’ nationally-televised daytime talk show
Senior accounting major Brittney Oljar’s undergraduate career is ending on a high note. Not only is Oljar graduating this weekend and then heading to Italy for a well-deserved vacation before returning to a job as an IT auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers (a company where she completed an internship last summer), but she’s getting to do all of this with some extra cash in her pocket.
In mid-May, the Oregon State campus was abuzz with rumors that a visit from popular comedian and daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was imminent. These rumors erupted into a full-on frenzy when Ellen’s official Twitter account confirmed that although she wouldn’t be visiting in person, she would be interacting with students via a live satellite feed while taping a segment for her television show. The tweet instructed Oregon State students to show up on the Memorial Union Quad dressed up in their best “dad outfits” for “fun and prizes.” Thousands of students showed up hoping for the chance to win big — or at least make an appearance on national television.
Senior Accounting major Brittney Oljar (wearing No. 20) in a match against Stanford.
Oljar says that her friend Erin is “obsessed” with Ellen, and the two of them simply thought that the event sounded like a fun excuse to dress up.
“We had heard about Ellen’s Twitter feed event from the University of Washington in April, and it just seemed like a really fun way to spent the afternoon,” said Oljar. “I had class until 2:00 that day, so I had to rush to my boyfriend’s house to borrow some of his clothes in order to show up in my best ‘dad outfit’,” she said.
After rushing back to the Quad in her boyfriend’s way-too-big clothes (Oljar, a soccer player at Oregon State, is 5′ 2″, while her boyfriend is 6′ 8″), Oljar was picked out the the crowd by one of the television show’s producers.
“I was standing in a sea of people, and when the producer came over, everyone parted to get out of the way. I just happened to be the only one left standing there, and they picked me,” said Oljar.
Oljar and a handful of other students were chosen to take part in a search for cash prizes that had been hidden throughout the Memorial Union. Knowing that there were two $500 prizes, as well as a $1,000, a $3,000, and a $10,000 prize all just waiting to be found, the students frantically made their way through the building, searching high and low for small boxes bearing the JCPenney logo (the sponsor of the event).
After all five boxes had been retrieved, Oljar and the other students who found them returned to the Quad to open their boxes while interacting with Ellen through a live satellite feed. You can watch the video below to see how it all unfolded:
“It was a total blur,” said Oljar. “I was so excited to be on the show that my memory of running through the MU is kind of blank. I thought the prizes would be in pretty obvious spots, but after not finding any of them right away, I eventually started looking underneath things. That’s when I finally found one; by looking under the couch at the top of the stairs,” she said.
Oljar just after opening the prize box revealing her $1,000 in winnings
Soon after the segment aired, Oljar’s phone started filling up with texts and messages from friends and family from all over the country who weren’t aware that she’d be appearing on the show. Many people were struck by her selflessness and generosity in saying that she would give her prize winnings away to a fellow College of Business student.
“Every year I was in the College of Business, I received a scholarship, ” said Oljar. ” My senior year in particular, the amount was quite generous. When combined with my soccer scholarship, my senior year tuition costs were completely covered. I was very excited about that fact, and I know how many people are struggling to pay for college. I very much appreciate the opportunities I’ve been given, and I and wanted to pay it forward. It means a lot to me,” she said.
Even though she didn’t win the grand prize, Oljar was still thrilled by the whole experience.
“This was the cherry on top of my already wonderful experience at Oregon State,” said Oljar. “I never would have pictured that this is how my undergrad would conclude,” she said.
Senior students present their technology commercialization plans to a panel of Portland Business Roundtable judges
Graduating seniors taking Strategy and Entrepreneurship professor Mark Van Order’s Technology Commercialization class (BA 468) just concluded one of the largest, most hands-on class projects most of them have experienced in their undergraduate careers. The class had just two objectives: learn how to evaluate whether an actual, innovative technology has commercial value, and if so; what’s the best path to commercialize the new technology?
Using the book “Running Lean” and the “Lean Canvas” approach as the primary methodology for evaluating business opportunities, the class was divided up into four teams, and each was assigned a real potential business to evaluate.
After thoroughly researching and exploring all the ins and outs of their potential venture throughout the spring term, it all came down to a final business plan competition in which each team had just 25 minutes to pitch their business plans to a panel of Portland Business Roundtable judges, who then thoroughly grilled the students about every conceivable detail of their technology and chosen commercialization model.
