OXFORD, Miss. – Members of the Business School Advisory
Board in the School of Business Administration at the
University of Mississippi offered business students advice
and guidance during the board’s fall meeting on campus in
October.
The board is the core group of alumni who help make
decisions about the overall direction of the business
school, said Brian Reithel, business school dean.
In a panel discussion format, more than 50 students were
given an opportunity speak with board members and 16 other
business school alumni. Students were divided into six
groups and rotated among alumni groups of four members
each.
“BAB members have some great experiences, and we want to
connect directly with students to help them get started in
their careers, said Bill Fry, president and CEO of Oreck
Corp. “This process seems more action-oriented than just
making ourselves available to them or speaking to classes.”
The suggestion for the panel came from Fry, who is a former
U.S. Navy officer and past president and CEO of Dixie Group
and Bell.
“The BAB has folks with years of experience and plenty of
lessons learned from making mistakes as well as successes,”
he said.
“I feel like I gained some valuable insight from the
members of the panel,” said senior marketing major Abby
Kruse. “I was told to always think about the little things
during an interview, to always send thank you cards and to
find my passion.”
Panel members came from a wide variety of professions,
specializing in various aspects of business. Several
graduated from the school’s MBA program within the last
five years.
“These more recent graduates are not very far away from the
experience (of choosing careers) themselves, and would know
what a junior or senior should be doing now, in order to
find success in the future,” said John Holleman, director
of corporate relations and MBA services in the business
school.