Business leaders participate in Business School Distinguished Speakers series

The School of Business Administration will begin its Fall 2010 Distinguished Speakers Series this week.

The purpose of this series is to expose MBA students to a variety of leaders in the business world, said Bethany Cooper, director of corporate relations and MBA services.

The series will begin with John Dunavant, vice president of the FedEx World Hub in Memphis.

Dunavant will speak September 2 at 4:30 p.m. in room 30 of Holman Hall.

“The idea is for students to come and learn more about the opportunities available to them,” Cooper said. “These leaders are taking what the students are learning in the classroom and applying it to real world situations.”

This is not the first year the Business School has hosted the series. 

This year is different, though, because it has been moved to a lecture hall in order to accommodate more students, Cooper said.

In the past, the main focus of the speaker series were students in MBA programs. This year, however, all undergraduates are encouraged to attend.

Because of the variety of speakers, students of all majors and classifications will benefit from attending.

Cooper named Bill Chiles as a speaker that might be of particular interest to engineering students. Chiles is the president and CEO of Bristow Group, which is one of the world’s largest providers of helicopter services, according the company’s website. 

Chiles is scheduled to speak October 28.

Many of the speakers are Ole Miss alumni. Cooper said students especially enjoy alumni speakers.

“Students really relate to them because they have walked in their shoes,” she said. “Some of these speakers have only been out of the school for five years.”

Three-fourths of the speakers in this year’s series graduated from the University of Mississippi. Jennifer Jordan, an alumna, received both her BS and master’s degree in accounting from Ole Miss. She is finance director at Stevens. Jordan is scheduled to speak November 4.

Copper advised that students briefly research the speakers in order to get the most out of the series.

“There will be a question and answer time after they speak, but (the speakers) really love when students are prepared to ask questions as they go,” she said. “After is when you’ll be able to go up and get a business card, learn how to apply, or ask about internships. This is a great way for our students to network.”

Some students are hoping to get something different out of attending the series. Jacque Walker, a sophomore business major, is hoping the series will help her decide a major.

“It sounds like a great opportunity,” she said. “I think I want to do managerial finance, but I’m hoping by listening to some of these speakers I may be able to decide for sure.”

A full list of speakers and dates is available at news.olemiss.edu.