A student demonstrates his team’s new energy efficient LED lights for growing plants indoors
After each presentation, the judges convened to score each team on a scale of one to five based on how well the material was presented and whether it was clear and easy to follow, and on whether or not the presentation style maintained the audience’s attention and reinforced the critical points of the business case while using the allotted time effectively.
“This class was a departure from the norm, and I really enjoyed the freedom it afforded me as a student,” said business administration senior Trevor Smith. “It’s not often as students that we we get the opportunity to be exposed to the ‘real world’. Actual industry trends and practices drove this project and determined what we did at every step, which is a unique experiential learning opportunity. Unlike other classes where students simply develop business plans, this class was more than just an academic exercise. It was reality,” said Smith.
“This experience definitely prepared me for the real world and taught me that no business plan is perfect the first time through. It takes a lot of adjustments as well as copious amounts of research and talking to various people until you get the answers you need,” said speech communication major Halia Parish. “It was a pleasure being in this class and getting away from the typical reading and test taking and actually putting our skills to work on a real-life business project,” she said.
The result of the competition? Team Honeycomb walked away victorious for their business plan that makes drone technology commercially available for agricultural use. So if you see drones flying over a field near you soon, seniors Nick Blake, Margaret Douglass, Jesus Izquierdo-Lopez, Marco Olivera and Shujia Yuan just might have been instrumental in getting it there.
Business Information Systems student Parker Edwards during his internship with Alaska Airlines
The Career Success Center’s #MySuccessIs campaign was created to engage College of Business students in order to help them to be successful academically and in seeking employment after graduating. Senior Business Information Systems student Parker Edwards is a perfect example of someone who made the most of his undergraduate experience, having landed some great internships while in school and receiving a job offer with a software company in Portland before even graduating. Check out Parker’s story and advice for future and current students below!
Parker Edwards, Business Information Systems
What are your post-graduation plans?
I’ll be working immediately after graduation as a technical project management intern at Jive Software in Portland.
Edwards gets to see the inside of the cockpit while interning with Alaska Airlines
I worked for three years with the College of Business in the IT department. This gave me a good inside look at what it takes to keep the College running. I also developed my technical skills and problem solving abilities through a bunch of projects that have had a direct impact on how staff, faculty and students use our technology.
I also worked last summer as an intern with Alaska Airlines. I worked in the Maintenance and Engineering division as a systems and process analyst.I got a lot of experience where I was able to put the material I’ve learned in class to practice to solve real problems. Some of the scripts and tools I wrote while I was there are still in use across the maintenance stations. During my internship, I also was able to take advantage of the employee flight benefits. I went on day trips to Honolulu, San Francisco, San Diego, and Barrow, Prudhoe Bay, and Anchorage, Alaska. I was also able to take a long weekend and go to Disneyland with my girlfriend.
What advice would you give current and future College of Business students about how to be successful in their program and in seeking a job?
Get as much experience as possible. All of my experience has built on itself and been instrumental in helping me find job opportunities after graduation. Getting a job on campus has also been extremely beneficial. It has allowed me to build a relationship with many professors and staff members at the College, and has given me many great networking opportunities.
I’d also say to be open to all kinds of companies in your internship search. I spent so much time looking at ‘tech’ companies that were very widely discussed within my major that I overlooked a lot of other great companies. Alaska was one of them, and without the Career Success Center helping me broaden my search, I probably wouldn’t have found that internship.
Did you utilize the services at the Career Success Center? How did they help you prepare to enter the job market?
I attended an informational session put on by the CSC for jobs and internships at Alaska Airlines. It was this session that I realized what a great opportunity an internship with Alaska would be, and I went through the process of perfecting my résumé, mock interviewing, and contacting the company representative, all because of the CSC.
I believe that my internship with Alaska has been one of the most important pieces of my work history and has allowed me to find many opportunities for employment after graduation. On top of that, I had one of the greatest summers of my life and made a lot of good friends as an intern. And this was a direct result of the work done by the CSC!
Edwards said that the Career Success Center opened doors for him that he wouldn’t have otherwise discovered
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I’d like to be able to fly like Superman.
How would you have used your superpower (or not used it) while getting your degree?
I don’t think being able to fly would have helped me much, but I definitely would have taken a bunch of trips to a more sunny place whenever the weather here got bad.
What is your favorite thing about Corvallis?
