| If you no longer wish to receive our emails, you may unsubscribe here |
 |
BizBuzz Internship program paves student’s way to Wall Street.
Adriana Perez can’t say enough good things about the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) program. Perez, who currently is an analyst in the Fixed Income, Currencies, and Commodities division of Goldman Sachs, credits the program with giving her entrée into the prestigious world of Wall Street. A college International Business Honors (IB Honors) senior who has completed her coursework and will graduate in May, Perez helps develop strategies that enable Latin Américan companies to capitalize on market changes and says she “learns something new every day about finance, the economy, and the inner workings of investment banking.” She is grateful for what she deems an “amazing opportunity” that will bolster her future career prospects. And she says it was all made possible by her involvement in SEO. Read more. Scholarships help Cayman pair realize educational goals.
Cayman Islands natives Marzeta Bodden and Christopher Glasgow knew that leaving their beloved homeland to study business would do much to help advance their careers. Both faced the decision with excitement and a little anxiety. What would it be like to live in Miami? How would it feel to leave their families? Perhaps most importantly, they wondered how they were going to pay for tuition and expenses while living away from home. Then each got a pleasant surprise that essentially rendered the last question moot. Read more. Student’s receipt of merit award is “totally unexpected.”
Wili Ciobotea didn’t even know he was in the running for a scholarship from Financial Executives International (FEI). So he was pleasantly surprised when his finance professor, Constantine “Gus” Kalogeras, who nominated him for the award, called to let him know that he’d be getting a $1,000 check to help with school expenses. “I was taken aback,” Ciobotea said. The Romanian-born business student explains that the extra money has been really helpful. A full-time accounting student with a double major in finance who expects to graduate in 2008, Ciobotea earns some money from an online business he started selling domain names, web hosting, email accounts, and other related services, but explains that’s “only enough to pay the bills and meet monthly expenses.” “So anything extra is great,” he said. Read more. Downtown MBA student finds his next smart move is just a short elevator ride away.
You could say that Tim Orrange (MBA ’06) made the ideal candidate for pursuing an MBA at the College of Business Administration’s Downtown Center. A true urban professional, he worked as the advertising business office manager at the corporate headquarters of Macy’s Florida. In the summer of 2005, he had taken the GMAT and was starting to look at graduate schools in South Florida. “Florida International University offered the right MBA curriculum at the right time in my career, and certainly at the right location—just a few floors down from my office in the Macy’s building where I work. Two evenings a week, I’d be sitting at my desk finishing up a day’s work, then take a quick one-minute elevator ride and be in class on time by 5:30 p.m. It couldn’t have been more convenient,” Orrange said. And so Orrange became one of the first to join and graduate from the college’s Downtown MBA (DTMBA) program. Read more. Student credits Introduction to Business class with expanding her real-world view of business today. Are you a student planning to major in business? Or maybe a non-business student who’d like to get a basic understanding of business to round out your general education?
According to student Patricia Schnoor, in either case, you should consider taking Introduction to Business, a fully online course offered as part of the College of Business Administration’s undergraduate curriculum. “You should take this course before you take any other business class,” she said. “If you love it and find it as fascinating and useful as I did, then you know you are on the right path. In fact, the course can help you select the business major or minor that’s right for you. If you don’t like the course, then perhaps majoring in business is not for you, which is a good thing to learn sooner rather than later.” For Schnoor, the Introduction to Business class played a pivotal role in confirming her decision to pursue her bachelor’s degree. She is on track to receive her BBA in 2009. Read more. Engineer and entrepreneur explore new business horizons through EMBA.
Luis Díaz entered the Executive MBA (EMBA) program in the College of Business Administration with impressive credentials. He was the holder of six patents, developed while he was working for Stryker, a manufacturer of medical devices and equipment. He had experienced a rapid rise as an engineer at Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson Company that manufactures innovative cardiac devices for patients with coronary heart disease. Yet, he felt there was a gap in his knowledge base. While his grasp of technical matters was strong, he thought his understanding of broader business issues—finance, organizational behavior, global markets, accounting, and organizational development—was limited. “Back to school” became his mantra, and the EMBA program fit the bill perfectly. His classmate, Valerie Crawford, tells a similar story. A successful entrepreneur and business owner for more than seventeen years, Crawford nonetheless felt her skills and knowledge needed some updating.
