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Business Today
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 Two $10,000 Prizes for Boomer Competition
Tuesday, Apr. 29, 2008
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Santa Clara, CA – Entries for the 2008 Silicon Valley Boomer Business Plan Competition, which awards two $10,000 prizes to entrepreneurs developing products and services for the 45+ market, are due May 2. (Details on how to enter the competition are at www.scuboomerventure.com/competition)
“The Silicon Valley Boomer Business Plan competition is a great forum to discuss opportunities that will greatly impact quality of life for a growing proportion of our overall population," said Jay DeKoons, a partner in Highland Capital Partners and one of this year’s judges.
The Business Plan Competition is part of the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit, a one-day conference that brings together innovators in the 45+ market, including venture capitalists and investors, corporate strategists, marketing experts and entrepreneurs. The event, scheduled for June 17 in Santa Clara, is co-produced by the Executive Development Center at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business and Mary Furlong & Associates, a consulting firm that focuses on the 45+ market.
“With the tumult in the economy, how the boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) address their futures is ripe for innovation,” said Furlong, author of Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace. She added that in addition to the boomers themselves, there are millions of younger people who will be caregivers for elderly parents.
“I don’t think the innovation that’s needed to serve a global aging society will come out of government,” she said. “It will require the inspiration of talented venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, as well as the best efforts of our educational institutions.”
Last year, executive summaries for more than 60 plans were submitted to the Boomer competition from around the U.S. plus eight other countries, including Egypt, Germany, India, Israel, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Past participants say the competition provides invaluable feedback, exposure and networking opportunities, in addition to the cash prizes.
All entrants receive feedback on their executive summary submissions. Semifinalist plans are reviewed by venture capitalists and industry experts. Finalists will present their plans to a panel of judges during the Boomer Venture Summit this summer.
The judges select the winners in a health category and one in the general category. Finalists also may be selected to present their business plans to the Screening Committee of the Band of Angels, Silicon Valley’s oldest seed-funding organization (www.bandangels.com).
In addition to DeKoons, finalist judges for the business plan competition include Carol Anderson, vice president of the American Society on Aging; James P. Firman, Ed.D., president and CEO of the National Council on Aging; Don Jones, vice president of business development at Qualcomm; Nancy U. Kamei, senior director at Intel Capital; Ladan Manteghi, president of the AARP Global Network; Scott Moonly of Johnson & Johnson Development Group; Emilio Pardo, chief brand officer at the AARP; Barry Z. Posner, Ph.D., Dean of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University; Simmi Singh of Converge Partners and Vance Vanier, M.D., Mohr Davidow Ventures.
About the co-producers
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University has nationally ranked undergraduate, MBA and Executive MBA programs. It is considered one of the premier programs for Silicon Valley’s working professionals, who make up more than 80 percent of its 1,100 MBA students. Founded in 1926, it was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. For more information, please visit www.scu.edu/business
Mary Furlong & Associates is a team of business innovators in the fields of marketing, editorial, business, online content and community focusing on the 45+ market. Furlong, a Dean’s Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, previously founded SeniorNet and ThirdAge Media. Her latest book, Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace, was published in 2007. For more information, please visit www.maryfurlong.com
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MBA Programs move up in national rankings
Friday, Mar. 28, 2008
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SANTA CLARA, CA - March 28, 2008 - Two well regarded MBA programs in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University moved up in the annual assessment of graduate business education, published by U.S. News & World Report. The Evening MBA program is #13 in the nation among degree programs for working professionals, up from #14 on last year's list. The newer Executive MBA program rose to #19, from #21 in 2007.
"Both the Evening MBA and Executive MBA programs develop men and women who provide leadership in global organizations," said Barry Z. Posner, dean of the School of Business and professor of leadership. "These rankings are more evidence that our reputation is growing outside our region as well."
Assistant Dean of Graduate Business Programs Elizabeth Ford agreed. "Employers throughout our region know the Santa Clara University MBA represents a real-world business education that enables our alumni to lead with confidence, as well as compassion," she said. "Our graduates are in demand, and the U.S. News & World Report guide acknowledges this."
