WGLT Air Date: 3/27/09
Run time: 4:44

The head of Chicago’s largest independent financial services firm says government should be able to control executive bonuses for companies that receive publicly-funded bailouts. WGLT’s

Willis Kern has more with Jim Tyree, CEO of Mesirow Financial in advance of his appearance in Normal next week. Tyree, an ISU graduate, speaks at 2:00 pm Wednesday, April 1st at Braden Auditorium in the ISU Bone Student Center.

Listen to Willis Kern’s Interview (mp3)

Listen to Tyree discuss Governor Quinn’s tax proposals.

Tyree talks about business ethics reforms and his own rags to riches story.

Members of our various Advisory Councils, our corporate partners and recruiters consistently tell us that students entering the work force must have soft skills that compliment all they are mastering through coursework. They know Illinois State’s College of Business students are very well-prepared academically, but have asked that we continue helping our graduates develop skills that truly differentiate them from other candidates competing for the same positions.

The array of events that comprise Business Week 2009 are designed specifically to build these competencies and truly capture the spirit of Educating Illinois. They also provide valuable opportunities for alumni and external partners to get connected and hear the perspectives of top business leaders from across the nation. The Business Week 2009 brochure has all the details you’ll need.

http://www.cob.ilstu.edu/pdfs/business_week_brochure09.pdf

We all have great intentions of getting together with college friends but time slips by, professional obligations and family responsibilities require our time…you know how it is. The Illinois State College of Business Alumni Network (COBAN) can help.Step 1 – Quickly find former classmates.If the contact information you have for a fellow graduate is out-of-date, use the free Find-a-Friend service offered by Alumni Relations http://www.alumni.ilstu.edu/connect/findfriend_form.shtml. At that same site you’ll also find the online Illinois State University Alumni Directory.Step 2 – Make a DateWe have two upcoming opportunities where you can network with friends and fellow COB alumni.April 1st - 2:00 p.m.Braden Auditorium, Bone Student CenterJim Tyree, Chairman and CEO of Mesirow Financial will talk about the 4 cornerstones of business and personal success as the keynote speaker for Business Week 2009.  Mr. Tyree and the Business Week 2009 Team are hosts for a 3 p.m. networking reception in Old Main immediately following the keynote presentation. The afternoon events are sponsored by Mesirow Financial.Register online at www.illinoisstatealumni.org/ccon/events.do by choosing the calender for April. Or ou may also call Alumni Relations at (800) 366-4478, or register by e-mail natread@ilstu.edu by March 27.April 30th  - 4:30-6:30 p.m.Chicago Marriott Downtown Hotel, 540 North Michigan AvenueJoin COB leaders, alumni and industry partners for a Chicagoland after-hours networking reception. This event is sponsored by State Farm and Nicor Gas.Register online at www.illinoisstatealumni.org/ccon/events.do by choosing the calender for April. Or  you may also call Alumni Relations at (800) 366-4478, or register by e-mail natread@ilstu.edu by April 27.If you need special accommodation to fully participate in these events, please call Alumni Relations at (800) 366-4478.Make sure you receive future COBAN and COB communications by updating your contact information at https://www.illinoisstatealumni.org/ccon/my_profile.do.You can communicate directly with other COBAN members through the online professional networking service LinkedIn. It just takes a few moments to create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. There is no fee for the basic service. Use the following link http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/130547 to join the Illinois State University College of Business Alumni Network.If you have questions about COBAN or would like to opt out of future communications, contact Amy Humphreys, Assistant to the Dean for Constituent Relations alhumph@ilstu.edu.

Since 2005, students and faculty members in Illinois State’s Export Project have been helping Illinois companies expand into overseas markets. International business professor Iris Varner says the Export Project is a great benefit for companies and provides students with valuable international business and marketing experience.

   Listen to Dr. Varner’s speak about Illinois State’s Export Project (mp3)

Jack North, retired Senior Executive Vice President of Financial Services, State Farm will be presenting on March 25, 2009 from 3:30 - 4:45 pm in COB 139.  The topic of his presentation will be “The Art of Leadership”

The presentation is sponsored by the Management and Quantitative Methods Department and Organizational Leadership Club.

Jack North retired in 2007 as a senior executive vice president for State Farm Insurance Companies. North’s State Farm career began in 1981 when he was appointed as an agent in western Pennsylvania. He was promoted to agency manager in suburban Pittsburgh and agency director in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

North and his family moved to Bloomington in 1992 when he was named executive assistant in the president’s office. North was appointed deputy regional vice president in the Illinois Office of State Farm in Bloomington and soon after became regional vice president. In 1998 North was asked to join the president’s office as a senior vice president. He had numerous responsibilities during his nine years in the president’s office/chairman’s council, retiring as a member of the office of the chairman.

North served on several non-profit boards. He is currently a board member of the Timber Pointe Charitable Foundation and a member of the foundation board at Second Presbyterian Church in Bloomington. North is the president of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame board of directors, a reflection of his long time commitment to advancing women’s athletics. He remains an avid Redbird fan.

Jack earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his master’s degree in education from Slippery Rock State University. His commitment to the insurance industry is also reflected in his CLU and CHFC designations.

For alumni, students and faculty with a human resource management concentration, the value of the ISU brand has achieved a new level of distinction. ISU was recently recognized as one of just 37 traditional undergraduate programs across the world to meet the demanding curriculum and educational standards set forth by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Representing more than 250,000 members in over 140 countries, SHRM is the world’s largest professional association devoted to human resource management.

