Commencement Speakers to Remain Upbeat Despite Slowed Economy

Student Loan Girl — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:36:00 GMT

This year’s MBA graduates will be seeing a sluggish economy and perhaps even bleak job prospects. Yet many high-profile business leaders returning to their alma maters as commencement speakers are expected to remain upbeat in their remarks to students, writes Kelly Bronk of BusinessWeek (“Graduation Talks Accentuate the Positive,” April 24, 2008).

Top business schools that have landed Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, or Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric for their commencement ceremonies, tend to want their speakers to keep things positive, yet realistic when addressing students this year.

Graduation “is all about the kids,” James Ellis, dean of the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, told Bronk. Holli Budd, associate dean for MBA administration and external affairs at the University of Rochester Simon Graduate School of Business commented, “It’s a time to celebrate their success and their future.”

In an effort to do just that, J. Peter Simon, son of Rochester business school's late benefactor William E. Simon, will tend toward optimistic remarks as opposed to focusing on the doom and gloom of a potential U.S. recession.

Robert Rodriguez, CEO of First Pacific Advisors and alumnus of USC’s Marshall School, may convey similar sentiments to students. Dean Ellis expects Rodriguez to empathize with students regarding the difficult economy, but also tackle what students can do to conquer the challenges ahead.

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MBAs Want to “Make a Difference,” but Say Pay Is More Important

Student Loan Girl — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:46:00 GMT

Today’s MBA students aren’t just out for money — 25 percent of them claim they’re looking for a job that will allow them to impact or contribute to society, writes Kelly Bronk of BusinessWeek about a recent survey by The Aspen Institute (“The Do-Good Disconnect,” April 21, 2008).

"It doesn't mean that material success and financial success are not important to them, but there is another goal in there now that needs to be balanced with those," Daniel Diermeier, a Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management professor, told BusinessWeek.

The “Where Will They Lead?” survey asked 1,943 MBA students at 15 of the highest-rated business schools across the United States, Canada and England about their attitudes toward business and society. This year, students who said they wanted to make a difference in the world increased 10 percent, compared to the results of a similar survey conducted in 2002.

However, in spite of the growing number of self-proclaimed do-gooders, 49 percent of these students still ranked pay was an important factor when looking for a desirable job and 63 percent said that finding a position that challenged them was a key issue.

When questioned about business ethics issues, 83 percent of MBA students surveyed said they anticipated being asked to do something on the job that conflicted with their values, writes Katherine Mangan of The Chronicle of Higher Education (“Business Students Say Their Idealism Is Blunted by Corporate Recruiters,” April 21, 2008).

Yet, less than half said they would object to what was being asked of them. Instead, most indicated they would either look for another solution or leave the company.

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Student Loan Blog : Kelly Bronk

Commencement Speakers to Remain Upbeat Despite Slowed Economy

MBAs Want to “Make a Difference,” but Say Pay Is More Important