It is small enough that I feel safe as a student, with enough to do that I don’t ever feel too bored, but not big enough that I feel like just another ‘face in the crowd.’
What’s your favorite thing about OSU/OSU’s campus?
Although it isn’t currently finished, I love Austin Hall. I’ve been able to tour the inside and it is going to be the most beautiful building on campus. I think it inspires collaboration and creativity in a way we haven’t seen yet on campus.
If you knew you were leaving Corvallis for good, where do you go for your last meal here? What do you order?
Mongolian Grill, without a doubt. It is the BEST place in Corvallis, and the assortment of food you can get is amazing.
Dean Kleinsorge with all five student presenters. FROM LEFT: Obum Gwacham, Frances Chen, Margo Botti, Dean Ilene Kleinsorge, Alexander Mason and Josh Gilardi
Seniors Obum Gwacham (Marketing) and Alexander Mason (Finance), along with MBA student Frances Chen each served as awards presenters throughout the evening, while junior SDHE student Margo Botti accepted a Weatherford Award on behalf of her Grammy Award-winning uncle, Chris Botti, who was unable to attend; and senior Josh Gilardi (Marketing) was selected by Dean Ilene Kleinsorge to present a speech offering a current student’s perspective about the College of Business.
Despite the students’ different roles in the ceremony, each of them had to speak on stage to more than 400 attendees made up of distinguished alumni and business partners, as well as their peers and professors.
Senior Obum Gwacham presents an award to one of the college’s award winners
“I had never done anything like that before,” said Gwacham. “It was certainly the largest audience I’ve ever had to speak in front of, but I enjoyed every moment of it. Seeing how excited the other student presenters were before the event helped calm my nerves, and I was able to feed off their energy,” he said.
“When I was asked to be a presenter earlier in the year before the original event was postponed, I was told that the event had around 300 RSVPs,” said Gilardi. “I was terrified because it’s not just peers I’d be talking to but alumni, business professionals and important others. Talk about an intimidating first impression! After the event was canceled in February, I was relieved but disappointed that I would miss out on the opportunity. I was emailed in April saying the event was rescheduled for May and now they had 400-plus RSVPs, so you can imagine what I was feeling. I was nervous starting the day of the event up until I stepped on stage to speak. Once I started giving my speech though, I felt a lot more comfortable,” he added.
Chen and Botti also learned a lot from the experience after shaking off some early jitters.
Senior Josh Gilardi presents his views of the College of Business from the perspective of a current student
“Speaking at the Celebration of Excellence forced me to step out of my comfort zone,” said Chen. “Not only did I have to remember to speak with confidence and personality, but it was also a learning experience for me in that I learned how to behave properly at such an elegant, formal event,” she said.
“I thought I was inadequate to speak on behalf of my uncle and the College of Business at such an important event, but I quickly got comfortable, and it felt like second nature to me,” said Botti. “The experience confirmed how much I love speaking in front of large audiences,” she added.
Not only did the students hone their public speaking and presentation skills, but they also discovered the power of networking.
“I always knew that Oregon State had a great alumni network, but I truly felt it that evening,” said Gwacham. “I was approached by a number of alums that wanted to help me out with just about anything or answer questions I might have about what could be next for me after graduating,” he added.
Gilardi was also impressed with the alumni he encountered at the event.
“This event was proof that hard work pays off,” said Gilardi. “The award-winning alumni worked hard and were recognized for their efforts and accomplishments in different ways. I worked hard and was selected to speak because of it,” he said.
Overall, the students all said that they had a great time at the event.
“The number of attendees was simply amazing,” said Gwacham. “Some even came in from other states! It’s an event I look forward to being a part of after I finish with my undergrad at Oregon State,” he said.
“It was just a really fun experience for me as I got to see some old friends who are alumni at the event,” said Chen. “They mentored me in different stages of my life, and it was so good to show them my growth and how I’ve changed and make them proud of me,” she said.
One of the keys to a great experience is putting your education into action, and it was exciting getting to see these students thrive on the stage, handing out awards to distinguished alumni and business partners. Perhaps in the future, these students will be back at the Celebration of Excellence receiving awards of their own.