“Certification by SHRM is a significant accomplishment for our HR program and for the Department of Management and Quantitative Methods,” said Professor and MQM Chairperson, Jim Jawahar. “Being among a select group of schools recognized for effectively covering the HR body of knowledge reinforces the value of our program in a powerful way. “

Jawahar credits the achievement to the dedication of the HR faculty members, former MQM Chair John Lust, and particularly, to the efforts of Dr. Joseph Goodman, Assistant Professor of Management, for leading this important initiative.

In 2006 SHRM’s Academic Initiative was created to clarify and define HR education standards within university business schools. The standards serve as a means to assist program development and more importantly, to clarify an agreed upon set of general competencies HR students at the undergraduate and graduate levels should master.

For more information about Illinois State University’s human resource management program, contact
Professor Jim Jawahar, Chair of the Department of Management and Quantitative Methods or visit the department’s website at http://www.cob.ilstu.edu/mqm/index.shtml.

A current list of schools recognized by SHRM can be viewed at http://www.shrm.org/Education/hreducation/Pages/universities.aspx

Financial Management Association (FMA) and Illinois State Alumni in Finance (ISAF) lunch and panel discussion.

You are invited to the second annual ISAF alumni network and FMA student organization luncheon and panel discussion on Friday, April 17, 2009.

Time:  11:00AM to 1:00PM - lunch and socializing
1:00PM to 3:00PM - panel discussion

Location: Old Country Buffet - 551 E. Roosevelt Road, Lombard, IL (lunch costs $7.99 + tax, price as of 2/23/09)

Please RSVP  by email to Joe Trefzger  - jwtrefz@ilstu.edu, ISAF steering committee secretary, Professor- FIL Department at Illinois State . Count of those attending is essential for planning. Participants will pay at the door at Old Country.

We know that in a turbulent financial environment your plans may have to change, so let us know right away if your current plan is to attend, and then let us know if a change becomes necessary later.

Our contacts list is still growing; please share news of this event with any Illinois State Alumni working in the financial world with whom you keep in touch.

The panel discussion will involve several Illinois State finance professionals Alumni speaking to the FMA students and guests on “Dealing With a Difficult Job Market.”

At the April 2008 luncheon, 14 Illinois State Alumni volunteered to form a steering committee to lay ground work for a networking organization for Illinois State alumni from all majors, who work in finance-related professions and want to network with other Illinois State Alumni in the financial world.  The 14 have developed the organization through a formal meeting, extensive e-mails, and helping to host the College of Business tent at Illinois State’s 2008 Homecoming (along with a post-game social hour.)  These ISAF steering committee members will be at the upcoming lunch to welcome other graduates and discuss our vision for a vibrant networking organization.  We will work with the new College of Business Alumni Network, but also have our own activities with the interests of finance professionals in mind.  We hope to have both Chicagoland and downstate activities as ISAF grows.  Recent turmoil in the financial markets highlights the importance of networking for people in finance-related professions.

Hope to see you in April!

ISAF Steering Committee

• Brandon Arnold (BS Finance)
• Ben Bredfeldt (BS Finance)
• Mark Brodeur (BS Finance)
• Nick Calarco (BS Finance)
• Christina Corbin (BS Finance)
• Don Curby (BS Finance)
• Conor Daly (BS Finance)
• Kevin Drucker (BS Finance)
• Graham Homberg (BS Economics)
• Alec Lance (BS Finance)
• Mike Smurt (BS Finance)
• Ben Stickley (BS Finance)
• Joe Trefzger (MBA)
• Mark Whitaker (BS Finance)

Construction continues on both the new parking deck addition and the K&R building.  While you were away during Spring Break construction fences went up for the new Chiller plant on the West side of University street across from the parking entrance to the South University Garage.  As part of this pedestrians will no longer be able to travel on the West side of University between Osage and Dale.  This will push them to cross near the temporary entrance to the parking garage, further complicating entrance and exit at this point.

This should create significant chaos during the first week as people adapt their travel paths, so please be especially careful while driving through this area.  Also as the Chiller Plant project continues there will be work that will require tearing up University Street.  More details on this will be provided when they are available.

Illinois State University’s American Marketing Association Student Chapter has been selected as the Chapter of the Year at the St. Louis Chapter AMA Conference held on February 26 - 27.  The 48th Annual conference was entitled New Frontiers of Interactive Marketing.  Dr. Jim Cox is the Faculty Advisor for the ISU Collegiate Chapter of the AMA.  Congratulations to the ISU Student Chapter of the American Marketing Association and Dr. Cox.

“Caring is a powerful business strategy” ™ — Sharon Rossmark. This highly accomplished professional certainly lives by her creed.

Sharon Rossmark ’78 never aspired to be the executive producer and creative director of an award-winning documentary, but she is now. Rossmark, who recently retired as assistant vice president of agency distribution at Allstate Insurance, began the project as a labor of love. Inspired by her father’s WWII and D-Day invasion experiences, Rossmark made multiple trips with her father to the D-Day Beaches in Normandy, France, combed through archival photos and conducted numerous interviews that formed the heart of the documentary in which her father appeared.

David Brown served in the US Army from January 1943 to December 1945, assigned to the 490th Port Battalion, 226 Port Company, in the European Theater. He was drafted into the army just three days after marrying Rossmark’s mother. Brown was one of the first and few African-Americans to land on Utah Beach during the D-Day invasion and memories of the ferocious battle remain vivid in his mind yet today. Excerpts from “David Brown’s D-Day, the Story of a WWII Veteran” were included in the Emmy Award winning program “A Distant Shore, African Americans of D-Day,” shown on The History Channel.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think our documentary would lead to my father receiving an Emmy Award and being recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Academy,” said Rossmark.

Sharon Rossmark will soon enjoy some well-deserved recognition of her own when she receives the College of Business Hall of Fame Service Award for her long-standing dedication to the College and its mission. The award will be presented on April 2 as part of Business Week 2009.