The Executive MBA program listing is especially sweet to School of Business leaders, as it comes as the School launches "the next generation" of the selective program. "We're moving from good to great," said Kirthi Kalyanam, faculty director of the Executive MBA, associate professor of marketing, and leader of the re-design team.
The Evening MBA program was begun in 1959 and was in the first group of MBA programs to be accredited by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB-International). The graduate business program has expanded to included the Executive MBA program, launched in 1999. In addition, the Leavey School of Business offers a M.S. in Information Systems, and began its Weekend Accelerated MBA program last fall.
The list of the best MBA programs for working professionals was released in the magazine's "America's Best Graduate Schools 2009" guidebook published today and available online at www.usnews.com . The SCU School of Business has appeared in the top 20 every year since the publication began evaluating part-time MBA programs in 1995.
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Global Social Entrepreneurs Explore Sustainable Leadership
Monday, Mar. 10, 2008
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David Green of Project Impact, Jody Ranck of Institute for the Future, and Harry Wiland, co-president and co-CEO of Media & Policy Foundation, will examine how social entrepreneurs contribute to global sustainability at the next SCU School of Business Leadership Briefing on Thursday, March 20, at 7:30 AM.
Green, a MacArthur Fellow, has been the prime mover in three successful technology transfers impacting the fields of blindness prevention and amelioration of hearing impairment.
Ranck, who has worked with microlender Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, and in Rwanda during the genocide reconstruction, is now directing the Institute for the Future efforts in forming a global health and development center.
Wiland, executive producer of the PBS project "Edens Lost & Found," is an award-winning producer and developer of multimedia courseware for PBS, and executive producer of PBS's career planning series "Change Your Job / Change Your Life."
Tickets for the event are $30, with discounts available for students. To register, visit the Leadership Briefings site (www.scu.edu/business/leadership-briefings)
The Leadership Briefings : Sustainable Leadership series features speakers whose work and insights provide business people in the Silicon Valley with information they can use in leading their organizations. The series finishes next month with two additional programs, "The Profile of a Serial Entrepreneur" and "Insider Trading Around the World."
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Executive MBA
Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008
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SANTA CLARA, CA - February 21, 2008 - Announcing a new era of MBA education, officials at Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business this morning unveiled a next generation design for its highly regarded Executive MBA program, recently ranked 21st in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
"Business leaders told us they need men and women who not only have the tools for rigorous analysis, but can develop and lead teams around the world," said Kirthi Kalyanam, director of the Executive MBA program and leader of the design team. "Actually, what our design team has achieved is to identify what the next generation of EMBA programs should look like. Our new design introduces this new era in graduate business programs."
Unique to the design is what the business school calls "Cutting Edge Immersion" experience. "This will bring students to Silicon Valley companies which are globally renowned for being on the cutting edge of business practices," noted Jennifer Taylor, director of Graduate Business Admissions for the school. "Students will work directly with key decision-makers, review the results, and debrief with corporate executives. Hence, we've shortened the learning cycle. The forward thinking management techniques taught will appear in someone's textbook several years down the road--but our students get to understand these management techniques both first-hand and first."
Elizabeth Ford, assistant dean of Graduate Business Programs for the Leavey School, said the new design places greater emphasis on global competencies throughout the curriculum. "A key component will be an international experience in the opening term," she said. "Our faculty and students will travel and study in countries with emerging economies."
The Executive MBA students admitted to the program through a highly selective screening process will begin the program in August 2008, and graduate 17 months later. For more information, contact the Graduate Business Admissions office (mbaadmissions@scu.edu or 408.554.4539) or visit www.scu.edu/emba .
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SCU School of Business Hosts Venture Capital Investment Competition
Monday, Feb. 4, 2008
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SANTA CLARA, CA - February 4, 2008 The MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection at the Leavey School of Business will host the 11th Annual Venture Capital Investment Competition Feb. 8. Santa Clara University is one of six universities participating in the Silicon Valley Regional Competition, an event that more closely resembles March Madness than a business school competition. Other schools competing include: University of Southern California; UC Irvine: Brigham Young University; University of San Francisco; and University of Washington.
