The place for creative, adventurous students who want the tools to succeed
Congratulations to all of the Oregon State MBA graduates from the Class of 2014! It’s an honor working with such bright, promising students who are now officially on their way to becoming tomorrow’s business leaders, and we can’t wait to see what our graduates accomplish next. Take a look at our slideshow below from the MBA commencement and reception.
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
Excellence in Scholarship Award – Zhaohui Wu
Outstanding Professional Faculty and Staff Service Award – Jayne Anderson
Experiential Learning Award – John Turner
College Service Award – Doug Weir
College Service Outreach Award – Roger Graham
Newcomb Fellows – Colleen Bee, Brigitte Cluver, Malcolm LeMay and Robin Silveira
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For most students, the culmination of two terms’ worth of hard work doesn’t usually conclude on a runway with cameras flashing, but for the School of Design and Human Environment’s Fashion Show and Design Exhibition class, that is precisely how their biggest academic project comes to a close. Models help showcase the students’ very own apparel that has been painstakingly created, designed and constructed during their class time in a fashion show that is open to the public and judged by industry professionals.
Approximately 500 people attended the entirely student-run fashion show titled “Gilded Noir” May 23 at 7 p.m., where 15 apparel design and merchandising management majors showcased their designs on a runway built in the CH2M Hill alumni center.
This year, the range of apparel on display demonstrated the versatility of the students’ skills. High fashion was mixed with athletic apparel, apparel inspired by the great Northwest, a line inspired by a Las Vegas wedding, maternity clothing and casual, everyday-wear.
Marianne Egan, Senior Instructor of Apparel Design and instructor for the fashion show class, was pleased with the outcome of the show, and said she enjoys watching the experiential learning process.
“The class is always a group of hardworking students who learn far more than they imagined when the initially applied to be in the class,” said Egan. “This year, my students were led by an amazing leader, Megan Keough. Her leadership skills and attention to detail are what kept the entire process smooth and enjoyable. I loved watching her and the entire class grow.”
The fashion show concluded with a presentation of awards in various categories, as judged by industry experts. The winners were:
Best Concept Delivery “Story-telling” Award – Hannah Mossman
Best Representation of the Pacific Northwest Award – Abbey Tollefsen
Best Technique and Workmanship Award – Christina Ngo
Best Use of Technique, Innovation and Originality Award – Tayler Worrell
Best RTW Interpretation Award – Ali Denny
The Biggest Statement Award – Elisa Olsen
Judge’s Choice Stand-out Award – Rachel Draper
Best of Show Award – Heidi Ellis
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.
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.
“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.
The College of Business’ School of Design and Human Environment held a reception May 2, 2014 to honor the top academic performers receiving scholarships, honors and awards. Students, families, faculty and staff gathered in Milam Hall to celebrate the success of students from each SDHE discipline. Scholar awards in apparel design, graphic design, interior design and merchandising management were given to 16 students, with 15 additional students receiving awards for other accomplishments; while twenty students were the recipients of scholarships.
SDHE Nominee for the University Frolander award for outstanding GTA
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.
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.
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.
Oregon State alumna Wassana Yantasee, Ph.D. has a very impressive résumé and list of accomplishments. Certainly not least among them was that Yantasee completed her MBA at night while simultaneously earning her doctorate in chemical engineering during the day.
Currently an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine, Yantasee’s research focuses on implementing nanomaterials into medicine in order to treat cancer and toxic metal exposure.
In addition to her teaching and research, Yantasee is also the president of the small biotech company PDX Pharmaceuticals that has received a fast-track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract award from the National Cancer Institute to develop a new drug that will potentially treat cancer that becomes resistant to the standard-of-care drugs.
“My MBA training helps me with my career as a scientist tremendously in terms of proposal development and doing scientific research with the market and customer needs in mind,” said Yantasee. “I believe that science and business can’t be exclusive of each other.”
Yantasee says that her MBA courses prepared her for the business planning and market analysis required to secure the SBIR grants and contracts from federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, and to effectively manage them afterward. Yantasee’s MBA experience is also helping her give back to the next generation of students.
“I’m most proud of being able to give all four of my current Ph.D. students free education through funding from my research grants, and my MBA training helps me with balancing budget costs effectively as well as managing people and the resources that make it possible,” said Yantasee.
Even though she grew up in Thailand, Yantasee found Oregon State to be a perfect fit. “Although I was far from home, I felt at home at OSU. The university has great student diversity, and I had opportunities to make friends from all over the world,” she said.
Yantasee’s advice for current students at Oregon State? Take advantage of information technology. “Information is so easily accessible today, allowing students to learn new things both inside and outside of the classroom,” she said.
“I received excellent education through OSU’s MBA program, and would strongly recommend it to anyone who has an opportunity,” added Yantasee.
Wassana is proof that there’s truly no limit to the uses and applications that an MBA from Oregon State will have in any career, and we’re proud to count her as an alum!
Last Friday, nine teams of MBA students in the Commercialization and Clean Technology tracks competed in the 12th Annual MBA Business Plan Competition. The two day event brought 16 business leaders from around the state to Oregon State’s campus to judge the competition and to serve as mentors.
Each team was tasked with creating a viable business plan based off of real-world scientific breakthroughs, then presenting their business plans in a variety of competitive formats. The presentation is a culmination of their Integrated Business Plan (IBP) projects which the teams have been working on since last October.
On Thursday evening at the LaSells Stewart Center, each team gave a brief “shark tank” pitch outlining their business’ market opportunities and objectives. Then, one student from each team presented their “elevator pitch” to one of the judges. This pitch is a simulation of a chance meeting with a potential investor in an elevator, whereby the seller has only 45 seconds (or about five floors) to pitch their business.
“As time intensive and energy-consuming as the Integrated Business Projects can be, the process is so valuable for our students and faculty that even though they’re very challenging projects, they’re equally rewarding,” said Ilene Kleinsorge, dean of the College of Business.
Team nine, composed of Jordan Stutzman, Wenqian Chen, Qinqing Song and Yuhang He took first place in both the shark tank and elevator pitch portions of the competition. Their business project is a technology for a storm water management company.
The next day, each team presented their in-depth plan to the judges, who are also potential investors. Each team had 35 minutes to present before being grilled on all aspects of the endeavor. By the end of the session, teams experienced more than an hour of a high-pressure, high-stakes sales meeting. On the second day of the competition, MBA candidates Jujie Hao, Pei Yu Lu, Muchen Liu, Milo Ullstad and Siqi Chen walked away victorious for their business plan for a technology company aimed at improving prescription drug label information.
While preparing for the Business Plan Competition was very challenging, the students know the real-world benefits the projects have.
“In a cross-functional business environment, being able to get all departments on board for a new project is the key to its success,” said MBA student Sam Pincock. “Knowing how to effectively communicate to each department motivates and inspires cohesion within an organization, and the Business Plan Competition definitely helps prepare us for the challenges ahead.”
“Every MBA class has unique and special attributes,” said MBA program professor Tom Dowling. “I was very impressed by how well these students took on such challenging commercialization projects, quickly grasping the complexities and possibilities of innovative breakthroughs. This year’s class never backed down from the challenges they faced week after week, and they should be proud.”
