UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business

Thank you Liautaud Graduate Finance Interest Network for getting involved and taking action! Because of the students at UIC and your votes, we celebrate Professor Nitish Sinha for his outstanding teaching and commitment to UIC Liautaud graduate candidates.

Dr. Michael Pagano, Interim Dean of the UIC College of Business Administration, presents Dr. Nitish Sinha with the 2011 - 2012 Favorite MBA Professor Award.

Congratulations Professor Sinha, Official Winner of the 2011 - 2012 Favorite MBA Professor at the UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business!

Dr. Nitish Sinha, Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Illinois at Chicago, accepts Award as 2011 - 2012 Favorite MBA Professor.

We hope that Professor Sinha continues his exemplary instruction and interaction with the Masters of Business Administration Finance candidates at UIC LGSB. GFIN also extends a hearty thanks and appreciation to all the professors of finance who teach us the theory and application of investments, corporate finance and risk management.

Top-rate professors and student leaders of University of Illinois at Chicago, Liautaud Graduate School of Business, gather for Faculty Appreciation Luncheon.

With the application deadline approaching, we would like to remind you to submit your completed application if you have not already done so. We are very excited about the quality of applicants admitted to our program for the Fall 2012 semester and hope that you will join this group of exceptional students.

Applications will be accepted until June 15^th, 2012. However, the priority deadline is May, 15^th 2012. The priority deadline increases an applicant’s chances for both scholarship awards and admission. Keep in mind that many qualified applicants apply to Liautaud’s graduate programs and seats in the class fill up quickly.

Any questions can be directed to lgsb@uic.edu.

Check out one of the billboard sightings of UIC Liautaud ads along the CTA lines...can you guess which other CTA stops have Liautaud ads?  Send us a snap shot at uicbiz@uic.edu  if you see one or "tag" us on your Facebook page!

 Congratulations to Jacky Margarito, UIC undergraduate student, for being recognized as a National Student Employment Week All Star for providing outstanding service in support of the Liautaud Graduate School of Business program office at Douglas Hall.

Click here to learn more about UIC's National Student Employment Week:  http://www.uic.edu/depts/st_empl/NSEW.shtml

Thank you to Jill Kozeluh for contributing this post. 

On Saturday, March 3^rd, Liautaud MBA students and UIC Net Impact members toured Plant Chicago, a local non-profit committed to “promoting sustainable food production, entrepreneurship and building reuse through education, research and development.”  UIC alum John Edel, owner of the Chicago Sustainable Manufacturing Center, transformed this 93,500 square foot retired meatpacking facility into a net-zero energy vertical farm, part food-business incubator, and educational center on sustainable business practices.  The Plant currently leases space to several local businesses, including a bakery, a beer brewery, and a fermented tea brewery.

During the tour students learned more about aquaponics, a sustainable food production system where fish and plants grow together in a closed water loop system.  Students surveyed the several barrels of tilapia fish and rows of plants involved in this re-circulating system.  The fish and vegetables will be sold to local restaurants and farmer markets for a profit.

Tour leader explaining the building transformation process.

Students also learned how waste from each business will be used as food for another business at the Plant.  For example, waste generated by the New Chicago Beer Co. will be directed back into the system to feed the tilapia fish while waste generated by the tilapia will be fed to the mushrooms.  These businesses work together to improve the environment while also creating new, green jobs in Chicago. 

Keeping the plants warm to grow.

This great looking, eco-friendly arugula could end up on your dinner plate!!

Plant Chicago provided MBA students with another positive example of how it is possible to use business to create a more environmentally sustainable world.

UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business

Master of Business Administration

On March 1st, the Liautaud Graduate School of Business student organizations including GFIN (Graduate Finance Interest Network), GMARK (Graduate Marketing Association), Net Impact, and the MBA Association organized a fun social outing after Thursday night classes.  After class, students gathered to enjoy drink specials and satisfy their appetites with HUGE sandwiches at Lucky's Sandwich Co.  

Hanging out with friends and relaxing after class!

Before the Lucky's Challenge begins!

The sandwiches at Lucky's are stacked high with meat, condiments, coleslaw and french fries!!  Their food has been featured on Travel Channel's Man vs. Food program for the "Lucky's Challenge" where patrons attempt to finish 3 of their sandwiches plus fries in under an hour.  According to their website, 1500 people have attempted this challenge but less than 100 have succeeded. 