"This competition is a win-win for everybody. The students get an opportunity to interact with venture capitalists and entrepreneurs while looking at real business plans. The entrepreneurs get confirmation for their business plans from top-class VCs. And VCs get an early peek at some viable deals and potential future employees," said Vinay Gaonkar, president of the MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection at Santa Clara.
The Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) is the nation's premier strategy competition for venture-minded and entrepreneurial MBA students. This competition gives students from top business schools a real-world venture capitalist experience. Unlike business plan competitions, in which contestants pitch their own ideas to investors, students participating in the VCIC play the role of investors and review pitches presented by real entrepreneurs. Students learn, entrepreneurs can connect with investors, and venture capitalists preview new products and services, while also looking at potential employees.
How the competition works:
Each student team plays the role of a venture capital firm that must go through the entire investment process that real investors experience at VC firms. Entrepreneurs present their real business plans to the teams in a 10-minute pitch outlining their business visions. This role challenges the competing students to identify and analyze critical risks in the entrepreneurs' business plans. Winnters of the regional competition have the opportunity to compete in the international finals in April.
The MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection has invited a field of distinguished investors representing top-tier firms to be judges in the competition. "Being in Silicon Valley gives Santa Clara an edge when it comes to being connected with many prominent VCs," said Gaonkar.
What: Venture Capital Investment Competition, Silicon Valley Regional
When: Friday, Feb. 8, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Who: MBA students, entrepreneurs, investors
Where: Santa Clara University, Adobe Lodge, 500 El Camino Real, CA 95053
Cost: Students $20, Alumni $25, General Public $40
Register at: www.scu.edu/business/vc-competition/
About the MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection
SCU's MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection is one of the premiere graduate student organizations within the Leavey School of Business. The Entrepreneurs' Connection strives to bring entrepreneurial minded students, alumni, faculty, and industry partners together into an environment that educates, promotes, and fosters venture startup, growth, and exit activities driven out of the Santa Clara University community. More information can be found on the MBA Entrepreneurs' Connection website: www.scunetworks-mbaec.org
About the Leavey School of Business
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1926, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business program has been recognized as one of the top 30 in the nation, and its MBA program is ranked 12th in the nation among part-time graduate programs. More than 80 percent of its 1,200 MBA students are working professionals in Silicon Valley.
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Juniper Networks CEO Speaks to Graduate Students
Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008
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SANTA CLARA, CA (January 2, 2008) -- Scott Kriens, Chairman and CEO of Juniper Networks, will speak to Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business graduate students and faculty on Tuesday, January 8, as part of the School's quarterly Leavey Lecture series.
In the series, graduate business students at Santa Clara University gather three times a year to hear business and academic leaders discuss topics of current interest. Kriens will present "From Building a Company to Creating a Community," an overview of how his organization works to, in his words "challenge people to do the impossible."
Scott Kriens has served as Juniper Networks Chairman and CEO since 1996, and has seen the company grow from early product development stage to a global company serving private, government and research enterprises with Internet Protocol (IP) platforms supporting a variety of services and applications.
A technology industry veteran, he was a co-founder of StrataCom, Inc., and served in leadership roles at Tandem Computers and Burroughs Corporation. He sits on the boards of directors for VeriSign, Inc., and Equinix, Inc.
The Leavey Lecture begins at 6:30 PM in the Mayer Theater on the Santa Clara University campus.
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Veteran Economic Forecaster Looks at 2008
Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007
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Mario Belotti Leads Next Year's Leadership Briefings Series
SANTA CLARA, CA (November 29, 2007) -- Mario Belotti, W.M. Keck Professor of Economics at Santa Clara University, will present his forecast for the national and world economy on Thursday, January 17, in two Bay Area venues as a part of the Leavey School of Business Leadership Briefings.
Belotti, who has advised Silicon Valley venture capitalistis and institutional investors for more than 35 years, will address an early morning breakfast crowd on the Santa Clara University campus, followed that evening with a dinner presentation at the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco.
