Lukenda School of Business December 2014 Lake Superior State University

Lukenda School of Business
Lake Superior State University December 2014
Lukenda School of Business Garners Initial Accreditation from ACBSP
In an email dated Wednesday, Nov. 19, accreditation co-champion Prof. Mindy McCready learned that
the Lukenda School of Business has been granted initial accreditation by the ACBSP Board of
Commissioners. Within a few weeks, the school will receive an official hard copy of this notification, and
a formal press release will follow. All new recipients of initial accreditation celebrate this
accomplishment at the ACBSP national conference in Philadelphia, PA in June 2015. Our thanks go out
to all who assisted in this effort. We’ve demonstrated the high quality of business education at LSSU
and our commitment to continuous improvement. We all have reason to be proud!
Professional Advisory Board Meets
On October 24th, the Lukenda School of Business (LSB) hosted its semi-annual Professional Advisory
Board (PAB) meeting. This group of twenty business professionals from throughout the Midwest
gathered to provide input to improve academic programming and operation of the school. In particular,
they discussed desired graduate attributes, as well as posed the question “What is our excellence
model? Not price, not location. What is our excellence model?” We were also charged with defining the
LSB Value Statement, as in “how do we add value” or “what is the value.” Finally, the PAB members
spoke with current students who shared their ideas on how to improve LSB operations.
Alum Wishes to Relaunch LSSU Professional Business Fraternity
Lake Superior State University business alum Jan
Bednarz (center right), President of the Professional
Advisory Board, gives his business professor and
mentor, Dr. Madan Saluja, an honorary “Lambda
jacket” as LSSU Foundation Executive Director Tom
Coates (left) and School Dean David Roland Finley
look on. Bednarz’s gift of the jacket kicks off an effort
to reestablish LSSU’s Lambda Sigma Beta business
fraternity. He also made two $5,000 gifts to
scholarships Saluja has created, one in Lambda’s
name, the other, for track and field student-athletes. Bednarz and Coates are both Lambda alums from
their days at Lake State. Bednarz (’72) is a 2005 School of Business Distinguished Alumnus Award winner
and Vice President with MJ Insurance, Inc. (LSSU/John Shibley)
Lukenda School of Business
Lake Superior State University December 2014
Marketing Students Devour 100 Competitors in 30 Minutes
Lake Superior State University students Rachel Rowswell,
left, and Susan Kirkman bettered more than 100 other
students from a half-dozen other Michigan and Wisconsin
universities during a regional American Marketing
Association (AMA) marketing competition held at Ferris State
in Big Rapids, Mich. After receiving a mini-case based on a
fictional company, Roswell and Kirkman had 20 minutes to
create a strategy that solved a case problem before going in
front of a panel to present their ideas for no more than seven
minutes. Judges followed up with questions based on the team’s recommendations. Roswell and
Kirkman will now be invited to a national AMA meeting in New Orleans, La., on March 20. Rowswell is a
junior from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont, with dual majors in communication and business
administration/marketing. Kirkman, a senior from Vernon, Mich., is finishing a bachelor’s degree in
communication with minors in public relations, marketing, and speech and drama. She is also earning an
associate’s degree in liberal arts/communication. (LSSU/John Shibley)
LSSU to Offer More Business Classes to Adult Learners This Spring
Lake Superior State University’s Lukenda School of Business will be offering additional evening classes
this spring to help educate more adult learners who seek to start school or perhaps pick up where they
left off some years ago.
LSSU is offering several introductory classes in the evenings this spring, including “Introduction to
Business,” “Business Communications,” “Marketing Principles/Strategy,” and “Principles of Accounting
I.” Classes from the common professional component (core) for all business students are also being
offered during the evening, including “Management Information Systems,” “Operations/Business
Analytics,” “Principles of Accounting II,” and “Business Policy.” Two specialty courses will also be offered
in the evenings: “Organizational Behavior” and “Investments.”
“In addition, a new degree, a bachelor of science degree in business administration specifically designed
for returning adult learners, was launched this fall on the LSSU campus in Sault Ste. Marie,” according to
Dr. David Finley, dean of the Lukenda School of Business. “To earn this degree, students complete the
university's general education requirement, the business school's common professional component, and
a business minor of their choosing.”
By offering these evening classes in Sault Ste. Marie, Finley said LSSU wants to provide opportunities
akin to what it has been offering for adult or “non-traditional” learners at its Petoskey and Escanaba
regional centers for many years.
Lukenda School of Business
Lake Superior State University December 2014
“We want to make this opportunity available to more students in the Eastern Upper Peninsula and
Northern Ontario, as well,” Finley said.