Want a bite???

One of our own Liautaud students, Jocelyn Mohr, decided to go all in for the Lucky's Challenge!

Joceyln was able to finish 2 and 1/2 sandwiches---AMAZING---especially on a full stomach from her dinner an hour before!

Our evening at Lucky's was a great way to blow of steam from studying for midterms and connect with our friends, both old and new. 

Make sure to come out to the Moving Business to Act Benefit Social on Friday, March 30th!!  Check out further details for this event at: www.MBAeventsChicago.com

Masters of Business Administration

Liautaud Graduate School of Business

Thank you to INFORMS Student Chapter, UIC for contributing this post.

INFORMS – UIC chapter kicked off 2012 with a “Bowling event” for MIS  (Master of Science in Management Information Systems) students and alumni.  The event started with a networking session with the alumni and professors. The air was nostalgic for the alumni, as they met the current students, and shared advice regarding future career and professional prospects. Alumni also shared their university experience with the students, which was informative and fun to hear. Professor Ranga and Professor Sid also joined in the festive atmosphere with alumni and students.

Going for a strike!!

Networking with fellow students and alumni.

The bowling event started at 6:00pm, and everyone was prepped for the event in their bowling gear. The alumni and students formed teams of 5 – 6 players.  It was finally the time that everyone was waiting for…. spins, spares and strikes were all that mattered now!!  The evening was amazing – networking, making new friends, and enjoying the bowling competition with great pizzas & sodas!

The INFORMS team would like to thank the alumni who took time out of their busy schedule to join and interact with the students. We would also like to thank Professor Ranga and Professor Sid for joining us for this great event.    INFORMS- UIC Chapter looks forward to bringing more fun packed social events to the students this year!

Liautaud Graduate School of Business

Masters of Business Administration

Thank you to Adrienne Nadeau for contributing this post.

On February 18^th, the Community Action Team packed the kitchen of the Lincoln Park Community Shelter to cook and serve a hot lunch to those in need. Ten talented LGSB volunteers prepared baked turkey and cheese panini sandwiches, salad, tomato soup, and brownies with the efficiency of any Chicago restaurant . . . Ok, ok, the meal might not have been worthy of a Michelin star, but everyone loved the delicious spread!

 Hard at work making soup and turkey paninis!

GMARK board members baking for a good cause.

Nilay and Nirmal stirring up some tasty brownies!

When the kitchen got too full, volunteers spread out and folded clothes and chatted with residents -- a first for the Community Action Team events and a testament to the students' desire to participate in charitable activities.  After cleaning up, the volunteers chatted over lunch. 

Thanks again to all of the students that stopped by the Lincoln Park Community Shelter!

Student Volunteers: Michael Wallace, Scott Green, Nirmal Mahroon, Kristen Perhach, Lucy Skultetyova, Kathryn Grover, Laila Nabhan, Nilay Shah, Adrienne Nadeau,  Sophia Bamiatzis, Landon Kelly, and Vivex Voonna.  It was a fantastic event and the hard work was appreciated.

Please check out the LGSB Calendar to register for upcoming Community Action Team Events!

UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business

Master of Business Administration

Thank you to INFORMS Student Chapter, UIC for contributing this post.

“Staying employable in prevailing economic scenario”

A Guest Lecture by Ed Earl, CIO , Littelfuse Inc.

Organizers - INFORMS Student Chapter, UIC 

As winter paves way for spring, Nature is all set for casting its rejuvenating spell on us after a hibernating slumber. With Spring looming around the corner, means it is the season for job and internship hunting! With companies going all out to recruit the best in the academia a student feverishly edits his resume: looking back at his life to add to the bullet list which might catch the eye of a recruiter at the career fair the next day.

I’m sure we are all going through this phase where career has taken center stage. Looking for internships or full time jobs can be taxing from a student standpoint, especially not knowing what it takes to make the cut. It was therefore an opportune moment to listen to Ed Earl, CIO of Littelfuse Inc. deliver a guest lecture on  “How to stay competitive in the job market with the current economic conditions‟  on Friday, February 17^th.   Mr. Earl brings with him more than 20 years of IT industry experience, serving as the IT Director at Allied International before joining Littelfuse.  Ed is a wonderful supporter of  the Liautaud Graduate School of Business and takes a special interest in INFORMS activities.