Tickets for the 7:30 AM breakfast in Adobe Lodge are $30 ($20 for current SCU students; series pricing available), and $60 for the dinner ($45 for current SCU students), and can be secured online at www.scu.edu/business/leadership-briefings/
Belotti's presentation in January is the first event in the SCU School of Business 2008 Leadership Briefings series, entitled "Sustainable Leadership." The schedule includes discussions by SCU alumnus and Cisco Systems executive Howard Charney, bestselling author James Kouzes, and Meir Statman, the Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance and a leading expert in behavioral finance.
"Sustainability for business leadership is more than ensuring your company reduces its carbon footprint," said Leanna Christie, senior director of the Leavey School of Business Alumni and External Relations office, which produces the annual Leadership Briefings series. "It means developing new leaders who can mentor emerging leaders themselves. These presentations will give Bay Area managers and executives new concepts they can teach others in their own organizations."
On the 2008 Sustainable Leadership schedule are:
January 17, 2008 "Economic Outlook 2008" with Mario Belotti, W.M. Keck Professor of Economics, Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business
January 17, 2008 "Women Who Light the Dark" with Paola Gianturo, photographer
February 21, 2008 "Green Investing: Hope or Hype" with VCs from Mohr Davidow, SVT Group, Firsthand Capital Management, and Sun Power
February 21, 2008 "Sustainable Communities and Corporate Responsibilities" with Howard Charney, Cisco Systems Senior Vice President
March 10, 2008 "A Conversation About Social Justice" with an award-winning activist (to be named in January 2008)
March 20, 2008 "Changing Business for the Better" Social entrepreneurs tell how they contribute to global sustainability and economic health.
March 20, 2008 " Sustainable Leadership" with Jim Kouzes, co-author of The Leadership Challenge (with Leavey Business School Dean Barry Posner).
April 17, 2008 "Profile of a Serial Entrepreneur" with SCU alumni John Sauerland, Brad Mattson, Rich Mora, and Jorge Fernandes, moderated by Al Bruno, the William Cleary Professor of Marketing at SCU.
April 17, 2008 "Insider Trading Around the World" with Meir Statman, the Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance at SCU.
April 22, 2008 "The 'Awakened' Leader" with Almaz Negash, principal and founder of Entwine Global
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SCU Team Takes 2nd Place in International Business Competition
Monday, Nov. 5, 2007
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SANTA CLARA, CA (November 5, 2007) – A team of four Leavey School of Business undergraduates took second place in the International Business College Competition during the 81st World Trade Week in Los Angeles last weekend.
Santa Clara University seniors John Burke, Patrick Flanagan, Scott Kirk and junior Rob Harding beat out teams from University of Southern California, the University of South Carolina, and Loyola Marymount University. The Santa Clara group finished behind Villanova University, to bring home the $3,000 second prize provided by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the competition held November 1-3 on the Loyola Marymount University campus.
The 2007 event is the first time a Santa Clara University team has participated in the competition, and faculty mentor John Toppel is already planning to field another group next year. “It was a privilege to work with this group of students,” said Toppel, an Executive in Residence for the SCU School of Business undergraduate program. “These are top notch young men who will well represent Santa Clara as they move into their business careers.”
The team members enthusiastically recommend the experience as well. “It was challenging,” said Patrick Flanagan of the 24-hour competition. Flanagan, a senior with a double major in accounting and economics, with a Spanish minor, calls San Diego his hometown, and will be working for Ernst & Young in San Francisco when he graduates next June.
Senior Scott Kirk, from Santa Rosa, who is an accounting major with dual minors in mathematics and Spanish, felt the team’s success “truly reflects the strength of Santa Clara, its culture, and its faculty.” Kirk will work as a technology analyst for Bank of America’s investment banking division in San Francisco after graduation.
Accounting major John Burke of Lake Forest, Illinois, thought the competition helped him move from theory to practice. “The International Business Competition provided a unique opportunity for us to apply the skills we have learned in the classroom to a real-world scenario.” He will work for Ernst & Young in Chicago after graduation in June 2008.
Rob Harding, a junior majoring in accounting, added that the competition helped team members “apply all the skills and techniques we have developed during our time at Santa Clara.” Harding, whose hometown is Livermore, California, will intern with a Big Four accounting firm during the summer of 2008.
