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Whew,

For all the students who have taken a full course load and worked full time, bless you! Though this was one of the hardest semesters I have been through as an evening student it was a remarkable experience.  As the dust settles and my eyes turn toward the mess on my desk I cannot help but be amazed by how much actually happened and how impressive the people around me are.  It is really hard to grasp while time is flying by but as the books close on another semester I find myself being really amazed by the people and faculty in our program.  When you are trying to keep your head above water it can be hard to notice. In retrospect all the students in Dr. Shambu’s Global Supply Chain Management class knocked my socks off.  Each student had to give a presentation on research for the class.  I am saving everyone of the powerpoints for reference later in my professional life.  The ability to hear 40 professional adults from a alll different walks of life discuss their research with one another was an irreplaceable experience.  Dr. Gress who teaches Financial Accounting, giving the opening remarks at the UN meeting on education in NYC.  And Paula Fox constantly beating the curve in his class as he pushed us toward excellence.  Paula Fox is definitely impressive, if anyone ever has a class with her, she’s the person to study with.  One of the most amazing experiences I can speak of is being able to see Bob Wilmers of M&T speak.  Prof Piemonte was able to get our whole Financial Markets and Institutions class sponsored as guests of Rand Capital.  Personally I was able to present a business concept to 114 attendees of this Bob Wilmers event after he had spoke (what a trip). So now we look toward the holiday season as a chance to recharge and refresh our minds so as to be prepared for what lies ahead next time the books open.  I would truly like to take this space to again mention how impressed I am by our faculty and students.  It seems everyone I speak to amazes me.  Thank you all for helping one another and creating an atmosphere of excellence in our program.  Now its time to party!!!!   ….  See everyone at the Happy Hour at SoHo this Friday 5:30 !!!!

Clark Banach

The Advocacy Boot Camp Primer proved to be a very thought provoking presentation in my opinion.  The panel really focused in on the advocacy of the city of Buffalo and how business professionals can go about doing this.  The panel started off by discussing the differences between advocacy and lobbying with advocacy being more informal such as just discussing the positive aspects of Buffalo to people outside who may just think of lake effect snow when Buffalo comes to mind, and lobbying being more of a formal operation between a registered lobbyist and a politician. 

The panel stressed the importance of the growth of the city being a slow grinding process, yet it is one that has a positive outlook in the long run.  One panelist mentioned ten percent growth each year in Roswell Park Cancer Institute and how once she recruits cancer researchers and doctors to come and live in Buffalo and work at Roswell, they do not want to leave because they enjoy living here so much.

 I am from the Buffalo area and now that I have a future career in the city, I have a desire to live in the city as opposed to the suburbs where I can be closer to work as well as the entertainment district and HSBC arena of course!  (One day I will be a sabres season ticket holder!).  However, an argument was brought up that a suburb like Amherst has everything one can do in the city of Buffalo if not more.  I think that this argument is widely agreed upon especially among people that are married with kids.  It is one of the many problems that Buffalo is facing today.  Another major regional issue that was discussed was the peace bridge and its importance in our bi-national economy with Canada.  Several other regional topics were brought to light as well.  

  I believe that these issues are very important to people living in Western New York and I encourage others to share your thoughts on what can be done to improve the city here.  Advocacy is an important tool in producing change and it is educational institutions like Canisius that get the ball rolling by producing leaders to help build and maintain a strong infrastructure of culture, skills, and ideas to make Buffalo better.   Go to   http://buffaloniagara360.org/   to learn more about how you can get involved. 

Tim Schultz  - Canisius MBA Student

Buffalo Niagara 360 Event: Advocacy Boot Camp Primer

The next Buffalo Niagara 360 event will consist of a panel of young professionals discussing current economic issues that are affecting the local region and abroad as well as how advocacy plays a major role in solving these problems. There will be an opportunity to network with the panelists after the discussion concludes. The event starts at 8:30 am on December 5, 2008 at Shea’s Smith Theatre. The panelists are listed below:

• Kelly Brannen – Managing Director, Niacet Corporation
• Lisa Damiani – Executive Director for Governmental Affairs, Roswell Park Cancer Institute
• Hon. Jack Quinn – New York State Assemblyman
• Michael Wilton – Associate, Patricia Lynch Associates Inc.

Tim Schultz - Canisius College MBA Student Committee

Buffalo Niagara 360 is a program designed to aid young professional s in becoming the next generation of local business leaders.

MBA students of Canisius College are donating and collecting gift filled shoe boxes in support of Operation Christmas Child sponsored by the Samaritan’s Purse International Relief Organization.

Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes.  Since 1993, more than 61 million shoe boxes have been packed, shipped, and delivered across the globe.

Please think about being involved in this simple, hands-on mission’s project by packing a gift box and delivering it to the MBA Office, 201 Bagen Hall or leave it at the Amherst Campus collection box.  You may also make a monetary donation (make checks payable to Samaritan’s Purse or give on line at www.samaritanspurse.org)

All donations must be received by Monday, November 24 by 4:00pm.