The event started out at 6.00 pm in Douglas Hall.  After a brief introduction to Ed by an INFORMS Student Volunteer, Ed then introduced himself and started his lecture to the group with a question:  “What is your career objective?”

Responses from audience varied with “Consultant”, “Data Analyst”, “To be in Healthcare IT”, and “Business Analyst”.    Ed replied “When I was at that juncture all I wanted was a job!!!”

The light hearted ice breaker set the conversational tone for the evening, engaging the audience to discuss their concerns with finding a job by establishing a comfortable zone. Topics of discussion covered the entire spectrum of necessary aspects of a job search including the use of social media like  LinkedIn and Facebook to understand how they are used by employers and how they can be used by applicants to broaden their network.  Also covered was the importance of practicing the interview with as many recruiters as possible in career fairs, information sessions, and through the Liautaud Career Services resources.  Ed also spoke extensively on the need to develop communication skills and to be able to work as part of a team for  career growth.  He discussed the importance of mentorship, how to break the  ice in an interview,  and how to assess a company from an employment perspective while negotiating a quality compensation package.  Through this conversation, Ed invited questions from the audience and provided real life examples in his answers.

Students learned beneficial information and gained an understanding of how recruiters think, how to get that first interview, and how to shape your career.  The guidance given by a CIO provided a unique and invaluable perspective.  

Mr. Ed Earl- CIO Littelfuse Inc.

Among the attendees were Professor Ramaprasad, Head of IDS Department at Liautaud,  and Jeff Wilson, the newly appointed Liautaud Career Services Director.  After an eventful and engrossing ninety minute conversation,  the session concluded with much thanks from INFORMS followed by a presentation of a memento to Ed by Professor Ram.  INFORMS capped off the event with an informal networking session over pizzas, snacks and refreshments.

Learn more about Ed Earl here [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ed-earl/6/65/36b].

Thank you to Dominic Blank for contributing this post.

UIC Tech Ventures Team NovoView Diagnostics won 2nd prize at University of Louisville's Cardinal Challenge this past weekend.  Twelve semi-finalist were invited to compete, chosen from over a hundred businesses that applied from all over North-America. According to the competition director, more than 20 medical device ventures competed for a starting spot, making NovoView's track the most competitive among all with an all-time peak in medical related applications. 

The Brown-Forman Cardinal Challenge represents a prestigious, global academic competition with real-world opportunities and consequences designed to stimulate and reward innovative thinking and entrepreneurial persistence. As a regional qualifying event for the international “Super Bowl” of business plan events, Venture Labs Investment Competition (formerly Moot Corp.) , the University of Louisville Brown-Forman Cardinal Challenge showcases new business concepts presented by MBA and graduate students from 12 of the country’s leading university entrepreneurship programs, including UofL. The teams compete for more than $30,000 in prize money by presenting their concepts to a panel of judges comprised of venture capitalists, angel investors and successful entrepreneurs from three states. 

NovoView's team consisting of Liautaud MBA students Michelle Lynn Shah, Joseph Sheahan and Dominic Blank won $5,000 in prize-money. What the team finds most valuable is the feedback received by distinguished judges and the networking opportunities offered by participating in regional competitions. The team is now looking forward to further develop their company while attending additional competitions in California, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois and Canada.

Winners Brown-Forman Cardinal Challenge: 

• FIRST - SpatiaLink, University of Arkansas
• SECOND - NovoView Diagnostics, University of Illinois at Chicago
• THIRD - Escapaide, University of Texas - Austin
• FOURTH - Emerald Algae Solutions, University of Oregon

Listen to an interview with the UIC team: http://cardinalchallenge.tumblr.com/tagged/cardchallenge/page/2

Congratulations to the NovoView Diagnostics team for placing so well in this competition!!

uic Liautaud Graduate School of Business 

Master of Business Administration

Thank you to Sophia Bamiatzis for contributing to this post.

On Friday, February 10th the Graduate Marketing Association (GMARK) and Net Impact joined forces to host Conscious Communication: Marketing for NonProfit and Sustainable Organizations at the UIC Innovation Center.  Although weather conditions were less than favorable, those that "weathered the storm" were able to gain valuable insight on the practices and pressures associated with marketing for this unique sector.

