Rider University Launches Mentoring Program for Business Students
Nine students from Rider University’s College of Business Administration (CBA) now have the chance to discover the traditional and non-traditional pathways into the fields of accounting, economics and finance through the new Pathways mentoring program.
The program, designed for second-semester sophomores and first-semester juniors, will feature two participating organizations per semester. Each organization will visit the Lawrenceville campus twice to give a company presentation and challenge students to give an analysis of a case study. Johnson & Johnson gave a company presentation on Tuesday, April 1, and Lehman Brothers, a global investment bank, will visit the campus on Tuesday, April 15. American International Group, Inc. (AIG), a world leader in insurance and financial services, will participate in the program for the fall 2008 semester.
During the first visit, Kathy Fitzpatrick, vice president of finance leadership development at Johnson & Johnson, gave an overview of the company, including its strategic principles, business structure, performance results, as well as co-op/internship and training opportunities. Fitzpatrick, also a Rider alumna, presented the students with a case study of issues currently being dealt with by Johnson & Johnson. At the organization’s second visit, students will have to present, in teams of three, an analysis of the case. Students in the Pathways program will also have a chance to job shadow at the organizations participating in the program.
Pathways is a selective program designed to give some of the college’s best and brightest students exposure to the world’s top organizations, explained Dr. Steven J. Lorenzet, associate dean of CBA. Each student was judged on his or her GPA, which had to be 3.5 or higher, résumé and faculty evaluation.
The students selected were Nicole Addesso of Cape May, N.J., a junior Accounting major; Michael Colonel of Neshanic Station, N.J., sophomore Accounting major; Marianne Conville of Jamison, Pa., sophomore Accounting major; George Helock of Scotch Plains, N.J., sophomore Accounting and Finance dual major; Rose Indoe of Sussex, N.J., sophomore Accounting and Finance dual major; Erin Mulryne of Hamilton, N.J., sophomore Accounting major; Lauren O'Hara of Harleysville, Pa., sophomore Accounting major; Lisa Pinckney of Hillsborough, N.J., junior Accounting and Psychology major; and Tomasz Jarosz of Robbinsville, N.J., sophomore Finance major.
Lorenzet said the program will give businesses a chance to get to know the students before they apply to internships and co-ops as juniors and seniors. At the end of the program, students will have a chance to submit their résumés to the participating businesses.
The representatives from Lehman Brothers will be Rider alumnus Jim Drake, senior vice president in the Investment Banking Division Business Planning & Strategy Group,
and Mary-Jo Capko, vice president of finance.
The College of Business Administration also announced that five students were recently offered positions in the U.S. Finance Summer Analyst Program at Lehman Brothers.
The students who will be working at Lehman Brothers this summer are: Rebecca Brauer of Millburn, N.J., junior Finance major; Matthew Cardia of Bensalem, Pa., junior Finance major; Colin Jennings of Sea Girt, N.J., junior Finance major; Anthony Parillo South River, N.J., junior Accounting major; and Joseph Seaton of Edison, N.J., junior Finance major.
Last year, four College of Business Administration students worked at Lehman Brothers during the summer, all of whom were extended full-time offers.
Submitted on April 14, 2008
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