Albers Brief Spring 2019 cover: photo of Frank Shrontz, Alan Mulally, Ray Conner

Dean's Message

Joe Phillips, Albers dean

This edition of the Albers Brief highlights two distinctive programs in Albers that celebrate 25 years. Each year, Albers faculty take Albers students on three to five short, intense trips overseas to learn about other cultures and ways of doing business. In 1994, the first study tour went to Sansepolcro, Italy, and was led by Professors Chauncey Burke, Dave Tinius, and Bill Weis. Twenty-five years later Professor Weis is still going to Italy, and other offerings by our faculty for 2019 include the European Union, China, Guatemala, and India. These tours have been an important element of learning for many Albers students over the last 25 years.

Our New Student Mentor Program (NSM) is also celebrating its 25th year. The NSMs, who are upperclassmen, help our freshmen adjust to life in Albers and SU. They also provide valuable advice to our new students and keep them heading in the right direction. The program was really ahead of its time, as back in the 1990s we were not as focused on retaining and graduating students as we are today!

We have two legendary faculty retiring at the end of this academic year after 30 years of serving Albers students. Accounting Professor Susan Weihrich is best known for her tax accounting courses and her work to guide our Volunteers in Tax& Assistance Program (which itself has been functioning for over 40 years), a program that assists low-income clients with their federal tax returns. Hundreds of clients are helped each year and they receive more than $1 million in tax refunds and Earned Income Tax Credits. It is also true that Susan ably served as associate dean from 2008 to 2016, keeping yours truly out of trouble many, many times.

Finance Professor Ruben Trevino is also retiring at the end of this year. Ruben has been a student favorite with his investment and portfolio management classes, including overseeing the undergraduate Portfolio Practicum course. We are sure that Ruben inspired EF Hutton’s tag line, because everyone knows that Ruben is quiet, but when he speaks, everyone wants to listen!

Many thanks to Susan and Ruben for their combined 60 years of service to Albers
students!

Dean Joe Phillips' signature

Joseph M. Phillips
Dean, Albers School of Business and Economics

Student Profile: Alicia Younker

 Alicia Younker on a hike

From Fairbanks to Seattle to New York

Albers senior Alicia Younker is majoring in finance, despite her efforts not to. Rebelling against her father’s advice to pursue finance because of her skills in writing and math (he owns and operates his own investment advisory firm), Younker decided she wanted a career in marketing. After her first marketing class, however, she realized it wasn’t for her. She wanted “more number crunching opportunities,” but not the rigidity and rules of accounting. Her first finance class, Financial Markets and Institutions, convinced her that finance was the right path for her. Despite the reputation of finance being “mostly greedy, unscrupulous older men taking rich people’s money and making them richer,” according to Younker, she sees the many people who are changing the world for the better by working in finance.

Younker, who grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, chose Seattle University for its Jesuit education (she attended the only Jesuit K-12 school in Alaska), smaller class sizes (there were only 27 people in her high school graduating class), location in a big city, and relatively easy access to home. She also had extended family in the area, so she would have a built-in support system. As she put it, “Nothing prepares you for a tough finals week like the taste of a meal cooked by your Italian grandmother!” Younker’s experience at Albers has far exceeded her expectations. In high school, she was the “stereotypical over-achiever, hyper-involved student,” she said. In college, she expected to focus on getting good grades and making friends. She has achieved both goals, but also participated in the Redhawk Fund (where students actively manage a portfolio of funds from the Seattle University Endowment Fund) and the CFA Research Challenge. For her, however, getting to know the professors at Albers has had the most impact on her experience here. She never dreamed that she would develop connections with her professors outside the classroom and want to stay in touch after graduation. “I’m so lucky to have had so many intelligent, thoughtful, and caring professors during my time at Seattle U, and I know that’s not always the case, especially at big state schools,” she said.

In addition to working with the Redhawk Fund and the CFA Research Challenge, Younker has taken advantage of many of the Albers Career Center (ACC) activities available to students, such as the Etiquette Dinner, the Mentor Program, resumé reviews, and internship and career fairs. “The APC gives Albers students a major advantage in applying for jobs and internships,” she said. “There aren’t many business schools that have programs to prepare students for the job/internship hunt as sufficiently as the APC.” She has had four internships during her time at Seattle U, two at a law firm in Alaska, one at a wealth management firm in Seattle, and, most recently, with Boeing in their Information Technology Finance estimating and pricing function.