“I felt like I’d been working in a vacuum, to some degree, and realized that a lot had changed since I had entered the workforce,” she said. “I looked at other programs, but none attracted me as much as the EMBA.” Quality and reputation of the EMBA faculty draw Díaz. “When I looked at the faculty roster and realized who I’d be learning from I decided that the program was for me,” Diaz said. Another important aspect: the chance to learn with, and from, accomplished peers from a range of professional fields. Another important aspect of the program, he says, has been the chance to learn with accomplished peers from a range of professional fields. “What they bring to the table in terms of perspectives and experiences is invaluable to the learning process,” he said. “For me, the program has been a big eye opener and I am getting a lot more tools than I imagined—things that I can use immediately on the job.” For example, in his position as head of a newly developed business unit, Diaz is using behavioral interviews, an approach he picked up in his human resources class, to identify and recruit individuals with the right skill set to implement his vision. Another class has aided him in developing a strategic plan for his operations. “From the point of view of running a company, you have to understand a lot, and it’s that breadth of knowledge that I am gaining from the EMBA program,” he said. Read more. Marketing student makes most of university’s expansive approach to learning.
When Carlos McGrath told his friends and family that he was going to Alaska for six months to study, they were a little baffled. “To me, Alaska represented an opportunity to be in a place that was vastly different from Miami,” McGrath said. “But most of my friends just thought ‘Wow, it’s cold.’” This International Business Honors (IBH) student went anyway, attending school in Juneau at the University of Alaska, experiencing native culture, hiking in the state’s stunning parks, and marveling at the aurora borealis. “The people were incredible,” McGrath said. “They were open, adventurous, and fun to be around.” Read more. Student government representative extols the value of participation in public life.
“I think public service may be a calling for me,” said Alan Rivera, a junior business student who muses about someday running for political office, possibly in his native Perú. That would come as no surprise to those who know the College of Business Administration’s representative to the Student Government Association (SGA). Self-assured and articulate, Rivera exhibits a strong commitment to the idea that being involved is critical, and he expresses a passion for creating awareness among students about how they can influence the policies and operations of Florida International University. “I think it’s really important for students to have a voice and to represent their ideas and concerns to administrators and faculty,” Rivera said. “I recognize that many of our students are juggling work and family along with their studies, and so civic involvement becomes less of a priority. But I think it’s my job as a student representative to communicate why participating in student government is important.” Read more. Student plans to SCORE with BBA.
What is Carole Bernstein (MA ’73), who already has a PhD and has retired from the successful business she launched in the late 1970s, doing as an undergraduate in the college’s BBA program? “I want to volunteer for SCORE—Service Corps of Retired Executives—a group that offers free business advice to entrepreneurs,” she said. But considering her background—having founded Get Smart, a store of educational products that grew to four stores and distribution to South and Central América—shouldn’t she be able to do that? “I need the knowledge,” she said. “My approach was to shoot first and then decide where to aim. So, I made every mistake possible, and before I start giving advice, I want to know that I can help people based on solid background, not just on my mistakes.” Read more.
Career Services helps prepare business professionals for success in today’s competitive marketplace.
With the College of Business Administration’s career services as a resource, both undergraduate and graduate students are finding the path to their careers free of obstacles . . . and full of opportunity. The professionals within the organization evaluate résumés, coach for interviews, and much more. Not only do the services target critical job-seeking techniques, but also, thanks to Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam, in 2005, the college began absorbing the fee for undergraduates for Florida International University’s Gold Panther Services. That makes the services available at no cost to anyone who has declared a major within the college. Read more. Career Fairs and information sessions abound. If you’re looking for a job or an internship, get to know the people in Career Services. They’ll point you to ways you can connect with companies that are looking for employees or who can meet with you to tell you more about what they offer. The college’s career services consultants also will point you to ample chances to network with employers or apply for on-campus interviews. Plus, they have an array of services that can help you become interview-ready. Check out http://www.fiu.edu/%7Ecareer/ regularly to stay on top of interesting events and services. Read more.