View some photos of the student presenters from the event in the image gallery below:
Frances Chen (MBA) speaks at the 2014 Celebration of Excellence
Frances Chen and Dean Kleinsorge present a Distinguished Business Partner award to Mutual of Enumclaw
Senior Marketing student Obum Gwacham addresses the audience
Obum Gwacham and Dean Kleinsorge present an Award to ‘Crazy Pete’ Newport
Bert Sperling admires his Weatherford Award
Sperling’s 2014 Weatherford Award
Senior Marketing student Josh Gilardi provides the student perspective at the 2014 Celebration of Excellence awards banquet
Gilardi and Dean Kleinsorge induct Jim Williams into the Oregon State College of Business’ Hall of Fame
Student Alexander Mason, Finance, introduces the next speaker
Senior SDHE student Margo Botti accepts a Weatherford Award on behalf of her uncle, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti
As the spring term draws to a close and with many students gearing up to graduate and enter the professional job market for the first time, the Career Success Center (CSC) wants to know how students define success. That’s why they recently launched a campaign inviting students to share their experiences through social media using the custom hashtag “#MySuccessIs” on Facebook and Twitter.
“We’re always interested in finding ways to reach students in order to provide the support and resources that will help them be the most successful in their academic and career development,” said Tamara Mitchell, career adviser for the College of Business. “Using social media to reach students has been a fun, rewarding and engaging campaign, and we’ve learned a lot from students’ responses,” she said.
Business students pose in front of the “My Success Is” banner at a recent networking event
The CSC and its employees have been hosting events like the yearly mock interviews that took place just last week, as well as the first annual Career Boot Camp that introduced first year students to professionals, faculty and alumni representing each major area of study within the College of Business. At these events, students are encouraged to sign a large “My Success Is” poster and write a short definition of what success looks like to them individually.
Early on in the development stage, Mitchell reached out to senior Bryce Longland for help fleshing out the details of the campaign, and Longland quickly recruited fellow senior Charlie Gilmur to work on the project. From there, the two of them took the reins. To help gain momentum and draw attention to #MySuccessIs, the CSC has been setting up photo booths stocked with fun props and costumes just outside of their office in Bexell Hall, as well as at events.
Senior Charlie Gilmur holds up a shirt promoting the #MySuccessIs campaign
“The most important thing to us is engaging students, faculty and employers while helping them connect with each other,” said Gilmur. “Social media is a powerful tool for driving students toward that face-to-face, in-person interaction, and that’s ultimately the goal of My Success Is,” he said.
Everyone in the CSC agrees that their main goal is to empower students to reach their academic and career aspirations, and the first step on the path to success is to utilize available resources like those offered in the Career Success Center.
“This campaign has allowed us to feature students who have been successful in getting highly sought-after internships or have landed jobs in their field before even graduating,” said Longland. “We’re also interested in hearing from faculty here in the college about their successes. This campaign allows us to give credit where it’s due by highlighting some really interesting people and their accomplishments,” he said.
CEO John Hall speaks to the audience at the LaSells Stewart Center as part of the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series
John Hall, owner and CEO of 16 Degree Advisory, discussed the importance of business ethics to about 475 attendees of a public lecture May 7 at Oregon State University’s LaSells Stewart Center.
Hall’s talk, “Making Ethical Decisions When Success Is Defined by Profits,” was the latest installment of the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series, which brings business leaders from across the United States to Oregon State’s campus to address a variety of today’s most relevant business topics.
Hall discussed the ways in which corporate fraud is detected and reported, the types of industries that are most prone to fraud and other ethical lapses, and who the individuals are within organizations that are most likely to perpetrate the fraud.
John Hall sits down with assistant professor Inara Scott for a post-lecture Q & A.
In order to prevent ethical lapses and fraud, Hall stressed the importance of employers and organizations instilling an “ethics culture” that starts at the highest rungs of leadership and reaches all the way to the entry level employees.
The topic of Hall’s discussion was especially poignant, as the College of Business at Oregon State recently became the first college on campus to institute its own Code of Honor. The code was developed by students and then approved by faculty members and focuses on integrity, responsibility and respect – three facets of an ethical organization that Hall whole-heartedly endorsed during his lecture.
The good news? According to Hall, observed episodes of workplace misconduct are actually on the decline, based on data from the National Business Ethics Survey’s Ethics Resource Center. This is largely due to the fact that two out of three companies now have “positive” ethics cultures.
“This increase in ethical commitment is significant because ethics culture drives employee conduct,” said Hall. “When companies value ethical performance and build strong cultures, misconduct is substantially lower.”
