University Park, IL,
09
September
2019
|
12:16 PM
America/Chicago

COB Set for Inaugural Business Week 2019

Since making connections and staying on top of trends are the keys to getting ahead in business, a three-day event at Governors State University is providing opportunities for both at Business Week 2019 from Sept. 23 to 25.

Hosted by the College of Business (COB) as GSU celebrates its 50th anniversary, the inaugural event provides a chance for students to interact closely with industry thought leaders, employers and alumni. It also showcases GSU faculty expertise in a speaker series, includes top firms at a Career Fair, and culminates with COB Alumni Hall of Achievement Induction.

“The COB has become a leader in our own industry since we achieved the top accreditation for business schools,” said Karen Blackman, COB  Manager of Enrollment. 

“There is value in connectivity because strategic relationships bring all parties together. It blends education and experience. When you network with business leaders, what you hear can impact your life.”

Keynote speakers include Rita Gunther McGrath, a globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation and growth and professor at Columbia University. “She’s a world-renowned strategist who has worked with Fortune 100 companies,” Blackman said. “She’s the person who forecasts trends. She’s a powerhouse.” 

Gunther McGrath will be speaking on Sept. 23 from 9  - 10:30 a.m. in the Center for Performing Arts.Q & A  will immediately follow. 

Billy Dexter, a partner at Hedrick & Struggles, will be the featured speaker at the networking dinner Sept. 25 at Odyssey Country Club. A well-known leader in diversity recruitment and engagement who has worked at MTV, United Airlines, Deloitte and Monster.com, “He can deliver a reality ‘gut check,’” Blackman said.

GSU faculty will share their expertise on innovative topics at breakout sessions from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 including Alice Keane on taxation of marijuana sales, Tricia Kerns on applying Six Sigma, Stephen Wagner on the pros and cons of gamification of management, and Mike Trendell on the differences between defined benefit and defined contribution (retirement). 

A Career Fair from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 24 will bring in corporations including Elkay, First Midwest Bank, Horton, CSL Behring, Mueller CPA, Aflac Insurance and Polaris Wealth Management.

Blackman, who said she enjoys teaching students how to network, said the Wednesday evening dinner provides an excellent chance for them to apply their new skills.

“The daily business environment has a certain level of expectations. But at a networking dinner, those lines are blurred. It’s a social experience and you have the opportunity to have a conversation, to tell your story and listen to someone else’s. What matters isn’t your title, it’s your story.”