Hooray for Hollywood!
It may have been the south lawn adjacent to the Ryder Building and it may have been South Florida, but things looked decidedly southern California during this year’s BizFest, the College of Business Administration’s annual recruitment event for student organizations. Decorated tables staffed by representatives from all the college’s student organizations paid homage to Indiana Jones, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Money Talks, Pirates of the Caribbean, Wall Street, and The Castaway. The Hollywood theme was the idea of Anezka Martinez-Rios, assistant to the associate dean of the Landon Undergraduate School of Business, with the consensus of the Business Student Council (BSC), to which all the student organizations belong and whose activities she helps guide. Read more. Participation in election poll monitoring offers students an ultimate civics lesson. Last November, twenty undergraduate students from the College of Business Administration were among the 200 volunteers who turned out on Election Day to monitor polling activities at more than 150 locations across Miami-Dade County.
The undergraduate students were all enrolled in the International Business Ethics class taught by Karen Paul, professor, Department of Management and International Business. As part of an “extra credit” assignment, Paul helped coordinate her students’ participation in the election poll monitoring process, which was coordinated by the Miami-Data Election Reform Coalition (MDERC), a non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to election reform. Read more. New faculty: Spotlight on two of the eleven new professors who joined the college in the fall of 2006. William Schneper is an authority on authority structures.
Having worked in family business, the Federal government, and both publicly and non-publicly-owned firms in the mutual funds and financial services industries, William Schneper, a new assistant professor in the Department of Management and International Business, has seen lots of different styles of authority. Whether in a business environment or an academic one, he’s been keenly interested in just what the impact of those styles is. Read more. Students build friendships and stronger résumés through study-abroad program in Rome.
Students are getting the message: a short study-abroad program provides an exciting way to meet new people and experience a difference culture—with the logistics taken care of and some college credit to boot. The latest trip—to Rome—took fifteen participants to some of the world’s most famous monuments and even wove in shopping as a class assignment. Like all study-abroad programs, it was offered through the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). “They don’t have large malls in Italy and have few chains, so we went up and down the streets to see the many small boutique shops and restaurants with their highly specialized stock, such as one with men’s shirts only, one with fruits and vegetables, and another one with lasagna and salad,” said Randall Martin, faculty director of the study-abroad programs and a member of the Department of Management and International Business in the college. “The interiors might be ten feet by six feet and feel crowded with four customers. But when you put a shop in 500-year-old surroundings, you don’t need anything else to attract people, and the Italians have a long history of supporting small tradesmen.” Read more. New undergraduate professional development center helps you make the most of your business education. 
Regardless of the course or area of study, every student needs a little extra help sometimes. When the new business building complex opens later this year, the undergraduate professional development center will be up and running, ready to offer undergraduate students the support they need to bolster their learning skills. “The center is all about learning,” said Clifford R. Perry, Landon School associate dean, who is driving the design and development of the center. “Our goal is to encourage student learning and to keep our students enrolled and engaged in their coursework.” Read more. Global Leadership and Service Projects keep getting better. Did students who went on the first Global Leadership and Service Project (GLSP), three years ago think it would be an interesting experience? Sure.
Did members of the International Business Honor Society (IBHS), which organized the trip, think it would be a good way to prepare future business leaders to better understand their ethical commitment to improve the lives of those less fortunate? They hoped so. Did anyone involved think that the GLSP would become a major force within the College of Business Administration and far, far beyond it? Probably not. Yet that’s exactly what has happened. As the third trip approaches, the evolution in the concept has been staggering, touching all the key words: global, leadership, and service. Read more. International Business Honor Society charters chapters worldwide.
