While completing his business degree, Jerry Wirth ’88 didn’t envision the challenges he’d face as an entrepreneur in the Baltic States. ISU empowered him to withstand corruption and build an international business that now thrives.

After connecting with fellow College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame member Mike Richard ’75, senior vice president and treasurer for McDonald’s Corporation, an international medical care project to help Latvian children was born.

The full story is available on page 8 of the Alumni Magazine http://www.cob.ilstu.edu/images/blog//IllinoisState-AlumniMagazine-vol9no4.pdf.

Johnson & Johnson Corporate vice president and CIO LaVerne Council ’86 M.B.A. returned to campus and shared the presentation “Information Technology means business: Create real wealth combining technology with business”.

Council is a member of the Illinois State University Alumni Hall of Fame and has agreed to serve as the keynote speaker for Business Week 2010 in March.

Listen to LaVerne Council share about creating real wealth combining technology with business. (mp3)

Assistant Professor Emerita Margaret Erthal received the Distinguished Service Award from the Illinois Business Education Association (IBEA). This is the most prestigious award presented by the association. Criteria include exceptional service to IBEA and an ongoing commitment to improving business education in Illinois.

Erthal also received the Outstanding Service Award presented by the Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education at their annual conference in recognition of her professional publications and significant contributions to the field of career and technical education.

Scottie Venable ‘86 FIN is a member of the Illinois State University College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame. A Managing partner for The PrivateBank, and a Lieutenant Colonel for the U.S. Army Reserves.

Venable is an expert at achieving excellence. Click here to listen to his presentation  “Focusing on the important tasks: Achieving extraordinary results with basic management and personal skills.”

Listen to presentation by Scottie Venable of The PrivateBank - “Focusing on the important tasks: Achieving extraordinary results with basic management and personal skills.” (mp3)

In this tough job market, it is vital to distinguish yourself from other qualified candidates competing for the same position. Illinois State University graduate Eric Hoss ‘87,’90 M.B.A. has spent more than 25 years studying the most effective ways for an individual to maximize the interview experience.

He is the author of “Removing Doubt in an Interview: A Better Way to get the Job you Want.” Click here to listen to the recent presentation he made at the College of Business at Illinois State University.

Listen to presentation by Eric Hoss - “Removing Doubt in an Interview: A Better Way to get the Job you Want.”. (mp3)

An Emergency Alerts channel has been added to iCampus over the summer. Emergency notifications will be sent to members of Illinois State University any time an event threatens the life or safety of those on campus. For example, an emergency notification would be sent in the event of a shooting or other violent criminal activity on campus.

Using the Emergency Alerts channel in iCampus, members of the University can review and update their contact information. Members can specify a mobile phone number, which can be used for both voice and text alerts. Students and staff can also specify a secondary phone number at which they would like to be contacted. For example, faculty and staff can enter an office phone number, and students can specify another home (land line) phone number. Members can also provide an alternate email address to be used in addition to the standard ilstu.edu email address.

Emergency alerts are sent by an emergency notification vendor with which the University has partnered. The Emergency Alerts channel in iCampus is used only to collect phone numbers and email addresses at which members of Illinois State wish to receive the notifications. This service is expected to be available during the summer of 2009.

The decision to notify campus about threatening emergencies is part of a larger initiative to provide greater security on campus. For more information, visit http://www.ilstu.edu/home/security/.