Lowell Stahl Center for Entrepreneurship and Real Estate welcomes new director

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We are proud to announce the placement of Kristin Nance as the new Director of the Lowell Stahl Center for Entrepreneurship and Real Estate.  Kristin previously served as the Assistant Dean for the College of Business at Roosevelt University where she oversaw the creation of the Entrepreneurship Academy as well as the implementation of their Social Entrepreneurship degree program.  During her time at Roosevelt University Kristin also served as the Director of the Executive Education Program and the Assistant Director of the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate.  Kristin has a Master of Business Administration from Illinois Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in Real Estate from Roosevelt University, and a Master of Accounting from Roosevelt University.

Kristin Nance picture for her hiring blog post actually used

New Inductees welcomed into Delta Mu Delta Honor Society

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The 2013 Senior Awards Night marked not only the end of another great year and the sending off of another class of prepared graduates, but also the induction of new members into the Delta Mu Delta chapter at Lewis University.  Delta Mu Delta is an international honor society that was founded at Harvard University back in 1913.  Its purpose is to recognize academic excellence in business administration programs, promote higher education, and reward scholastic achievement.  There are currently over 150 Delta Mu Delta chapters worldwide and it is a highly prestigious group to be invited to join.  Only the top 20% of the junior or senior College of Business students and 2nd year graduate students are invited to join.  The chapter’s faculty advisor is Dr. Yuntaek Pae and this year’s induction class includes Robert Boldog, Timothy Lydigsen, Brandon Ceplecha, Michael Bueno, Jr., Scott Denham, Alissa Digrazia, Jonathan Hicks, Martha Liace, Agnes Rychtarczyk, Steven Schoiber, Dean Schumacker, and Berenice Vargas.  Congratulations again to all of you and best of luck to this new group of inductees into the Lewis University chapter of Delta Mu delta.

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Job Prospects looking up for College of Business Graduates

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With a job market that continues to struggle and many students choosing majors in overly competitive fields leading to post-graduation woes, it seems that the majors offered here in the college of business are just what the doctor ordered.  Of the 11 positions in business forecasted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to see a 29% growth rate from 2010-2020, we currently offer majors relating to all 11.  Business majors are currently the most popular among students nationwide, at an impressive 22% of all student majors.  This may seem like an overly competitive percentage that will lead to a fierce job search after graduation, but 63% of companies surveyed by the National association of colleges and Employers said they were looking to hire business majors.  In fact by graduating with a major from the college of business, students place themselves among the 55% most likely to be hired post-graduation for an entry level position.  Of the 8 best jobs by salary for recent College Graduates listed by The Huffington Post, we currently offer majors related to 6 of the jobs including Financial Analyst and Marketing Research Analyst.  While the economy continues to see dismal growth rates, college of business majors are in a position to succeed in the years to come.

Cybersecurity expert Amy Maskiewicz visits Lewis

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Dr. Faisal Abdullah’s Computer Forensics class was recently honored to host Lewis alumna and digital forensics professional Amy Maskiewicz.  Ms. Maskiewicz led a discussion on the role of digital evidence in investigations involving cybercrime such as data theft and corporate espionage, and detailed various career paths available to those majoring in corporate digital forensic related fields.  Maskiewicz is currently employed by an internal computer forensic examinations team, and has previous experience working for the Chicago Police Department and the Regional Forensic Computer Lab at Chicago.  “Amy’s presentation helped the students to understand the career opportunities in the field of corporate forensics.  Most people assume that computer forensics involves only law enforcement agencies.  However, most cases involving internal investigations of employees are not even reported to law enforcement agencies and are investigated by an internal team of computer forensic examiners.” –Dr. Faisal Abdullah, interim chair and associate professor of Management Information Systems.  The event was organized as a part of the Information Systems Speaker Series initiative.

Market Research Students gain real world experience

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In order to expand the learning of his students beyond the classroom, Marketing Professor Arthur Regal has developed a survey to measure why students attend different suburban High Schools.  With some High Schools costing upwards of $48,000 for four years, deciding what High School their child will attend has become quite a daunting task for parents.  Cost is of course just one factor parents must consider when choosing a High School, and the survey takes many others into account including the academic curriculum, average class size, and religious affiliations.  The survey will initially be implemented at Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, and is a great opportunity for Lewis to further connect with and support our fellow Catholic and Lasallian community members.  The survey will help local High School administrators to better understand and serve student needs, while providing Lewis marketing students a great chance to experience the many steps that go into creating, implementing, and interpreting a survey correctly.

