Behrend Beacon October 9, 2009 www.thebehrendbeacon.com School of Business: Upcoming Events Tuesday, Oct. 20 7:30 p.m. Speaker: John Moore Event: Former Starbucks Marketer Offers Expresso Shot of Branding Wisdom Location: REDC 180 Saturday, Oct. 21 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Speaker: Russel Sobel, Ph.D Event: “Economic Freedom, Entre preneurship, and Prosperity” Location: REDC 180 Thursday, Nov. 5 12:15p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Speaker: Jessica Fiorelli Event: PwC - Public Accounting Location: REDC 101 Tuesday, Nov. 10 12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Speaker: Kathryn Nusbaum, CFA, CPA Event: “True Wealth and Measuring Your Personal Balance Sheet” Location: REDC 180 World & National Business News ISM service index: economy growing once again TEMPE, AZ. - The U.S. economy showed signs of life when the Institute for Supply Management’s service index topped the growth-threshold, reaching 50.9 in August. A reading of 50 or above indicates growth, and Monday's report was the first to reach that level in 11 months. The index for new orders rose to 54.2, from 49.9, while business activity ticked up to 55.1, from 51.3. The em ployment index rose, but only to 44.3, from 43.5. Dell to lay off 905 workers, close Winston-Salem plant NEW YORK, NY. -- Computer maker Dell announced on Wednesday that it will close a plant in Winston- Salem, N.C., and will cut 905 jobs as a result. Dell said that 600 plant workers will be laid off in November, and the re maining 305 employees will be cut by January 2010, when the plant is sched uled to close. The cuts represent about 1% of the company's 78,900 employ ees. "This is a difficult decision, espe cially for our North Carolina col leagues, but a necessary one for Dell customers and our company, 1 ’ said Frank Miller, vice president of Dell, in a statement. Beacon Business Staff Business Co-Editors: Harmilee Cousin III; Garrett Carson BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING College Interdisciplinary Business with Engineering degree gives Behrend unique program offer The first students to major in Penn State Behrends Interdisciplinary Business with Engineering (1BE) de gree are entering their junior years at the college. As the students make their way through their major courses, officials in both the School of Engineering and the Sam and Irene Black School of Business see the degree as the reification of the true concept behind the REDC. As the degree takes shape, though, the individuals behind its creation say that many misconceptions still exist about its true characteristics. Dr. Diane Parente, the Director of the program, says the reality behind the degree is that above all, it is a busi ness degree. “This person is not a design engi neer,” she says. “They are not an en gineer. This is a person with the requisite business courses, but also a broader understanding of product de velopment.” The program is already beating its projected numbers. While there are BUSINESS CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS Throughout the next couple of issues, the Beacon will explore the student clubs and organizations within the Sam and Irene Black School of Business. Many of these clubs offer programming such as guest students, events at the REDC, and student networking opportunities, as well as offer a fantastic addition to any business resume. MIS Club up and active, plans trip to Philadelphia - Forbes The Management Information Sys tems Club (MIS Club) has the pur pose of encouraging interest in the field of information processing by promoting Behrend’s computer re lated programs, encouraging stu dents to become more active in computer related programs, creating opportunities for students to broaden their knowledge in the field of com puters, providing social activities, and inviting guest speakers to give pre sentations. Next issue: The I > I Beacon explores the PSB Marketing Club. Business intemahipa available: Brite Star Manufacturing Co. First Energy Corp. Northwestern Mutual Account Management Intern IT BI Repotting Financial Network Development Intern Financial Representative More information on internships and full time positions can be found online at: http://www.pserie.psu.edu/student/cdc/oncampusrecniiting.ittin -CNN Money pushes forward with CONNOR SATTELY edilor-in-chiet JOSH BRUNNER MIS Club President only seven students who have de clared the major so far, there are about twenty students who are head ing into the major already. The major started on July 11, 2008. The program has core classes in business and engineering, in addition to general education credits. It also has a focus module, which includes five parts: classes in technical sales, classes in accounting and finance, quality control, operations and supply chains, and product design. A “Capstone” project tops off the program, which Parente says is some what of a combination between a sen ior design and the MGMT 471 W class, Strategic Management and Business Policy. This project will have seniors work with real companies to develop real ideas, from both a prod uct development and market perspec tive. It is administered through a two-semester course. The advantages of this degree are obvious to many businesses, who have responded favorably to hiring these graduates so far. “Small businesses get value; they don’t need to hire