When she graduates at the end of winter quarter, Younker is moving to Dallas, Texas, to work at Boeing in its Business Career Foundations Program, which is a two-year, fast-paced finance program for promising, high-potential college graduates. Every four months, participants in this program rotate to a different position to familiarize them with various finance jobs throughout Boeing and hone their leadership skills. She also plans to go back to school after working for a few years. She is interested in earning an MBA or a law degree, or maybe both. Her ultimate goal is to end up in New York City, where her parents have been taking her since she was five. 

When not in class, studying, or participating in her other on-campus activities, Younker loves to cook, bake, and eat good food. She comes by this passion honestly, given that her mother owns an Italian restaurant back in Fairbanks. She also loves thrift shopping. In her opinion, “There’s nothing like the rush of finding a pair of deeply discounted designer jeans at Goodwill!”

Alumni Profile: Jerod Pierce

Jerod Pierce and his wife in the mountains

Success Against All Odds

If you only knew Jerod Pierce (‘08 BABA finance and business economics) as an adult, you would be surprised to learn that he had a very rough childhood. With a  drug-addicted mother and an absent father, Pierce was in and out of foster care until age 10, at which time he found a permanent foster home, where he stayed until he was 18. He says he is a product of the state and many, many different people. “Where I am today is not because of just Jerod,” he said. He values these people and keeps in touch with them, even visiting his high school teachers when he visits his hometown. Given his upbringing, Pierce could have turned out very differently, but he credits those first difficult years with helping him develop gratitude, resilience, compassion, tenacity, and loyalty. These traits have contributed greatly to his success.

Pierce was born in Seattle and grew up in Montana. He started his college career at the University of Montana, but transferred to Seattle University when he decided to move back to Seattle. He liked that Seattle U was in the heart of Seattle and that it had a law school, because he was considering a future law degree. Originally wanting to major in accounting, Pierce decided that this would add an extra year onto his already five-year education to complete the credit hours required for the CPA exam. He instead chose to double major in finance and business economics and overload his classes for a couple of quarters. 

At Albers, Pierce was active in the Albers Investment Club and is proud to call himself a member of the team that launched the Red Hawk Fund (students managing a portion of the university’s endowment funds) at Seattle U. His role in the club was to bring speakers to campus, which offered him the opportunity to develop an incredible network of contacts in many companies in the area. Using these contacts, Pierce secured an internship at D.A. Davidson, which eventually developed into a full-time position in its investment banking group after graduation, where he found a niche working with industrial businesses.

At a subsequent job in a private equity firm, a colleague recommended to Pierce that he get his MBA at Harvard, her alma mater. He had planned to get his MBA at some point and decided that this would be a good time to do it. At Harvard, Pierce took two classes on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition that fascinated him. Instead of becoming an entrepreneur by starting a company, you can buy a business and be an entrepreneur. He liked the idea that you have control of something and are a decision maker and influencer. He knew that this was what he wanted to do.

After graduation, Pierce worked for a year in another private equity firm in Boston and moonlighted looking for companies that were small enough to feasibly buy. Although there are funds available that will pay entrepreneurs to search for businesses to buy, Pierce decided to self-fund his search. That way he would retain full ownership of the company he ended up buying. 

Pierce moved back to Seattle in October 2016 and, knowing he would have to bootstrap his search for the right business to buy, moved in with his sister, niece, and grandmother. He built a database of companies he thought were interesting, not too trendy, and not too cyclical. The task was so large that he decided to hire an unpaid intern. Although he couldn’t pay an intern, he knew he could offer someone the opportunity to learn business development, financial modeling, and the steps that would go into buying a business. He ended up recruiting an SU MBA student. Pierce’s wife also helped. 