$100,000 endowment honors Father Kevin Spiess

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In the spring of 2012, a noted philanthropist to Catholic organizations James M. Denny began a $100,000 endowment to honor Father Kevin Spiess. James Denny has led a very successful career; being the president of Two Rivers L.L.C., a family investment firm and having consulted for both World Bank and The Pentagon. Having been impressed with the values of Lewis University and the College of Business’s focus on integrity and ethics, James Denny decided to honor his close friend Father Spiess. “I appreciate the chance to participate in the advancement of Lewis and provide recognition for a truly deserving man, Father Spiess.”

Father Spiess has served Lewis University for over 40 years; holding positions including full-time professor to over 4,000 students, Dean of the College of Business, and assistant to the president. He is known for his focus on how ethics and integrity must play an active role in our lives as professionals, and for the variety of tools he uses to promote discussions about ethics in the workplace. “The course I took with Father Spiess was one of the most rewarding classes I have ever had the privilege to take part in. Not only do you learn the practical knowledge that a business administration course must impart, you develop and learn to apply your morals in a practical manner.” –Christopher Linker, College of Business student.

New Social Media Marketing Scholarships

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Ken Lomasney, COO of leading Social Media Marketing Services Company UMarketing, has donated two scholarships in the amount of $2,000 each for social media marketing majors. The review board will be looking for applicants who are self-motivated, highly interested in social media marketing, exemplify the mission of Lewis University, and demonstrate a need for the scholarship. These scholarships will be applied to tuition expenses for the fall semester of 2013. Any student interested in applying will have to submit a 2-3 minute video explaining why they should be awarded the scholarship. Videos must be posted to YouTube and the links should be sent to Professor Robert Bergman’s email address Bergmaro@lewisu.edu. This is a great opportunity to put your social media skills to the test, earn $2,000 towards your tuition, and potentially be noticed by the COO of a leading Social Media Marketing firm.

Finance students gain insight into Chicago’s Financial Markets

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On March 22nd, Dr. Frank Rose took a group of business students to the Chicago Financial Markets.  The students visited the CME Group, the world’s largest derivatives exchange company; as well as the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and TransMarket Group, a leading Chicago trading firm.  Students met with the CME Group’s Chief Operating Officer Bryan Durkin, Lewis alumnus, to discuss the role of the exchanges in the global financial markets and his responsibilities at CME.  Dan Lewis, another Lewis University alumnus, hosted the portion of the trip at TransMarket Group explaining his responsibilities as a trader at the firm.  The students continued to expand on what they have learned in the classroom when they sat down with current finance student Steven Schoiber, who is working as an intern at the CME Group, and Lewis College of Business graduates Neil VanHuis and Chris White who trade at a firm recently established by Neil VanHuis himself.

 

Lewis University marketing students visit Laughlin Constable

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Laughlin Constable, a full service advertising agency with offices throughout the Midwest recently invited Lewis University’s American Marketing Association to visit their downtown office.  Students led by Marketing Professor Art Regal viewed a presentation by someone in each of the firm’s departments in order to learn about the various services the agency offers.  This trip allowed students to engage real advertising professionals in one on one conversation to network and learn about the behind the scenes steps taken by creatives, project managers, market researchers, and other members of the team to take an ad campaign from inception to completion.  “It was really amazing to see what it is like working in advertising.  To take what we have learned in the classroom and see how it actually applies to the job was really rewarding.” Jonathan Hicks, Member, American Marketing Association.

Dr. Yuntaek Pae’s paper accepted for publication

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Dr. Yuntaek Pae recently submitted his work on portfolio optimization to OR Spectrum and has been accepted for publication.  The paper titled Log Robust Portfolio Management after Transaction Costs was accepted for publication on February 28th and discusses the use of an approximation method to solve a Log-robust portfolio optimization problem.  Dr. Pae’s paper takes the position that by transforming the problem into a linear programming problem it becomes easier to implement in real world investing.  This is a great fit for OR Spectrum, which is an international academic journal that publishes both currently applied and theoretical entries that contribute to the development of problem solving and decision-making in management.  Please congratulate Dr. Pae on this recent achievement.