two different peo ple for business and product develop- Last year, the club brought in a pro fessional speaker during each semes ter to talk to students about their career with topics including what are the emerging fields in MIS and advice on how to get where you want during your career. Every semester an “Ask a Senior Night” is held, questions asked range from where to get internships to what professors to take; many of the past members have found their intern ships through connections in the MIS Club. At least once a year an alumni event is held as a networking oppor tunity, last year two representatives from GE shared their experiences. Last year was also the first year of the MIS Club sponsored Tech Start up discussion panel featuring leaders of emerging technology companies Parente ment,” says “Large companies get salespeople with the understanding of a technical background. For students, you also receive the respect of your co-work ers since you understand the back ground - and that's enormously valuable.” The physical closeness of the School of Engineering and the Sam and Irene Black School of Business, too, makes Behrend a unique place to study this area. “Some schools have a 10 minute walk between the two schools,” says Parente. “But because there's no physical contact in one facility, it might as well be 100 miles. In the REDC, engineers and businesspeople have the opportunity to bump into each other in the hallway. They can talk together, they can eat together.” It's made a difference for Parente, too, who specially requested her of fice. It's located down the hall from the Business offices. It borders the first office within the School of Engi neering. “I'm right next to all of them,” she says. “I even contribute to their coffee fund.” from the surrounding areas; there are plans for expansion of the event this year. During this coming spring semes ter a trip is being planned to Philadel phia for the Wharton School of Technology Conference, Jheck out the web site from last years conference: http://2009.wharton biztech.com/. The general meeting time for the 09-10 school year is every other Thursday from 12:15 - 1:00pm in a conference room in Reed, the next meeting will be October 22, in Reed 112. Look for updates at http://www.clubs.psu.edu/bd/mis/ or contact Josh Brunner, club President, at jjbso7B(« psu.edu for more infor mation. Business FROM THE DESK 0F... A Message from the Director iBE Contributed Photo Students wishing to major in iBE must take credits from several different sources. DR. JOHN MAGENAU Director, Sam j nd Irene Black School of Business As we begin our fourth year in the Re search and Economic Development Cen ter (REDC) building, the 160,000 square foot technologically advanced home we share with the School of Engineering, it is appropriate to reflect on some of the accomplishments and opportunities that have resulted since we moved here in the fall of 2006. The REDC was designed to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between the School of Engineering and the Sam and Irene Black School of Busi ness. I am pleased to say that the building is fulfilling its promise. There now are two business minors for engineering students, but of greater sig nificance to business students is the new Interdisciplinary Business with Engineer ing Studies (IBE) major. It is the only major of its kind at Penn State and one of a few offered by colleges and universities nationwide. After a little more than a year, the major has already enrolled ap proximately twenty majors. We expect that graduates of the IBE major will be recruited for positions in project manage ment, procurement, and technical sales and earn very competitive starting salaries. The co-location of our business and en gineering schools has also contributed to the success of our students in the Erie County Collegiate Business Plan Compe tition. For the last two years Behrend stu dents have swept the competition by taking first, second and third place for a total of $15,000 in prize money. Last year, the first prize went to business; a market ing major in Mr. Causgrove’s entrepre neurship course; but, second and third place were awarded to teams of business and engineering students from Dr. Fil beck’s Finance 405 course and Dr. Roth’s Mechanical Engineering 468 course. Only one year after the REDC was completed, we added the Samuel P (Pat) Black 111 Conference Center. The con struction of this 201-seat lecture hall was funded largely by the Black Family En dowments whi&i support thC Black School of Business. The Black Confer ence hall has given us the opportunity to host several presentations by distin guished executives and Penn State Alumni such as Dan Mead, president of Verizon Services Corporation, Jim Broad hurst, Chairman of Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Vince Intrieri, Senior Managing Director, for Icahan Associates, and Stephan J. Gurgovits Jr., president and CEO of F.N.B. Capital Corp. Speakers such as these serve to enrich the learning experiences of our students. The REDC and the Black Conference Hall have provided a catalyst for many new teaching and opportunities. Just a few of many that have occurred in a little more than three years are described above. I am confident that many more opportunities will present themselves in the next few years.
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