News

Experts from all over the world gathered to share their insights in sessions on greenwashing, persuasion tactics, end-of-product-life and more at this year's Advertising and Consumer Psychology Conference, held in the Lillis Business Complex.

Hands-on experience managing live money in emerging markets: How's that for a resume builder? Starting this fall, finance-minded MBA students will have a chance to do just that, by enrolling in a class in which—with faculty oversight—they share the responsibility of managing the school's newly created Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio (EMEP). Though elements are modeled after the successful portfolios managed by the student-run University of Oregon Investment Group, the new fund offers additional layers of complexity.

The back of a person taking a photograph.

"Who is this guy?" was the question on everyone's lips when first-year pro triathlete Jesse Thomas came out of nowhere to win this year's prestigious Avia Wildflower Triathlon with a time of 4:04:45. Folks at the Lundquist College of Business knew Thomas as a 2009 graduate of the school's MBA program in the sports marketing track with a secondary concentration in entrepreneurship. After graduating, Thomas put off his job search to follow his dream of becoming a professional athlete.

I am pleased to introduce Katie Rohrer, who joins us as senior director of development.

The Next Step: Greening the Path to Recovery, the fourth annual Green Business Symposium provided participants the opportunity to attend four panels presented by regional and national business leaders, policymakers, academics, and legal practitioners.

It was with great sadness that the Lundquist College of Business community learned of the death of retired professor Stuart Rich. Born in 1920, Rich held a bachelor's degree from Wabash College and a doctorate in business administration from Harvard. During World War II, Rich served in the Navy Scouts and Raiders (a forerunner of today's Navy SEAL unit) and participated in five invasions. Here at the business school, he taught marketing strategy to a generation of students.

The back of a person taking a photograph.

"We need to have an ethical standard that's higher than ourselves," said Jason Pierce, CEO of the Eugene-area company My Little Salesman, in his keynote speech at the business school's first-ever Ethics Case Competition. Sponsored by the Lundquist College undergraduate honors program together with seven of Lane County's Rotary Clubs, the event drew eleven teams of four undergraduates each.

"Proost!" The traditional Dutch toast rang out as glasses of jonge jenever were hoisted to celebrate the first official reunion of the UO | Nyenrode Business Exchange Program. Braving stormy spring weather, about eighty guests came to the cocktail event in the Lillis Atrium, where they were greeted by our own Dean de Kluyver and Maurits van Rooijen, the rector magnificus of Nyenrode Business Universiteit, who had come all the way from the Breukelen campus for the occasion.

It looks so easy when it's done right. The art and science of selecting the right athlete to represent a brand was the central topic of this year's Women in Sports Business Symposium, April 28. Nike's Kristin Harrer moderated as the panel's four women shared their insights and experiences.

Students aiming for a job in the financial world had a terrific opportunity to learn and network at the recent Careers in Banking and Wealth Management event. Industry pros shared their savvy in panel discussions and representatives from twenty-one companies met with students out on the floor of Lillis Atrium. Among the crowd of financial pros were several UO alums, including Alexandra Iosif '10, who came back to share her experience. Her key tip? "If you're looking for a job or internship, I suggest one thing: confidence!" She should know.

A new $12,000 grant from the university's Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity has provided seed money for the debut of the business school's Diversity in the Workplace Symposium, scheduled for winter 2012. Developed by the Lundquist College of Business Diversity Committee, the day-long event will bring together students, faculty, staff, and community members to discuss the value of workplace diversity, how businesses can promote and affirm it, how students can best prepare themselves for working in diverse environments, and more.

A global outlook, plus a deep understanding of the principles of finance and accounting: these are core attributes of the Finance and Securities Analysis Center (FSAC). They also describe Jeffrey B. DeBoer, the center's newly appointed managing director, who joins the UO on July 1. DeBoer brings a wide range of career experience to his new position, thanks to more than a decade as CFO of Lithia Motors--a Fortune 700 auto retailer and one of Oregon's largest public companies after Nike.

The back of a person taking a photograph.
Find out what it's like to take part in the New Venture Championship, the UO's internationally renowned business plan competition
Globalization has increased the demand for business professionals who understand and embrace the new global challenges and realities.

With the warmer weather and (at least a few) sunnier days, comes another inevitable spring ritual: tax day. Luckily for the tax-phobic among us, help is at hand. Starting each February, members of the UO branch of the national accounting society Beta Alpha Psi team up with law students to offer free tax preparation to students and area residents, as part of VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), a nationwide program run by the Internal Revenue Service. Still haven't filed? You're in luck--VITA volunteers will be available two more Saturdays: April 9 and April 16, from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.