"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.

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.

Business students from the Center for Sustainable Business Practices worked with with master's candidates from the architecture and landscape architecture programs to compete in the ULI/Gerald D. Hines Urban Design Competition. "The MBAs wanted to really crunch the numbers before putting pencil to paper," said MBA candidate Andy Fenstermacher.