Pierce created Olympic Holdings so he could be more credible when he was talking to business owners. After meeting with over 100 companies, he narrowed the list down to three viable options, and closed on Mercurio’s Heating and Air Conditioning in Tacoma 13 months after starting his search. He chose Mercurio’s because it was in an industry he knew something about, it’s not a cyclical business, and it’s a high demand business. He also liked that the company wasn’t dependent on new construction. He has had good success with Mercurio’s, where he has learned the business side very well from the previous owner and is now learning the installation, service, and electrical aspects of the business. He loves being hands-on. He has also spent a lot of time getting to know the employees, realizing how important the people part of the business is. That holds true both for employees and customers. He is trying to diversify his work force and use diversity in advertising to be representative of his customer base.

Pierce’s current plan is to buy one or two more companies under Olympic Holdings, although he is not sure yet what industries they will be in. He wants to keep Olympic Holdings relatively small and each company within it self-sustaining. He also plans to continue to personally run each of his companies.

When not working, Pierce enjoys skiing, golfing, and traveling with his wife. He is also fond of high-intensity workouts. Now that his work life is a bit more stable, Pierce would like to start mentoring. Mentors have been very important in his life and career and he is now in a position to help others.

Featured Faculty Research

A Theoretical Approach to Female Team Leaders' Boundary Work Choices

Jennifer Marrone, professor of Management  Holly Ferraro, associate professor of Management

Authors: Jennifer A. Marrone (Professor of Management) and Holly Slay Ferraro (Associate Professor of Management), with Therese Huston (Faculty Development Consultant at Seattle University)

Leader boundary work is how a team leader manages their team’s relationships with key external stakeholder groups inside and outside the organization. Organizational trends that are requiring greater collaboration and enhanced cooperation across multiple groups pose unique advantages and disadvantages for women team leaders. On the one hand, the leader boundary work that aligns with these trends is communal (i.e., relational and inclusive), results in higher performing teams and organizations, and aligns with a leadership style that is often expected of women leaders. On the other hand, when a woman displays these types of relational and inclusive boundary work behaviors, others around her may paradoxically question her leadership competence because there are persistent incompatibilities between leader roles and female gender stereotypes. Consequently, women leaders may feel strong pressures to both engage in communal boundary work that is effective and to change their boundary work in ways that downplay or negate “femininity” because of their concerns about gender stereotyping and discrimination. Our paper utilizes theory to explore this dilemma in depth. We explain why women team leaders experience conflicting internal motivations about the boundary work behaviors they display and we examine the motives that drive women leaders to engage in or avoid boundary work that is relational and inclusive. We also suggest contextual influences affecting the likelihood women leaders will act on these motives and the implications of these choices for the leader and her team. We suggest that organizations enhance their understanding of this dilemma faced by women team leaders, consider its costs to women leaders and to the organization, and work to create contextually “safe” conditions that signal being a woman is not a barrier to leadership success.

Group and Organization Management 2018, Special Issue, pp. 1-32

Albers Executive Speaker Series

Leadership and Culture

Frank Shrontz, Alan Mulally, and Ray Conner in a panel discussion for the Executive Speaker Series

Panel Discussion: Former Boeing CEOs

Frank Shrontz, former chairman & CEO, The Boeing Company, 1985-1996
Alan Mulally, former president & CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, 1998-2006, former president & CEO, Ford Motor Company, 2006-2014
Ray Conner, former president & CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, 2012-2016
Moderated by Marilyn Gist, executive director of the Center for Leadership Formation

For the first time ever, three former CEOs from Boeing were on a panel discussing their experiences in leadership and culture during their executive tenures at Boeing and, in Alan Mulally’s case, also his tenure at Ford. The discussion began with each panelist talking about some of his specific challenges in running Boeing and the lessons learned from these challenges. 

Shrontz: The purchase of Canadian aircraft manufacturer De Havilland did not turn out as expected. Although it was a great marketing opportunity, he and his team didn’t do a good job of researching the operations side of the business and the company’s  relationship with the Canadian government. Unable to successfully run the business as a U.S. company, Boeing eventually divested it. He learned that you have to look at all aspects of a situation, not just the opportunity. 