For further information and instructions on how to Pack a Shoe Box Gift contact the MBA office at 716-888-2140 or email Stephanie Cattarin at cattaris@canisius.edu

Thank you for your support and may you all have a happy, healthy and safe holiday!

I was one of the attendees sponsored by the Canisius MBA Program at the Buffalo Niagara 360’s Lunch and Learn event last Thursday, November 5^th, held at Shanghai Reds restaurant.  The event, packaged as an opportunity to “share lunch and insight with business executives” working in the area, proved to be just that. 

The lunch session consisted of 12 entrepreneurs/executives from different industries including banking, technology, and media just to name a few.  A dynamic combination of both young professionals as well as students, scoured the room ready to network.  The event was neatly organized with 30 minutes of mingling in the beginning, followed by lunch at a table with an executive of your choice, and another hour at the end for those people who were interested in additional networking.

I managed to sit at a table with Rich McCarthy, Senior Vice President in Alternative Banking at M&T.  Rich shared his perspective on his career as he climbed his was from a junior credit analyst to his current position. Alternatively, several of the attendees sitting at my table also shared their stories with regards to their career path.

These types of sessions are a great way to meet business leaders highlighted by Buffalo Niagara 360 but also a tremendous opportunity to network with other attendees.  I am looking forward to the next one.

For more information, visit http://www.buffaloniagara360.org/

Sangwani Mabhena   MBA ’10

AVP & Senior Auditor, Group Audit USA | HSBC BANK PLC

Professionals today live by the mantra “live, work and play” and they want to live in a region that offers it all. The good news is, Buffalo Niagara already offers amazing opportunities for all of these, and Buffalo Niagara 360 is here to be a resource as you navigate living, working and playing here, or are thinking about moving to the region. There are many great organizations working to provide a better quality of life here, and our aim is to be a tool for the those in the business community to take advantage of everything Buffalo Niagara has to offer.

The idea for Buffalo Niagara 360 came from Buffalo Niagara Partnership members who identified a real need to create effective strategies for retaining and attracting professionals in the area. We have all heard and talked about Buffalo Niagara’s brain drain, employers who struggle to find qualified candidates and young people growing up believing there is no opportunity here. Buffalo Niagara 360 is designed to and aims to be:

• A coordinated effort to provide information and resources that are important for retaining and attracting professionals.
• A resource for employers for becoming “employers of choice” to talented professionals and sharing best practices for retention and recruitment strategies.
• A program that helps strengthen the network of the next generation of business leaders who are entrepreneurs, community leaders, arts and creative supporters, etc.
• A recruitment and marketing tool that highlights the best our region has to offer.

On Tuesday, October 7, hundreds of women from all over the region will gather at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center for an extraordinary experience. The Canisius College Women’s Leadership Conference – a sell-out event every single year since it began in 2002—will spotlight some of the most dynamic female leaders of our time. Throughout the day, they’ll share strategies for success that you can incorporate into your own personal and professional life.

This year’s featured speakers include:

• Kay Koplovitz, the first female network president in television history, founder of USA Network, and the Chairman and CEO of Koplovitz & Company. Ms. Koplovitz launched the SCI FI Channel and led USA Network’s rise to the top spot for prime-time viewership among the cable networks.
• Julie Cordua, Vice President of Marketing for (RED), the eye-catching AIDS fund-raising brand that’s popping up on everything from greeting cards to sneakers and computers.

The conference will offer workshops on topics ranging from winning techniques for negotiating to social networking and working with the “i” generation. We’ll also welcome three very special guests, all nationally prominent alumnae of Canisius College, for a panel on “Work/Life Balance”:

• Cherylyn Harley LeBon ’88, Assistant Administrator for Intergovernmental Affairs, Small Business Administration, Washington, DC;
• Valerie Latona ’91, Editor of Shape magazine, New York City; and
• Norma Nowak ’79, PhD, Director of the DNA Microarray and Genomics Facility at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, and a leader in the international project that mapped the human genome.

Thanks to the sponsorship of Univera Healthcare and Prudential, you’ll have a chance to learn some surprising things about health issues of importance to you and your family, and take advantage of expert guidance on investing to build wealth for college, retirement, and personal financial security.

Between sessions, you can use your complimentary, environmentally friendly tote bag to shop at the Women’s Market, a showcase of products and services offered by women-owned businesses from the Buffalo Niagara region. This year, not-for-profit organizations run by women or focusing on women’s issues will also be among the exhibitors. Bring 100 of your business cards to enter drawings for great prizes from each of the vendors!

There’s no other conference like this in Western New York. You’ll pick up practical tips you can use every day, and network with other women from many different fields. Visit our website for details, including registration information for participants and vendors. Join us for an event that will energize and inspire you for years to come.

- Maureen Millane

Maureen Millane is Associate Dean of External Business Programs at Canisius College, overseeing the college’s Center for Professional Development, Women’s Business Center, and Canisius Center @ Amherst. In 2006 she was honored by the Amherst Chamber of Commerce as the Small Business Advocate of the Year.

