Friday, Jan 6, 2017
by JJ Santagata
Freshmen enrolled in Rider University's College of Business Administration new Living & Learning Communities (CBA LLC) had the opportunity in the Fall 2016 semester to hear the life stories of four corporate executives, including an astronaut.
The College of Business Administration (CBA) introduced the concept of Living & Learning Communities for incoming freshmen at the start of the semester. First-year students majoring in business administration and marketing, as well as business honors students, each had their own cohort. Students in each cohort take classes together and also have the option of living together.
Ira Sprotzer, the coordinator of the CBA LLC, invited three corporate mentors to speak to students over the course of the semester.
Madison Ubry, a freshman who is a member of one of the Living & Learning Community cohorts, found the speaker series very useful. "Hearing from experts who were once in the same position as we are was really eye-opening," she says. "It's one thing to hear from professors how our classwork will apply to the real world, but hearing it from industry experts is completely different."
During an hour-long presentation, entrepreneur and venture capitalist Greg Olsen, Ph.D., of GHO Ventures discussed his career path and the opportunity to travel to the International Space Station in 2005. He showed a video of his journey to space with U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts.
The second installment of the speaker series was Johnson & Johnson Director of Acquisition & Development Operations David Fortunati '91, '08. During Fortunati’s time at Johnson & Johnson, he has led the finance teams in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and corporate functions in the U.S., Europe and Latin America. He spoke to students about his educational background and how he has become a successful businessman, along with relaying educational advice for students to succeed in and outside of the classroom.
"It was interesting to see the overlaps and parallels between the presentations and what we are learning in class," says freshman Erica Healy. "David Fortunati discussed the Johnson & Johnson Credo and the standards of business ethics that the company sets forth, which went right along with our class discussions about social responsibility and doing the right thing even though it may be hard."
TJ Coakley worked for 29 years in information systems and healthcare until recently deciding to open up his own mixed martial arts studio, OKKA, along with his own bookstore, Amazing Grace Resource Center. Coakley spoke to students about hard work and perseverance in the business field, as well giving the students pointers on how to be successful in their academic as well professional lives.
The final speaker of the semester was Senior Director Craig Wallace of Supply Chain Project and Planning Excellence at Firminech, Inc., a privately held Swiss company in Plainsboro, N.J. Wallace spoke about his experiences as an Australian national working for a Swiss company in different locations, including Belgium, Singapore and the United States. He also discussed how his education has shaped his career path.
This semester, CBA also introduced a Business in Action project, in which the cohorts were given $500 as capital to develop and execute their own business plans. The project was made possible through generous gifts from the three speakers. The winning group successfully raised more $1,000 for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Sprotzer is extremely pleased with the progress the students have shown in the program. "The students are actively engaged in the presentations and really appreciate being exposed to the real life experiences of the corporate executives," he says. "We all appreciate the fact that the corporate executives involved in the learning community program take time from their busy schedules to speak with and mentor the students."