Mulally: 9-11 had a huge impact on Boeing because, for the first time ever, the unthinkable happened, i.e., a commercial airplane was used as a weapon. Management was clear and honest with everybody about what needed to be done to ensure that the company would survive and be strong in the future. They acted on that together and also continued to invest in new products, which allowed them to serve even more customers in the end. 

Conner: Boeing had to restructure how its pension worked with its union membership and then tie that to the decision on where it was going to assemble the 777. It was a difficult time for Boeing and the community. Management worked hard negotiating with the union, but realized later that they should have started with the work force, explaining the need for the change and its implications. 

All three leaders stressed the need for: 

Transparency: Share the company’s vision, strategy, and plan with all the stakeholders. 

Working together: Initially started by Shrontz, Mulally institutionalized the Working Together: Principles and Practices program, which is still being used at Boeing, and was also instituted at Ford. It is an 11 point approach to success, which starts with “People first,” followed by “Everyone is included.”

Ethics/integrity: Boeing is respected worldwide and known for its integrity. It is more than complying with the law; it is also complying with your conscience and doing the right thing.

Building on Unconventional Wisdoms

Dean Allen, CEO, McKinstry

Dean Allen, CEO, McKinstry

Seattle native Dean Allen, CEO of McKinstry, earned his degree in molecular biology along with a degree in psychology at the University of Washington. After graduation, he went to work for the firm his father had co-founded, McKinstry, to earn some money before going on to graduate school. Over forty years later, Allen is still there, now as its leader.

McKinstry originally started as a specification plumbing and piping company with one plant. It had grown to about $5 million when Allen joined it in 1976. Since then, due to innovation and creative strategic thinking, it has grown into a national leader in designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining high-performing buildings. Along the way, there were ups and downs, the most significant down being during the recession and hyperinflation in the early 1980s. During that period, the company went from grossing $30 million back to $20 million due to high interest rates and other economic factors that increased cost of goods and overhead, which lowered margins. They also had become the low bidder in the industry in order to get jobs, which was not a sustainable position to be in.

Becoming discouraged and concerned that he would have to lay off his friends, Allen decided to leave the business and go to graduate school. His father convinced him to stay another year or two, with the provision that they were “going to do things for a purpose.” They developed an approach to the business that was unconventional, which included focusing on their people and customers to generate a good financial outcome rather than having the financial outcome be the goal, developing more expertise around particular crafts instead of subcontracting them out, diversifying their projects to be able to ride the ups and downs of the economy, and inviting the union in and developing a very strong partnership with them, among other things. 

Delivering Continuous Innovation

David & Rick Cantu, co-founders, Redapt

David & Rick Cantu, co-founders, Redapt

Moderated by Sue Oliver, director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center

Brother entrepreneurs Rick and David Cantu founded Redapt, a provider of integrated information technology solutions to businesses, 22 years ago “by default.” Freshly out of college at the time, they had been working in their uncle’s company in Renton when they identified a niche that the company wasn’t serving and had no interest in pursuing. A week later, the Cantus were operating their own business out of their uncle’s basement selling refurbished computers. 

The Cantus credit their location in the Northwest with setting the stage for their ability to scale their business from a $1,000 investment to an almost $2 billion company, which is 100% owned and operated. “The Northwest started a movement around customer experience,” said David. They grew up with the excellent customer service at Nordstrom and Costco, and identified this as a differentiator in their business early on. They started out focusing narrowly on what they were selling. Because of the good customer experience, their customers came back and asked them to do more or sell additional items. Even as they have changed jobs and companies, their customers have remained loyal, which helped Redapt grow.

Knowing that, as a private company, they had limited resources, the Cantus worked hard on their banking relationship to be able to fund their growth. Fortuitously, they became bankable around the time of the first internet bubble. That’s the year they grew from $12 million to $60 million working with 20 of their friends from college. “If we hadn’t reached that milestone, our story would be different,” said David. 

Company culture is very strong at Redapt and is an underlying factor in its success. They have the mentality of “we all win or we don’t.” This doesn’t mean that they need to act, look, or think the same, but collaboration and working together are key. “Teamwork, curiosity, and having the ability to work toward a common goal whether you win or lose are important and how you grow,” said Rick.

