Author Archives: HELEN LUND

About HELEN LUND

Helen Lund, Social Media and Web Designer, joined the School of Management staff in 2014. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design in 2016. She manages social media and provides web updates for the School of Management along with creating printed materials. She assists the School of Management in content creation, photography, and event support.

The 2016 Economic Forum

 

The 2016 Economic Forum was hosted by The Rotary Club of Flint & the University of Michigan-Flint School of Management on December 9th, 2016. The event took place in the Northbank Ballroom in Downtown Flint, Michigan.

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

Steve Chenenko, MBA
Chief Risk Officer, Nationwide Bank

Yener Kandogan, Ph.D
Associate Dean & Professor of International Business, UM-Flint School of Management

Christopher Douglas, Ph.D
Associate Professor & Department Chair, UM-Flint Department of Economics

 

Lunch with an Entrepreneur featuring Steve Whitener

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Steve Whitener, University of Michigan-Flint Alumni and entrepreneur, spoke to students on Dec. 1 about the importance of entrepreneurship.

 

More about Steve Whitener 

Started Real Estate Company as a UM-Flint Student
In 1973, while attending UM-Flint, Mr. Whitener purchased an apartment building. Upon graduating in 1977, he went on to acquire several additional rental properties. While managing several real estate holdings, he led a highly successful career in sales. This led to Mr. Whitener founding National Systems Installers.

Became a Technology Entrepreneur
In 1993, he founded National Systems Installers (NSI), a company that provides infrastructure cabling services to corporations. Six years later, he formed Nuspire Networks, which designs and offers monitoring and security systems. His business works with Fortune 500 companies and has 300-plus retail operations. He is Chairman of the Board for NSI and is a former Chairman of Nuspire, a multimillion dollar company he recently sold.

UM-Flint Makes Princeton Review’s Top Business School List

The University of Michigan-Flint’s School of Management ranked as one of the Best Business Schools in the Midwest for 2017.

The School of Management was selected along with 294 other business schools by the Princeton Review.

“We are very pleased to once again be recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the Best Business Schools in their 2017 publication. The methodology consists of The Princeton Review conducting a nationwide survey of enrolled business students,” said Scott D. Johnson, Dean of the School of Management. “This is a nice confirmation for us that our students perceive our offerings to be high quality. It is an important external validation for our excellent faculty and staff.”

 

Read the full article HERE.

Q & A: UM-Flint Hagerman Center Director Mark Simon

Mark Simon, PhD became director of the Hagerman Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation this fall. The University of Michigan-Flint School of Management center was created in 2015 thanks to a generous donation from Phil and Jocelyn Hagerman. Simon was recognized in his new role October 10 at an investiture ceremony. At the event, Simon said, “I can’t overstate how honored I feel.  I am truly humbled. But I know that with all the wonderful support I am receiving from so many, including the Hagerman’s, administration, faculty, staff, and students, I believe that together we can truly make a difference.”

Prior to Simon’s official investiture, he shared his thoughts about the center, its benefit for students, his impressions of the university community, and more in this Q&A with University Relations.

Read the full article HERE.

UM-Flint SEI Summer Camp Students Explore Entrepreneurship

The Hagerman Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation held its Summer Entrepreneurship Institute camp for the first time on July 12-14.

High school juniors and seniors spent three days learning about multiple aspects of entrepreneurship, business, and marketing. The camp aims to help high school students understand entrepreneurship and the excitement surrounding new ventures that can solve real problems.

Professor Amy Gresock, Assistant Professor of Management, said she hopes to challenge the students to think about entrepreneurship in a multi-faceted way.

“Opportunities are everywhere. It wasn’t just sitting in a classroom with the students. We were in the Flint community. We were on campus and we challenged them to look for opportunities,” said Gresock. “In some of the exercises we did, they came up with some really good ideas that played off of opportunities that they saw in the external environment. Their problems don’t have to be something really grandiose. It can just be solving a problem that they see in everyday life.”

 

 

Professor Greg Laurence teaches summer camp students about the basics of Entrepreneurship.

Professor Greg Laurence teaches summer camp students about the basics of Entrepreneurship.

 

 

Students spent time with School of Management Professors Amy Gresock and Greg Laurence inside the classroom and in the community working to develop their entrepreneurial venture. During day one, students toured the UM-Flint campus looking for opportunities and quickly found that Flint has a lot of prospects for entrepreneurs.

Sean Mason, a high school junior from Davison, said he appreciated the implementation of lessons learned during the Summer Entrepreneurship Institute.

“I liked that it was hands on. I didn’t know exactly what to expect coming into it but I liked that after we learned something, we got to try it out,” said Mason.