The International Business Honor Society (IBHS)—the first honor society for international business in the United States and founded in the College of Business Administration—has extended its reach globally. Its vision is to be the leading honor society in the world for motivated and globally-focused students with an interest in the field of international business. A key feature of the college’s IBHS—which was designated as the national, or model chapter, empowered to charter other IBHS chapters worldwide—is the Global Leadership and Service Project (GLSP), which takes future business leaders to other countries to engage in a community service project. The third GLSP to Thailand is in the final planning stages. Read more. Call for papers goes out for inaugural issue of undergraduate online journal.
Students give back to college in stellar fashion. Later this year, when the new business building complex opens, one of its most stunning features will be the Wall of Stars in Commons Hall. Among the most important donors are students—the people for whom the buildings are being built.
“The College of Business Administration is putting a lot of effort, time, and money to better our education and make our degree very valuable,” said Michael Jadoo, who recently made a contribution that earned him a star. “I have been sent on several trips that I know cost the college a lot of money, and I wanted to give something back.” Read more. College’s web site adds “Questions” feature to address visitors’ concerns.
Faculty and staff…or others…can and will respond to the questions…and the feature is designed to store the questions and answers in a database that will enable you to receive answers to questions already asked both readily and accurately. So, if you have questions, and want answers, visit our “Questions” page at http://business.fiu.edu/questions/ Or, if you want to provide answers to questions, feel free to log in and answer a question one of your peers has posed. Let us know what you think of this enhancement by e-mailing sally.gallion@business.fiu.edu.
Student organization snapshot: FMA Want to meet people—students and successful professionals—who share your interests and can help you get ahead? Need to add some great experience to your resume? Have a desire to perfect skills like leadership and team building? Student organizations in the College of Business Administration give you all this and more. You can do a little, such as attend meetings, or a lot, such as become a committee chair or officer. It’s your call. In each issue of BizBuzz, we showcase a student organization so you can see which one is right for you. Financial Management Association and Financial Honor Society help students connect with each other and professionals in the field.
“Our motto is to prepare students for a career in finance and to become more well-rounded,” said Andres Catano, current president of the Financial Management Association (FMA). “We want students to realize that, as finance majors, they have many career options beyond being analysts or working in a bank.” Catano and the FMA’s executive board have worked hard to organize events that enable members to see the many opportunities available to them. Read more. College’s American Marketing Association will play starring role at upcoming national conference.
When the 29th Annual International Collegiate Conference of the American Marketing Association gets underway in New Orleans in March, 2007, the college’s chapter will hold a special place, having been declared the 2006 Collegiate Chapter of the Year. According to the program, “Students from the 2005-06 Chapter of the Year, Florida International University, are graciously serving as the ‘hosts’ of the 2007 Collegiate Conference and have planned this event to start the conference off with a fun and interactive event”—a networking session on the first day. And knowing the value of marketing, the students who will be attending—numbering about 25—plan to tout their current stature by wearing t-shirts with their titles emblazoned on them. Read more. VITA provides vital services at tax time.
Since 1980, students in the College of Business Administration have been filing tax returns for low-income earners—and getting great experience for themselves—by participating in Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), a community-based program sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service in partnership with the local community. The IRS provides training, and the college handles recruiting and secures properly outfitted computer labs for various training events. “Our volunteers help people whose income is generally $39,000 and below,” said Jimmy R. Miller, a student in the Executive Master of Science in Taxation (EMST) program, who served as a liaison between the college and the IRS this year. “We even e-file so that they can receive their refunds faster.” Read more.
|
|
|
What began as an idea from two students has rapidly taken shape as the unique Journal for Global Business and Community (JGBC)—an outlet solely for scholarly articles by undergraduates from around the world. The initial call for papers has gone out; a web site, which includes submission guidelines, has been established at 
Among the new enhancements to the college’s web site (
|
|