Albers Transfer Ambassadors

Albers Transfer Ambassadors

New to Albers this year is the Albers Transfer Ambassador (ATA) program. Similar to the New Student Mentor (NSM) program, which provides an upperclass mentor for each incoming freshman, ATA matches new transfer students with a current transfer student to help them with the transition to Albers and Seattle University. The difference in the programs is that, while the NSMs provide an academic advising element to their mentees, ATAs do not. 

The Albers Transfer Ambassador program is designed to provide practical guidance and networking ;opportunities from someone who has had a similar experience and knows the pain points one can experience. Transfer students can be advised on how to navigate through registration, get involved in clubs and campus activities, and make the most of their Albers experience. This is particularly important for this population of students, since they only have two years at Albers and must hit the ground running. The goal is to establish a connection with Albers early in their career here. 

MBA student Chris Malsbury serves as the first Albers Transfer Ambassador program coordinator. Malsbury has recruited five ATAs for this year. They currently work 4-5 hours a week contacting their assigned students, meeting with them when possible, and planning and implementing events. Winter quarter events include a movie night, coffee with the Albers Associate Dean, and a game/competition night. As the program develops, more events will be added.

25 Years of New Student Mentors

New Student Mentors 2018-19

If you were a freshman at Albers in the last 25 years, you participated in the New Student Mentor (NSM) Program. A requirement for all freshmen, this program provides peer academic advising and mentoring to first year business students to ensure a positive transition to college. 

The NSM Program was launched in 1993 by Wendy Phillips as the Peer Advisor Program. It started with two NSMs working with all the incoming freshmen. It really took off in 2003 when Dhorea Brown joined Albers as a full-time advisor and, with the support of Dean Joe Phillips, expanded it into the strong program that it is today. The mission of the NSM Program is: 

The New Student Mentor Program will play a significant role in fostering the retention, academic success, and professional development of Albers freshmen. NSMs work effectively as a team to meet these goals through mentoring activities that encourage academic and personal growth of participating students in a safe and friendly environment.

NSMs are a selected group of junior and senior business students who serve as role models and work closely with their mentees. They are hired in the spring and given extensive training before meeting with their mentees for the first time in the fall. They also have weekly meetings throughout the year with their supervisors, who are the graduate assistants in the Albers advising team. 

The NSM’s duties are to meet with each of their advisees two times during fall quarter, one time during winter quarter, and to organize events for each quarter. The events help freshmen get involved and connected with the business school, friends, and their mentors. The NSMs also participate in other Albers events and activities as needed, including a group community service event and Albers Career Center events.

Faculty Profile: Ruben Trevino

Ruben Trevino, associate professor of Finance

Learning to Love Teaching

Ruben Trevino, associate professor of Finance at Albers, had no thoughts of teaching finance during most of his college education. In fact, finance was not his chosen field of study when he started school. Trevino was interested in science when he was young, and he majored in electrical engineering in college. After working in a factory in his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico, Trevino knew he would need a master’s degree to get into management. He decided to go to school in the United States for a master’s in industrial management, where he would also be able to improve his English.

Through an acquaintance, Trevino learned about a program at Georgia Tech University that interested him. After completing the program, he was ready to go back to Mexico, but Mexico was going through a bad recession at the time and his relatives said it would be hard for him to find a job. In order to buy time while the economy recovered, Trevino decided to get a PhD. Still focusing on returning to Mexico, he chose to study finance because it would be useful in his career when he went back. Through his contacts at Georgia Tech, he was accepted into a finance PhD program at the University of Alabama. 

Trevino was starting to get used to living in the U.S. at this point so, after completing his PhD program, he took a teaching position at Boston College (BC). He found teaching challenging but ultimately a very rewarding experience. After a few years at BC, a great opportunity to work in the real world of investments was presented to him and he decided to try it. He joined a mutual fund and became part of the “equity” group, working as a research analyst and portfolio manager. However, when he decided to relocate to the West Coast, he thought of giving teaching another try. After exploring some options, Trevino accepted a position at Seattle U, where his former BC colleague Jerry Viscione was dean of Albers. 