The stronger an organization’s ‘Ethics Culture,’ the less misconduct is observed within that organization
Before launching 16 Degree Advisory, Hall was the co-founder and owner of EthicsPoint, Inc., which later became the $100 million software company NAVEX Global, where Hall was the chief ethics and compliance officer.
The MU Crane inspired two Oregon State students to launch a successful Facebook page and crowdsourcing effort
By now, you’ve probably heard all about the meteoric rise to fame for Oregon State’s Memorial Union Crane. Since its launch in mid-January, the crane’s Facebook page has steadily grown to nearly 3,300 fans, and the page’s founders, senior School of Design and Human Environment students Zak Eidsvoog and Michael McDonald, recently completed a successful Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign that raised $4,572. The pair of designers had hoped to raise just $2,500 with all funds going toward building “a monument to the crane and all it stands for,” but quickly eclipsed their initial goal.
Above are the “stretch goals” that were reached during the successful fundraising campaign
After surpassing their original target goal, Eidsvoog and McDonald decided to have even more fun with the project, while also flexing their design and entrepreneurial muscles. The two friends and classmates quickly introduced a new set of “stretch goals,” for the campaign that if reached, would unlock a series of prizes awarded to the campaign’s donors. Donations started at just $1 each and ranged all the way up to $100.
McDonald said that the SDHE program helped prepare him and Eidsvoog for launching such a successful and multifaceted project.
Eidsvoog and McDonald used their design skills to develop a wide array of MU Crane swag to promote the campaign
“SDHE taught us more than just the design skills that we’ve used to create everything for this project. The program also focused on how social media and the internet can and should completely change your approach to doing business,” said McDonald. “It’s an approach we like to think of as Digital Entrepreneurship,” he added.
Now that the fundraising has been completed, the pair are now focused on finishing the design work for the commemorative statue and getting all of the promised merchandise out to their donors. Some of the perks of donating include posters, buttons, stickers, an EP of crane-inspired music, a series of crane-themed Valentine’s Day cards, and even an “I am the Crane” card game.
Eidsvoog said that they’re getting closer to commissioning an artist to create the statue, which they’re hoping will be located in or around the upcoming Student Experience Center.
“Our artist meeting went very well. At this point we’re waiting to hear back on pricing estimates for various sizes, materials etc., so we still don’t have the exact media decided upon, but we’re making progress,” said Eidsvoog.
No matter where it’s located or what materials it’s made out of, the MU Crane memorial will be a lasting testament to the Oregon State community’s involvement in a fun and spontaneous project, as well as Eidsvoog and McDonald’s creatively entrepreneurial spirit.
College of Business Dean Ilene Kleinsorge addresses students at the first annual Career Boot Camp
Last Friday at the Reser Stadium Suites, about 60 first and second year business students attended the Career Success Center’s first annual ‘Career Boot Camp’ workshop.
Students listen to a ‘speed dating’ presentation from alumni and faculty from Oregon State’s Business Information Systems program.
The one day intensive program kicked off with a “speed dating” session between undergraduate business students and professionals representing all of the College of Business’ undergraduate majors at Oregon State, followed by an educational business etiquette lunch.
The afternoon kicked off with a keynote address by Dr. Will Keim that addressed the keys to success in college and life. The session concluded with breakout sessions on personal branding resume writing and social media in the job search.
Those who attended said it was a rewarding and informative experience. For first year business student Anna Kameshima, one of the most valuable takeaways was the chance to speak with alumni and professionals representing so many different aspects of the business world.
“It was very interesting hearing from so many professionals with different experiences and backgrounds,” said Kameshima. “Choosing a major can be a very difficult decision, but hearing from actual business professionals is very helpful.”
First year student Logan Charboneau said the biggest thing he learned at the event was the importance of social media.
“We’ve all heard the ways that social media can hurt you when looking for a job, but I didn’t realize how much social media sites like LinkedIn can actually help you get a job,” said Charboneau.
Attendees were treated to a lunch event to teach proper business etiquette while dining.
Brandi Fuhrman, the assistant director of the College of Business’ Career Success Center, said she received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students and volunteers.
“We heard from students that they got more out of the event than they expected, which was exactly what we wanted to hear” Fuhrman said after the event. “As well as this first event went, we’re looking forward to building on its success to make future Career Boot Camps even better.”
The Career Success Center is located at 209 Bexell Hall, and helps connect College of Business students with the resources needed to obtain internships, interviews and jobs.