UIC's very own Professor Cheryl Nakata served as our moderator, and Panelists included representatives from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Chicago Slam Works, Mightybytes and Greenerdealz.com.  Whether their company has been in business for 6 months, or over 60 years, each panelist was able to provide our attendees with an insider's view to their marketing strategies.  For example, nonprofit marketing often requires selling an intangible emotion or feeling that may not have a physical product to back it up.  As a result, it is important to communicate an experience and use tools such as testimonials from reputable parties to deliver a message.

Attendees also learned about a new type of company called a "B" Corporation.  One of the participants, Mightybytes, is one of eleven "B" Corporations in Illinois.  A "B" Corporation legally incorporates into the organization a focus on the triple bottom line (people, planet, and profit).  Certified B corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and environment. These are companies that seek to affect positive social change by putting social and environmental responsibility at the heart of their corporate structure, and are still a for-profit organization.

Our panelists also had some words of wisdom to share with our audience including the importance of diversifying oneself with writing, marketing and technical skills, all of which are vital to be successful in the realm of marketing.  In addition, we learned that solid marketing for a cause includes creating a transformative experience and being very creative with limited resources.

After the panel concluded, attendees had the opportunity to mingle and network with our panelists as well as with their peers and other guests.  GMARK and Net Impact would like to once again thank our panelists as well as all of our guests in attendance.  With your continued support, we hope to continue to bring high quality events to our peers here at UIC.

Professor Cheryl Nakata starting off the question session with panelists.

Panelists:  Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Mightybytes,  Greenerdealz.com, Chicago Slam Works

Alumni enjoying the panel event.  Thank you for coming!

GMARK & Net Impact Board Members

Networking with fellow students

Networking with panelists

UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business

Master of Business Administration

Keywords:  Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, Social Innovation, Social Value Creation, Social Innovation & Leadership

Thank you to Liz Peschges for contributing this post.

On a late night in January, the temperature was predicted to be about 30 degrees so we decided to make a healthy and hearty batch of three-bean enchilada chili for the Night Ministry patrons. Of course, it’s impossible to eat chili without cornbread so we made sure to bring a few dozen home made muffins to top it off.  The group of volunteers got together around 8pm on Saturday night and met in Liz’s apartment to get started chopping and cooking. We had stations set up for chopping, sautéing, stewing the chili, and of course mixing and baking the muffins. For dessert we picked up a variety pack of Oreo cookies and let the patrons pick their favorites. 

Once we arrived at Wicker Park and met up with the Night Ministry van we set up the table and began to see a lot of familiar faces. Everyone loved the food. We had a lot of laughs, took a lot of photos, had our photos taken, and one of the regular patrons showed off his impressive gymnastic skills. His display of flexibility sparked a small talent show, which included a few difficult yoga poses and a small dance-off.

Once again, we had a great time seeing familiar faces and we met a lot of interesting people from all walks of life. The patrons did have one small request for next time: Spaghetti and Meatballs!

Since 1976, The Night Ministry, a non-denominational, non-profit organization, has served Chicago’s most vulnerable. The Night Ministry compassionately provides housing, health care, outreach, spiritual care, and social services to adults and youth who struggle with homelessness, poverty and loneliness. 

Hard at Work Making Dinner!

Thank you to Student Volunteers: Nilay Shah,Vivek Voonna,  Liz Peschges, Shelly Hennig, Jocelyn Mohr, Beth Schinoff, Lucia Skultetyova, and Liz Pisney

Serving the Night Ministry patrons a delicious dinner in the chilly weather.

 UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business

Master of Business Administration

On January 28^th, over forty students participated in the Spring 2012 UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business Assurance of Learning case competition event. This all day event tests your business acumen, as you prepare for case interviews and network with company reps and Liautaud alums. 

The AACSB, the accrediting organization of business schools, has initiated a requirement that all accredited schools measure the outcomes of their programs to assure that the schools are meeting their educational goals. UIC Liautaud has developed an assessment center culminating in a case competition. All Master's degree students are invited to participate in this event which students found both valuable and enjoyable last fall.