At SU, Trevino enjoyed teaching more. “I was able to bring my practical experience into the classroom,” he said. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate classes. His area of expertise in finance is investments and his research has been on subjects regarding stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. In addition to teaching and research, Trevino has been the faculty advisor for the Investment Club, the Redhawk Fund, and the CFA Research Challenge at various times in his tenure. Early in his career, he was the education liaison for the Seattle Society of Financial Analysts (now the CFA Institute). More recently, he served as chair of the Department of Finance and the director of the Master of Science in Finance program. 

After almost 30 years at Albers, Trevino will be retiring at the end of this academic year. His plans are to play more golf, read more of the many books he buys, take music lessons, volunteer, and travel. “Hopefully all goes according to plan,” he said. “Thanks to all my students and colleagues. And thanks to SU. Go Redhawks!!!

Faculty Profile: Susan Weihrich

Susan Weihrich, associate professor of Accounting, and former student Wagane Diadhiou
Susan Weihrich (right) with former student Wagane Diadhiou

Shaped by the Mission

Susan Weihrich, associate professor of Accounting, will be retiring in June, just as she completes her 30th year at Seattle University. A tax expert, Weihrich came to Seattle U in 1989 upon the retirement of beloved tax professor John Harding. Although she moved to Seattle for personal reasons, Weihrich quickly decided to stay because of the Seattle University mission. “I think the mission is really impactful,” she said. She always cared about students and was a very good professor. But what resonated with her was working with the students in serving the community. “My work with the community and the students shaped who I have become,” she said. She thrives on being in the community and plans to continue to participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program after retirement, unless she’s traveling.

Weihrich likes working at a smaller private university because of the interaction she can have with the students. They come here because they really want to learn and get to know their teachers. For the first ten years she taught, she didn’t think a lot about what she was saying to students. Then one day a former student told Weihrich that something Weihrich said on intake day about being an introvert encouraged the student to try something she might not have tried otherwise. It was then that Weihrich realized what an impact she could have on someone without even being aware of it.

A true Texan, Weihrich lived in company-owned housing in an oil camp when she was young. Her plan during high school was to be a teacher of government, so she majored in economics and political science at Rice University. Upon advice from her father, she also took enough accounting classes to sit for the CPA exam, which she did a while after graduation. She then went on to earn her master’s and PhD in accounting at the University of Houston. 

Weihrich began her career in banking and public accounting, but it was when she taught a class at a local college that she discovered her love of teaching. When a full-time position opened up at a nearby university, she jumped at the chance. Higher education has been her profession ever since. Not only has she taught tax and financial accounting at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but Weihrich has also been in administration at Albers, first as chair of the Department of Accounting, then as associate dean. She enjoyed being an administrator because it was challenging. She also enjoyed working with administrators and staff to shape policies that would help make student and faculty lives easier and figuring out how to make things run more efficiently and effectively.

Weihrich’s scholarship has been around tax policy and the behavioral impact of tax policies, both for individuals and corporations. She is so interested in tax issues, in fact, that when her tax accountant boyfriend romantically asked her to marry him in front of the Palace of Versailles, her first question was, “Do you realize there’s a marriage penalty?” His response was, “Yes, about $3,000.” 

Weihrich won’t have any problem staying busy during retirement. She is an avid gardener, reader, and painter. In her first year of retirement, she plans to read a book a day. She and her husband also love to travel in their converted van, which includes a chandelier. First, they are going to drive across the country on U.S. Highway 20 and return  via a different route. After that, who knows where the road will take them. 

25 Year of Albers Study Tours

ad for Sansepolcro Study Tour

Twenty five years ago, Professors Bill Weis, Dave Tinius, and Chauncey Burke embarked on a pilgrimage to Sansepolcro, Italy, with a group of students and faculty to celebrate the quincentennial of the publication of the first book on accounting by Italian priest Luca Pacioli, famously known as the Father of Accounting and Bookkeeping. This was to become the first of many Study Tours sponsored by Albers to various locations throughout the world. 