Pending demand, LSSU will explore offering weekend classes in the future. Also, more online courses are
planned for this summer.
SHRM Student Chapter Attends Northern Michigan SHRM Quarterly Programs
In September, four students who belong to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Student Chapter at LSSU traveled to Petoskey, MI to attend the Northern Michigan SHRM Quarterly
Program. Megan Baril, Kristen Berry, Briana Till, and John Orttenburger had the opportunity to learn
from presenters about current human resources issues. MIOSHA law, a skills gap in Northern Michigan
and what one employer is doing to address that gap, and the impact of the Affordable Care Act on
employers were the topics presented. Funds
provided by the Bollin Family Professional
Advancement Grant made it possible for the
students to attend this program. Students
who attended the November program viewed
the SHRM Foundation’s DVD “Seeing Forward,
Succession Planning at 3M,” then discussed
what was learned and had a Q&A period.
Networking, lunch, and a quarterly
membership meeting followed.
Left: The November SHRM program
was attended by Erin Anderson
Scott, Kristen Berry, Sheila Berger,
and Brittnee Dault.
Lukenda School of Business
Lake Superior State University December 2014
LSSU increases R.W. Considine Hall (formerly South Hall) project by $1.5 million
Lake Superior State University’s
Board of Trustees voted to
increase the university’s R.W.
Considine Hall building project to
$13.5 million, which is $1.5
million more than the project’s
original projected cost.
The additional funds will come
from capital already raised by
the LSSU Foundation, with no
additional funds coming from the state, which has approved $9 million toward the project.
Once completed, the newly refurbished South Hall, renamed R.W. Considine Hall to honor benefactor
Robert Considine of Trout Lake, will house the Lukenda School of Business and will provide state-of-the
art facilities for all students on campus.
“We are pleased with the Board of Trustees' approval to move ahead with the project and are looking
forward to getting the construction work started,” said LSSU President Tom Pleger. “This project will be
a major improvement for the campus and will position the Lukenda School of Business for growth.”
LSSU Vice President of Finance Sherry Brooks said LSSU tried to shave some of the expense from the
project in July after bids came back $2 million over budget.
“We went over everything carefully before rebidding the project in October, but it still came back at
$1.5 million over budget,” Brooks said, adding that the university could have considered changing the
“footprint” of the project, but wanted to keep the building as the donors expected when they were
asked to contribute to the project cost. In addition, major design changes would mean additional costs.
She told the board that LSSU’s best option is for the university to proceed with the project and cover the
extra costs.
Most of the needed funds will come from money already raised. The LSSU Foundation brought in $3.6
million in its capital campaign for the building, which was $600,000 more than expected. In addition, the
project budget includes a $700,000 contingency line, some of which may not be needed for the project.
After discussion, the board voted unanimously to approve the increased price of the project. Board
Chair Scot Lindemann said he is eager to see the long-awaited project move forward. Construction is set
to begin this spring and conclude in spring semester 2016.
R.W. Considine Hall is a former Fort Brady barracks that was built in the early 1900s when the U.S. Army
moved to this hilltop location from the banks of the St. Mary's River.
Lukenda School of Business
Lake Superior State University December 2014
Accounting Club attends IMA Student Leadership Conference
Seven members of the Accounting Club attended the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)
Student Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana November 6th – 8th. The conference gave the
students an opportunity to connect with business professionals and other students. They attended
breakouts on a number of topics, including resume’ building, networking, and ethics. A tour of the Indy
Race Car Factory, including the opportunity to test out race car simulators was included in the
conference. In addition to fundraising activities by the students, the Bollin Family Professional
Advancement Grant, the LSSU Foundation, and the LSSU Student Government Funds provided funds to
make this trip possible.
Left: Robert Podleski, Benjamin Way, Justin
Pollard, Angela King, Ginger Thompson,
Meghan Spencer, and Kelsey Lewis enjoyed a
visit to the Indy Race Car Factory while
attending the IMA Student Leadership
Conference.
Development Day is a Success!
The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce and the
Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau
sponsored a Development Day at LSSU. Dr. Linda
Schmitigal-Snyder’s Training and Development class
prepared training sessions on a variety of topics that
would be relevant to local small business owners. In
addition, Dave Serino, an online web consultant hired
by the Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau,
provided training on using social media to promote your business. Above: Sam Christensen, John
Orttenburger, and Briana Till after presenting “Communicating with Millennials” during Development
Day, sponsored by the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce and the Sault Convention and Visitor
Bureau.