The Master Business Alumni Association of Canisius College is sponsoring a tour and reception of Buffalo’s Waterfront Redevelopment on Wednesday, October 1st.  The tour begins at 5:30 at the Erie Canal Harbor Naval & Military Park with the reception following at 6:30.  Come and join current members and alumni for what is sure to be a delightful evening.  The cost of this event is $20 (members) $25 (non members) and includes beer, wine and wonderful appetizers…

To register call 716-888-2140 or visit www.canisius.edu/touchnet and click MBAA Events

Hope to see you there!

Real dollars, real risk:

Golden Griffin Fund students

tackle the world of investing head-on

In the headquarters of the Golden Griffin Fund at Canisius College, students monitor streaming market data on a Bloomberg Terminal and scour the Internet for financial information that will help them identify the most promising investments. It’s not a game—they’re managing a real portfolio of some 20 stocks and four exchange-traded funds currently worth more than $150,000, and the quality of their research will help determine whether the value of that portfolio rises or falls.

Using an initial investment from the college endowment, Canisius established the Golden Griffin Fund in 2003 to bridge the classroom and the real world for students interested in the field of securities analysis. The fund is at the heart of a financial-management course open to both undergraduates and MBA finance students. Over the course of two semesters, the students conduct independent research on companies in specific sectors of the economy—energy or telecommunications, for example—before narrowing the field to a single prospect that they believe has the greatest potential for growth.

At the end of the academic year, each student makes a presentation to an investment committee whose members are all Canisius alumni and current or former professionals in the investment market. That’s when every aspect of the project comes together: As in the real world, the quality of the research, the strength of the student’s presentation, and the student’s ability to field questions and challenges from the committee all help to determine whether or not the committee will follow the student’s recommendation.

While other colleges and universities offer similar hands-on investment courses, the Golden Griffin Fund experience stands out because it focuses on developing the student’s expertise in equities research, which is a key to sound investing. In the first semester, students review and aggregate third-party research reports generated by investment firms. In the second semester, they begin to delve into public records, including annual reports and other official financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and build their own valuation models. That research is critical to making an informed decision about a company’s financial stability and long-term potential—and to realizing consistent gains in the value of a portfolio.

Employers recognize the importance of experience in equities research, and Citibank is among several companies that have shown special interest in students who have managed the Golden Griffin Fund. In today’s volatile economy, there’s no better time to test your mettle in the market. For more information about the Golden Griffin Fund, please the Canisius College Graduate Business Programs Office at gradubus@canisius.edu or call 1-800-543-7906.

Michael S. Piemonte

Assistant Professor of Finance

Director, Golden Griffin Fund

Michael Piemonte is a former senior vice president at M&T Bank, where he oversaw corporate finance, investor relations, retail strategy and planning, and mergers and acquisitions. He served previously as CFO of the publicly held Citibank subsidiary Student Loan Corporation and in managerial positions with Mellon Bank, Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac.

New master’s degree program in international business

            Canisius College is moving rapidly toward the launch of a new master’s degree program in international business. Designed to reach farther than ever beyond the confines of the classroom, it will enable students to take business courses abroad and  acquire direct, practical experience working with companies in emerging economies. A two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education is underwriting development of the curriculum, which will provide a more intensive experience than the existing international business concentration in our general MBA degree program.

            Among the opportunities we envision: a package that combines course work abroad and involvement with companies in such countries as Vietnam and Korea. David Snyder, PhD, associate professor of management and marketing, has taught in Vietnam, a country that was singled out recently by PricewaterhouseCoopers as potentially “the fastest mover” in the world’s emerging economies. Ji-Hee Kim, PhD, associate professor of management and marketing, is investigating the feasibility of establishing a similar program in Korea, where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees before serving as international project coordinator for Johns Hopkins University.

            In a reverse arrangement, back on the Canisius campus in the spring of 2009, Ronald Rivas, PhD, assistant professor of management and marketing, will teach Management 101—in Spanish. Rivas earned both his undergraduate degree and MBA in Peru before completing a doctoral degree at UCLA. His fluency and international business experience will give our students an unparalleled introduction to the business models of South America.

We also anticipate the creation of projects that will partner students in the program with companies in the developing markets of Peru, Chile, Argentina, and other nations.

            The MBA in International Business is just one way in which the Richard J. Wehle School of Business continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of both the global marketplace and the students who are preparing to manage it. By designing new courses and degree programs, updating content, and introducing new experiences to the curriculum, we’re better preparing our students for today’s corporate world. That’s one of many reasons we’ve earned a place on the 2008 U.S. News & World Report list of the nation’s best graduate business schools.

            Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to unveil our newest graduate business degree program. For further information, contact Laura McEwen, director of Graduate Business Programs, at mcewenl@canisius.edu or 716-888-2142.

Coral Snodgrass, Ph.D.

Professor, Management/Marketing

Director, International Business Programs