 

Sean Mason asks a question during a skype interview with Chris Trejbal.

Sean Mason asks a question during a Skype interview with Chris Trejbal.

 

The camp aimed to encourage entrepreneurial thinking by engaging students with course materials, community experiences, and a field trip to Skypoint Ventures in downtown Flint on the second day of the camp.

Interim Director of Hagerman Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and camp organizer, Professor Brian Blume, said he believes the Summer Entrepreneurship Institute was an engaging experience for the high school students.

“The camp was effective in introducing students to entrepreneurship and helping to develop an entrepreneurial mindset,” said Blume. “We, also, were able to show students how downtown Flint is being transformed to support and encourage entrepreneurial ventures, as well as introduce the strong entrepreneurship program at the UM-Flint School of Management.”

 

Summer camp students tour Skypoint Ventures. Bryce Moe, Managing Director of Skypoint Ventures, shows students a portion of the Dryden building that is under renovations.

Summer camp students tour Skypoint Ventures. Bryce Moe, Managing Director of Skypoint Ventures, shows students a portion of the Dryden building that is under renovations.

 

On day three, the students wrapped up their work and learning by presenting their feasibility analysis projects to fellow students and their parents. Mason said he believes he gained a lot out of the camp experience.

“Before this camp I had a rudimentary understanding of business and certain opportunities. I learned about how to find your niche, how do you look at an opportunity and seize it and use the correct branding and marketing to really succeed and advance your cause,” said Mason.

The School of Management will be hosting another summer camp next year for high schoolers. Blume said he hopes to see more student participants in the future. He also has a piece of advice for other young entrepreneurs who want to get started.

“I suggest exploring these entrepreneurial interests early on. I encourage you to become involved with a business venture or to start a business, even if it’s a part-time business. Also, be sure to watch the TV show Shark Tank.”

Want to Succeed in Business? UM-Flint SOM’s Dean Says Take English

By  On July 22, 2016 10:01 am

If there’s one thing Scott D. Johnson doesn’t want to hear his students say, it’s, “Know what I mean?”

The Dean of the School of Management, Johnson knows the importance of clear communication, and maybe that’s why he wasn’t surprised to find one day that the course that was the best indicator for success in business wasn’t necessarily a business class.

It was an English class.

Read the full article HERE.

UM-Flint Offers New Programs, New Departments, More Degrees

By  On July 18, 2016 1:27 pm

The University of Michigan-Flint continues to evolve and is launching a series of new programs and changes this fall. There will be new degrees in every school and college within the university, as well as department changes to expand courses and specializations for students.

“The University of Michigan-Flint continuously evaluates its academic portfolio,” said UM-Flint Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Douglas Knerr. “The new degrees and reorganizations emphasize creativity, analytical skills, and problem solving. I am thankful for the many talents of our outstanding faculty, who developed these new programs to help our students expand their career options and talents.”

The School of Management is evolving to help students in multiple ways. This spring, SOM reorganized into two departments by creating the Department of Accounting, Finance and International Business, and the Department of Management and Marketing.

Read the full article HERE.

UM-Flint Professor Researches Work/Life Balance

A UM-Flint professor is exploring what drives people to overwork and how it may influence their private lives. This research may help employers create a healthy and productive workplace atmosphere.

Associate Professor of Management Gregory Laurence will highlight these questions of work-family conflict and dynamics at an international conference later this month in Japan.

 

Read the full article HERE.

International Students At UM-Flint

International Students At UM-FlintGlobal Advocates for Vehicle City
BY ON JULY 1, 2016

This past year, there were more than 700 international students attending UM-Flint – the most they have ever hosted.

“We are an international campus that has been progressing over the past decade,” says Dan Adams, International Center Director. “The reality is that having this identity isn’t just our students. It happens with the curriculum and student life make-up; it’s a matter of embracing what is here now. Diversity means nothing; it’s really about what you do with it. It’s how you incorporate it into your everyday life, your student and professional lives, your friendships and relationships.”

And UM-Flint is not short on diversity. Students hailing from China, India, South Korea, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Jamaica and even more countries decide to live, work, study and play in Flint.

Read the full article HERE.

UM-Flint Tax Preparation Service Honored by IRS

Dr. Cathleen Miller, an associate professor of accounting at UM-Flint runs the university’s tax assistance program, VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), which provides free help to those in the community.

She started it in 1984, as a student through the UM-Flint Accounting Club, and remained heavily involved since becoming a faculty member in 1998. Miller formed a course in 2005 for the VITA program. She continues to teach the course.

 

Read the full article here.