The day started with writing an individual analysis of a short business case. This was followed by working with a four to five person team to prepare a presentation for the case analysis. During lunch and through the afternoon, students were able to network with company reps and Liautaud alums who judged the event.  The afternoon included team presentations of each case analysis with question and answer sessions, and feedback from the judges.

Working hard on the team analysis and presentation!

Presenting to the Judges.

Gaining valuable feedback from the Judges.

Congratulations to the winning teams!!

Team Green Seat Winners: Zhaodong Wang, Hong Zhang, Jun Wang, Vivekanandan Thangamani  

 Team Play It Safe Winners: Sen Ye, Alan Leon, Ying Zhang, Qi Wang, Yiming Jiang

 Team Preserve the Luxury Winners: Aswin Thiyagarajan, Samuel Marder, Jue Cheng, Yijie Zhang

Thank you to all the Liautaud students, Alumni Judges, and Faculty who participated in making the event a success!! 

Participating UIC Liautaud Alumni Judges:

• Ikram Bokhari – Delivery Manager, Panduit
• Don Drews – President, Courageous Marketing
• Anthony Gargiulo, Jr. – VP of Human Relations, formerly with The Pampered Chef
• Stephanie Hagglund – Associate Director, Thomson Reuters
• Lisa Koengeter – Associate Director Chicago Programs, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
• Brian Martindale – Owner, Gallendale, Inc.
• Oscar Trevizo – Product Manager, Alcatel-Lucent
• Lez Trujillo – Transformation Project Manager, Chicago Public Schools
• Elizabeth Weidenaar–  Client Development Manager, Lipman Hearne

Participating UIC Faculty:

• Mark Shanley, Professor and Associate Dean
• Christopher Barlow, Clinical Assistant Professor

The Assurance of Learning case competition is held once per semester and we look forward to having all LGSB students participate in future events. 

If you have any questions about this event, please contact the LGSB programs office or email LGSBGA@uic.edu.

 Master of Business Administration

In early February, the Liautaud Graduate School of Business student organizations including GFIN (Graduate Finance Interest Network), GMARK (Graduate Marketing Association), Net Impact, and the MBA Association organized a fun social outing after Thursday night classes.  

At around 8:45 pm, students gathered for drinks and snacks at Haymarket Pub & Brewery.  It was a great way to spend some time with our fellow students, connecting after the holiday break as well as welcoming new students that started classes in the Spring term.  Graduate school can be demanding but you have to take time to enjoy the adventure and create long-lasting friendships along the way. 

Make sure to come out to the next social after class on Thursday, March 1!

These pictures are from the After Class Winter Social at Haymarket Pub.

Some of the wonderful ladies of Liautaud!

Enjoying the break from classes together.

Done studying for the night!

Creating lifelong friendships at Liautaud.  Special Thank You to Zac for planning this event!

 UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business

MBA Business Administration

On January 11th the Innovation Incubator had its first meeting of the Spring 2012 semester. Special guest and globally recognized innovation thought leader Praveen Gupta, guest lecturer at UIC and Director of IIT Center for Innovation Science and Application, gave an informative talk on a learnable and powerful framework for innovation called Brinnovation™.  More than 25 students, alumni and professors attended the event. Besides the College of Business, representatives from the School of Public Health as well as Architecture and The Arts came to join the meeting. 

In the second half of the session, all attendees engaged in an exercise on ideation, creativity and innovation where randomly selected teams turned every day items into innovative products of the future. Those products had to be described and presented to the rest of the group by sketching out the solution on a white board along with their respective team members. This drawing was then presented in a quick 90 second elevator pitch. 

As a teaser for the upcoming Innovation Incubator meeting on February 8th, three teams of students and alumni gave yet another 90 second elevator pitch introducing their innovative and interestingly sounding venture ideas. Those pitches will be elaborated out in more detail as part of 10 minute presentations followed by a 5 minute Q&A conducted by all meeting attendees. 

As a side note: The executive board members briefly highlighted the current status of the Innovation Incubator. The latter will soon be its own and independent student organization and is thus looking for pro-active and talented students who want to join the team for leadership roles in communication, succession and planning. The Innovation Incubator and its leadership team invite all interested innovators to come out to the next meeting on  February 8 at 4:30pm in the UIC Innovation Center.  

Keywords:  UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business, Entrepreneurship, Innovation