Graduate Programs

SU Executive Speaker Event and Student Ambassador Meeting next Thur. March 4

Topic: "Retail Banking: The Way Forward."

The Albers School at Seattle University invites you to attend the Albers Executive Speaker Series withDeanna Oppenheimernext Thursday, March 4^th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.  This event willbe held in theAuditorium on the first floor of the Pigott Building (Building 38 on the map).  The Executive Speaker Series is an opportunity for students to learn from executives around the Puget Sound region. The business leaders are invited to speak on a topic of their choice and then respond to questions. The Albers Executive Speaker Series is free and open to the public. 

Prospective students who may have questions about the Albers School of Business are encouraged to meet with a Graduate Student Ambassador in Pigott 416 from 5:00 to 5:30pm. They are available to answer questions you may have about graduate student life and the application process. Please RSVP to this event at zhaoh@seattleu.edu

Driving directions and a campus map can be found on our website at: http://www.seattleu.edu/campus_community/visit_campus/.  

 Please join Joseph Phillips, Dean,

Albers School of Business and Economics

for an Executive Speaker Series Event featuring

Deanna Oppenheimer

CEO UK Retail Bank, Vice-Chair Global Retail Bank

Barclays

Thursday, March 4, 2010 

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

in Pigott Auditorium

Can you believe it? Seattle University is celebrating its 12th annual Business Plan Competition which is designed to help students and alumni in launching new business ventures and prepare students for opportunities in entrepreneurship in their future careers.  The SU Business Plan Competition is committed to provide participating students with an integrative and exceptional learning experience.

I had an opportunity to interview Emily Marshall, who was the final winner of SU Business Plan Competition last year.  She told me that participating and winning the business plan competition was absolutely the highlight of her SU MBA experience. 

Below is the reflection of Emily Marshall on the SU Business Plan Competition.

“Since I found out about it, I’ve been interested in participating in the Seattle University Business Plan Competition.  I heard it was a great opportunity to really learn how to start my own business because of all the support provided by the SU Entrepreneurship Center.   Honestly I didn’t think I was going to compete last year because I didn’t have a “brilliant idea” for a new business.  However I told the head of the Entrepreneurship Center Steve Brilling that I was interested in competing and he hooked me up with SU alum Josh Marti and his company Point Inside. 

I learned so much!!!  I learned how to write a business plan, how to hone the company message, how to explain a complicated technology using simple language, how to create financials, how to do a business valuation, how startup funding works (with Angels and Venture Capitalists), what investors are looking for and how to do an investor pitch. 

Participating and winning the business plan competition was absolutely the highlight of my SU MBA experience.  I got to put into practice everything I’ve learned and learn by doing.  We were given expert mentors, were coached by real investors and presented our pitch to dozens of local investors.  Following the competition our company raised over a half million dollars (even in this economy!!) and I know that the Business Plan Competition helped give us the confidence, the contacts and the right pitch.  I also got a job out of the deal!  Today I am the Technical Business Development Manager for PointInside.”

Don’t hide your great ideas and talents.  Instead, you should use it and develop it by joining the SU Business Plan Competition. 

Written by Derek Zhao, Email: zhaoh@seattleu.edu 

Ideas from Emily Marshall, SU MBA 2010, Final Winner of SU Business Plan Competition 2009

There are always some good times and bad times. Obviously, we are now in the bad times due to the economic crisis.  A lot of research firms expected that the U.S. job market will not recover until early 2011. 

However, SU Albers career placement center hosted a networking workshop and networking reception for graduate students which provided them with an opportunity to connect with local business executives in the Puget Sound area and to build their professional network.  This is very important for students because more and more companies consider that softer skills (inter-personal, participation, negotiation, listening, communication, etc) play a heavier role in career development as opposed to just technical skills.  Going to the networking workshop and spending time to talk to the recruiters shows your passion and commitment in a great way.  For example, I had a chance to talk to an Expeditors recruiter and found out if I started as an internship; I could be transferred to their China office possibly.   More importantly, the recruiter passed my resume directly to the hiring manager.

On Feb. 4^th, Seattle University Career Services, in partnership with the Albers Placement Center and the College of Arts & Sciences, hosted the annual Internship Fair. The goal of this fair is to connect students with high quality internship programs providing opportunities for internships in the coming winter and spring quarter or over the summer.  In such a tough job market, doing an internship is a best way to be hired.  For instance, Amazon recruiter Josh said, “most of their MBA interns got hired and stayed with the company after they completed the summer internship.”  No wonder the internship fair was packed full of students.  29 companies, including Amazon.com, T-Mobile, State Farm, Port of Seattle, Alaska Airlines, Expeditors International, and City of Seattle were represented.

In my opinion, graduate students must be able to stretch their comfort zone and to actively seek different learning opportunities to develop their career paths.  Networking and internships could be a good start.

Written by Derek Zhao, Email: zhaoh@seattleu.edu