Study Tours provide an opportunity for participants to gain insight into international business and unique cultures. Courses are held in-country, sometimes multiple countries are included in one tour, where groups of students explore culture and history while also visiting local companies to learn about international business topics. Each Study Tour offers two courses; students may opt to take one or both of them for credit. Examples of courses that have been offered are Cultural Intelligence and Global Business  Communication, Extraordinary Leaders-Latin America, Global E-Business in China, and The European Business Environment. Pre-departure classes are held to familiarize the students with the countries they will be visiting and allow them to begin their required report, which is due at the end of the course. There is also a final briefing class after returning home. 

For the past 25 years, Albers faculty, staff, students, and guests have traveled the globe to locations in Asia, Central America, China, and Europe. his year’s Study Tours include trips to Guatemala, China, the European Union (Madrid, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam), and India/Bhutan. In addition, Professor Weis takes students to the Italian Dolomites each year for his class on Emotional Intelligence.

This year, a special trip back to Sansepolcro is planned for alumni in celebration of 25 years of international learning. We have an amazing program that includes highlights of the Italy Study Tour, where you will have plenty of opportunity to dine, taste, and play while connecting with fellow alumni. Please join us!

Help an Albers Grad Succeed!

Shraddha Nayar

You Know the Quality of An Albers Degree.

Why not hire someone with the same strong business background and commitment to service that helped you succeed? With an Albers graduate, you will get a dedicated employee who will become a leader ot only in your organization but also in your community.

Hire an Albers Graduate

Post job and internship opportunitieshttps://www.seattleu.edu/business/centers-and-programs/albers-placement-center/employers/

Participate in Career Fairshttps://www.seattleu.edu/business/centers-and-programs/albers-placement-center/employers/career-fairs/

Happening at Albers

 2019 calendar

Albers Executive Speaker Series

Events are held in Pigott Auditorium from 5:30-6:30 p.m. (unless otherwise posted). Free and open to the public. 

Margaret Meister
President & CEO, Symetra
Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Francois Locoh-Donou
President & CEO, F5 Networks
Monday, June 3, 2019
Student Center 160** Please note location.

Albers Career Center Events

Albers Grad Student Career Connections
Monday, April 15, 2019
4:30-6:30 p.m.
Casey 530 – Casey Commons
Connect with local business professionals, Albers alumni, Albers mentors, and your fellow classmates to build your professional network.

Albers Leadership Celebration
Monday, June 3, 2019
4-5:30 p.m.
Advancement & Alumni Building
A celebration to honor and thank all Albers advisory board members and mentors for their service.

Albers Ethics Week

May 13-17, 2019
Albers Ethics Week is a unique annual program that hosts dozens of guest speakers from the greater Seattle-area business community for an intensive, week-long examination of ethical issues in business. Guests appear in classrooms across the Albers School curriculum, addressing ethical issues in areas such as accounting, finance, data analytics, marketing, and human resource management.

Two keynote events will be centered on the theme The Rise of Artificial Intelligence. Join the Center for Business Ethics and Seattle University for these important conversations.

Ethics and Responsible AI
David Danks, L.L. Thurston Professor of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University Solon Barocas, Professor of Information Science, Cornell University
Solon Barocas, Professor of Information Science, Cornell University
Margaret Mitchell, Senior Scientist, Google Research and Machine Intelligence
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
5:30-6:45 p.m.
Pigott Auditorium
Free and open to the public

Responsible AI and the Internet of Things
Avijit Sinha, Senior Director of IoT and Intelligent Edge, Microsoft
Thursday, May 16, 2019
5:30-6:45 p.m.
Pigott Auditorium
Free and open to the public

Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition

Semifinals
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
2-5 p.m.
Campion Ballroom
Local professionals and alumni can sign up online to be Trade Show judges, or can drop in to watch the Fast Pitch competition at 2 p.m. and/or the Trade Show at 3-5 p.m.


Finals & Awards
Friday, May 31, 2019
Columbia Tower Club
All Semifinalist and Finalist Teams should plan to attend.

2019 Dolomites Program

Emotional Intelligence in the Italian Dolomites
September 8-16, 2019
For complete information about this amazing program (in its 17th year!) go to: http://www.pauseconnect.com/dolomites-eq.html       
Seattle University alumni and guests are welcome to participate. We waive the application deadline for all alumni, so apply now!

 

Seattle University's Albers School of Business and Economics