On Monday, SCU School of Business Dean Barry Z. Posner congratulated the team and their faculty sponsor, and noted that the SCU School of Business mission emphasizes preparation of students to work in a global economy. “Invitations to events such as the International Business College Competition are evidence that we are fulfilling our mission to prepare men and women to lead in a global business arena. That our team comes away with a prize speaks well of our students and their preparation by our faculty.”
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Economics Professor Honored by National Insurance Association
Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007
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Santa Clara, CA (October 2, 2007) - Economics Associate Professor Thomas Russell was recently presented with an award from the American Risk and Insurance Association in recognition of the lasting impact of his research on the industry.
Professor Russell was notified this week that he had received the Robert I. Mehr Award for his article “Catastrophe Insurance, Capital Markets and Uninsurable Risks,” co-authored with Dwight Jaffee [Haas School, U C Berkeley], which appeared in 1997.
The Mehr Award has been presented annually since 1995, and acknowledges the Journal of Risk and Insurance article that has “best stood the test of time.” The award is given to researchers whose work of ten years prior have been influential on the industry and subsequent researchers.
In addition to his contributions to theJournal of Risk and Insurance, Professor Russell has published more than 30 articles in the Journal of Economic Theory, American Economic Review, the Journal of International Money and Finance, and the Journal of Mathematical Economics.
Dr. Russell received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge (U.K.), his master’s from the University of California, Berkeley, and his LL.B. at the University of Glasglow (First Class Honors, Law and Economics).
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Breetwor Fellows Announced
Wednesday, Sep. 12, 2007
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SANTA CLARA, CA - Barry Z. Posner, dean of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, has announced seven new faculty recipients of the Breetwor Family Fellowships for 2007-2009, as recommended by the Business School’s department chairs.
The fellowships, which carry a $10,000 grant over two years, support faculty research and scholarly development, and are funded by an endowment established by Cheryl Breetwor, MBA ’76.
Receiving awards in the Accounting Department are Associate Professor Michael Eames, and Assistant Professor Yongtae Kim. Economics Associate Professor Michael Kevane, and Associate Professor Kris Mitchener and Assistant Professor Dongsoo Shin also received fellowships. In the Finance Department, Associate Professor George Chacko received a grant, as did OMIS Professor Stephen Smith.
The fellowships were proposed by Ms. Breetwor, founder of the equity compensation firm ShareData acquired by e*Trade in 1999, to recognize faculty members who are distinguished teacher-scholars and are making notable service contributions to the Business School, the University, and their disciplines.
Since the inception of the Breetwor Family Fellowships in 2000, more than 30 tenured and tenure-track faculty have been named Breetwor Fellows.
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Graduate Students & Faculty Leave for Asia Tour
Monday, Aug. 27, 2007
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Some 30 graduate business students from the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University left on Friday, August 24, for a two-week exploration of business leadership as practiced in Seoul, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, in the People’s Republic of China.
Led by Dean Barry Z. Posner and Business School Advisory Board member Spencer Clark, the group will visit business leaders, academics, government officials, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) over the 13-day trip. The students and faculty will post their reflections in a new business school page found on the Leavey School of Business website: www.scu.edu/business/asia-2007/index.cfm
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Dean Barry Posner Among Top Leadership Gurus
Friday, Jul. 13, 2007
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SANTA CLARA, CA – Barry Z. Posner, dean of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, was recently named to a list of “The 30 Most Influential Leadership Gurus” by a leadership website based in the United Kingdom.
"This recognition was a complete surprise," said Posner, "and it is an honor to be listed with such distinguished names as Ken Blanchard and Warren Bennis."
In addition to his leadership at the University, Posner is the co-author (with James Kouzes) of several bestselling books about leadership, among them Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose it, Why People Demand It, A Leader’s Legacy (published Fall 2006), and The Leadership Challenge, now in its fourth edition.
Editors of the website, Leadership Gurus, developed a list of individuals who actively write, speak, and teach about leadership and invited its visitors to vote for those practitioners believed to be the most influential in the development of leadership around the world. Each of the top 30 finalists received more than 1,000 votes and were judged to not only apply their own leadership principles in their organizations, but to also “develop and influence leaders and leadership throughout the globe.”
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