CBE Sponsored Student Fellows Initiative: Turning Students Into Business Leaders
The CBE Sponsored Student Fellows Initiative:
Highly motivated students currently are not able to find sufficient, tangible leadership development opportunities to prepare them for the interdisciplinary challenges that they face in the 21st Century business environment. Major challenges that they will face as business leaders involve shifting and rapidly growing populations, major cultural and demographic shifts, growing data analytic requirements, increasing financial burdens from a growing national debt and an aging population, the effects of climate shifts, etc.
The CBE Sponsored Student Fellows Initiative currently provides a select few students with meaningful engagement opportunities with current business leaders and Miami faculty on CBE programs that tackle a number of the challenges that will impact their lives and business careers:
CBE Initiatives that CBE Student Fellows have helped develop and deliver in past years include:
- The Annual Executive Conference that brings together a diverse group of faculty and students from various majors with professionals from a variety of industries with backgrounds in strategy, risk managements, and sustainability
- The CBE/Duke Energy Inter-University Case Competition that features interdisciplinary students from multiple universities competing in a new product development case involving energy usage by consumers
- The CBE/KPMG Curriculum Development Initiative in which faculty create course modules across a variety of topics that integrate subjects across university divisions and majors that tie back to integrity, leadership, and transparency
- The CBE Beta Alpha Psi Sustainability Reporting Initiative, in which CBE Student Leaders work with members of the Beta Alpha Psi honorary organization to help Miami University faculty and administrators working to gather data and create the University’s first sustainability reports that are compliant with a number of university and external organization reporting criteria.
- The CBE Student Leadership Development Experience (SLDE), which is a program involving highly-motivated students within the Farmer School. CBE Student Leaders helped create and define this initiative that provides a number of engagement opportunities for students to have meaningful interaction with business leaders via on-campus and off-campus events.
Quotes from Past Fellows:
Melanie Smith
Class of 2014: Major: Supply Chain Management & Operations; Mathematics & Statistics
“I was initially drawn to the Center for Business Excellence because of the exceptionally high caliber of students that had worked and participated in their activities. I was impressed by the diversity of events and opportunities to interact with executives, something that I had limited exposure to in the past. What I did not realize was how much I could grow both personally and professionally from my opportunities from the center and executives. From talking with executives on a weekly basis in an informal conversational setting, I have gained invaluable insight into leadership and management that I would not have been exposed to were it not for the CBE.”
Alicia Gresla
Class of 2013: BS in Finance & Economics
Employer: Royal Bank of Scotland, Stamford CT
“Coming from an academic background focused on Finance and Economics, working for the Center for Business Excellence was an incredible opportunity to expand my understanding of business as a whole and learn what it means to be leader within a dynamic world. Working with students with majors in Accounting, Marketing and Supply Chain & Operations broadened my perspective on how to approach topics such as sustainability and regulatory risk, and has made me a more conscious member of the business community.”
Bryce Duke
Class of 2013: BS in Finance
Employer: J.P. Morgan Chase, New York
“The Center for Business Excellence has been one of the defining experiences of my four years as a Farmer School of Business student at Miami University. The focus and mission of the organization has provided me with powerful examples of long-term strategic thinking through direct interactions with humble and talented company executives of various backgrounds during networking sessions and countless engaging discussion panels. I am excited to witness the continued growth and transformation of the organization to allow more students and business leaders to experience the profound life lessons and genuine deep relationships I gained as a student.”
Ania Furmanava
Class of 2014: Major: Accounting & Finance; Minor: Information Systems & Analytics; Masters in Accountancy
Class of 2015: Masters in Accountancy
Employer: Ernst & Young, Chicago
“It is an honor to work with the CBE. Students who work with the CBE are talented, friendly, and professional. Each person brings a different perspective to the table, so we learn a lot from each other as we help to lead Center initiatives. Being a part of the CBE gives me the chance to pack fun, learning, team building, networking and meeting global CEOs into one unique experience. Working for the CBE inspires me with new insights that I can apply to my future career. I couldn't wish for a better opportunity to develop my professional and business skills and to meet so many competent people who are able to help me make the right decisions in my life.”