Tuesday, Jun 15, 2010
by Meaghan Haugh
Rider’s College of Business Administration continued to bring real-world experience to its students during the spring 2010 semester with two events designed to examine ethical and unethical behavior, as well as the reality of white-collar crime. Students learned the parameters of these topics and how to detect fiscal and workplace irregularities under the tutelage of corporate and government officials in February and March.
On February 27, Rider presented a workshop exploring the issues of business ethics and white-collar crime, beginning with Thomas Lynch, the chief executive officer and member of the Board of Directors of Tyco Electronics. Lynch, who is also a member of the Rider Board of Trustees, was followed by state Assemblyman Jon M. Bramnick, who is serving his fourth term representing the 21st Legislative District, which includes parts of Union, Essex and Morris counties.
Eric Schweiker, who for the last nine years as an assistant United States attorney was extensively involved in the investigation and prosecution of all types of white-collar crime, also lent his experience to the workshop, along with John Furlong, a criminal-defense attorney who has tried numerous criminal and civil cases to conclusion. The day concluded with a gripping account by Patrick Kuhse, who shared his “personal journey, from successful stockbroker with a loving family and home in the suburbs of San Diego, to the jungles of Costa Rica as an international fugitive, to incarceration in two countries and back again.”
The graduate and undergraduate students, as well as others in attendance, were noticeably impressed by such real-life stories, and were able to relate the obvious relevance back to their own workplace experiences. The day’s speakers also helped to make CBA’s business programs both practical and relevant to its students. The ethics workshop marked the fourth consecutive year that Rider has hosted the successful event.
On March 26, the Internal Revenue Service visited the Lawrenceville campus to provide hands-on experience to undergraduate CBA students currently pursuing a concentration in Forensic Accounting. As part of the IRS’s Adrian Project, an interactive learning experience developed by its Criminal Investigation Division, 20 Rider students worked alongside IRS special agents to crack a white-collar crime case using forensic accounting techniques. Rider University was selected as the lone New Jersey representative to participate in the staged, daylong mock investigation.
Not only is the Adrian Project educational, but it serves a recruiting function for the IRS as well. A number of Rider alumni returned to campus for the event as agents, with the hope of discovering potential colleagues among the current students.