Sunday, April 20, 2014

Professional Visits

Last Tuesday was Helzberg School of Management's Leadership and Ethics Day.  This is the second year that the school has hosted this event, which welcomes leaders in the business community into classes to speak about their experiences in the business world.  Generally, these speakers talk about times that their ethics have been tested throughout their experience in business and how their leadership has developed over time.  Sometimes these speakers are alumni of Rockhurst whether from the Undergraduate, MBA or EMBA program.

Another speaker at Leadership & Ethics Day
Photo compliments of Rockhurst University.
This year, the first class that I attended with a speaker was my International Management class. We had Scott Marshall who worked for Ford for many years both in the United States and in the Czeck Republic and has even worked for a Swiss company in the United States. Throughout his time in these different positions, he talked about how he struggled to learn many lessons.  These lessons included everything from knowing a language to inspire trust all the way to how not to transport vehicles across country borders.

The second speaker in my classes that afternoon came to us by speakerphone from Baltimore, MD.  This man, Jeff Goering,  is the Chief Financial Officer for the Baltimore Ravens and is an alumni of Rockhurst.  His journey to become the CFO was quite varied and it was interesting to see how each step in his career, while it didn't always seem that way, would lead him toward his current job.  He spoke about ethical situations in which he had to make decisions on behalf of the stadium and how his education helped support his decision.

Each time speakers come in to speak on these type of issues, it gives the students the opportunity to hear how our liberal arts education will be applied following graduation.  These type of talks, while varied in exact story, can be inspiring for students to keep pushing through in order to finish out the year and continue to work toward the career of their dreams.

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