The magazine of the Gordon Ford College of Business THE FORD REPORT Business from the Hill This issue of The Ford Report: Business from The Hill is about student engagement. Our college is very fortunate to have wonderful, diligent, and job-focused students. They inspire me and our world-class faculty and staff every day! MESSAGE GFCB Ambassadors Front row (L to R): Adviser Bethany Smith, Jenna Cherry, Kristen Lyons, Sayrah Jones, Jessica Barragan. Back row (L to R): Zane Ramey, Bradley Ledford, Tom Seibold, FROM THE DEAN Drew Tingle, Elijah Essa, Dean Jeff Katz. Designing and operating a “student-engaged” and the business community at large. You will college of business is a matter of significant pride read stories about the fascinating internships our for us. Our overarching goal is to be the best students experience, heartwarming scholarship The Ford Report: The Magazine of applied college of business in the Commonwealth programs, and events that prepare our students the Gordon Ford College of Business of Kentucky and beyond. However, that is not for lifelong success. Fall 2015 | Vol. 3 | No. 2 an easy or inexpensive goal. We thoughtfully During their time on The Hill, our students 1906 College Heights Blvd. #11056 structure our college and hire the right faculty lead their peers in numerous organizations, Bowling Green, KY 42101-1056 and staff to be certain our students are embraced, serve their communities through philanthropic www.wku.edu/business engaged, advised, educated, mentored, and well- activities, and connect with the professional prepared for life-long success. world through internships and experiential Editor Art Director The most important element of being an learning opportunities. As an applied college of Stacey Gish, Communication Tom Meacham Coordinator, GFCB applied college is connecting classroom learning business, our focus is to help students engage with Dean of the Gordon Ford with the “practice” community. The engagement the community outside the walls of Grise Hall. Designers College of Business of faculty and students with the workplace After reading about our “engaged” students, WKU Public Affairs Dr. Jeffrey P. Katz ensures that learning in our classrooms is I hope you will be encouraged to meet them, relevant and differentiates our students as “job- mentor them, inspire them with your story ready” to face modern leadership challenges. of success…and hire them! We welcome your Our unique model of academic degree majors connection to our college. accompanied by multiple Centers of Excellence Please feel free to e-mail me at jeffrey.katz@ is the basis for our college being recognized as wku.edu, call me at 270.745.6311 or simply stop by an innovator in business education. Over the my office at 445 Grise Hall to share your story of past several years our college has added high- success and become engaged with our college. It value programs, including an award-winning is truly an honor serving as your dean and always job-readiness initiative and a new undergraduate a pleasure hearing from you! Like Facebook Gordon Ford College of Business certificate program, to “brand” our students as View Instagram wkugordonford job-ready with the most desirable “soft” skills, Warm Hilltopper regards, Connect LinkedIn Gordon Ford College of Business such as leadership and communication skills, that Follow Twitter @WKUGordonFord differentiate our students in the workplace. The stories featured in this issue of The Ford Jeffrey P. Katz Western Kentucky University is an equal opportunity institution of higher Report unabashedly celebrate the engagement Dean and Professor education and upon request provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. www.wku.edu/eoo © 2016 Western Kentucky University. of our students with their campus community Printing paid from state funds, KRS 57.375. DRIVING AN INTERNSHIP INTO A CAREER: Two students share their experiences with internships By Stacey Gish The man arrived in the office with a list of “Students should try to intern somewhere questions that he and his wife prepared regarding “… he probably just received before they graduate for many reasons,” Martin insurance benefits. They were confused on some of the best education of his said. “The most important reason to do this the areas and sought assistance from the Human is to get a glimpse into their potential future Resources Department. The HR Representative life — assisting a real employee career. Are they actually going to like the field patiently walked through the information, they are going into?” answered questions, and sought advice from with a real issue.” Johann, a senior from Evansville, Ind., others in the office. Satisfied with the answers, the agrees. man rose from his seat and reported back to work “I thought it was important to learn as much on the assembly line. “I can apply what I learned in the classroom as I could before I graduated,” he said. In fact, The HR Representative is not just a random to what I’m doing here on a daily basis,” said this internship is his second during his college employee, however. He is a college student Kody Johann, an intern with General Motors career. studying human resources management at WKU Corvette plant in Bowling Green. “I also can take Martin and Johann are fortunate that the serving as an intern with the General Motors what I’m learning here and bring it back into the professionals at the Corvette plant allow them Corvette Plant. Even after hundreds of pages classroom.” to experience all aspects of the office. of reading, hours of classroom discussion and Mari Martin, another Corvette plant intern, “I wasn’t just a paper pusher,” Martin said. lecture, and several papers and projects over agrees. “I had real responsibilities that mattered to the the course of his college career, he probably just “My CIS classes have definitely helped me manufacturing plant. I always felt like what I received the best education of his life — assisting a using Excel. I have to run a lot of reports and did at work had a purpose.” real employee with a real issue. they all use Excel. Business communication class Johann said that even as interns, they have Academic internships have long served as a also helped me write professional emails and been entrusted to answer questions and provide liaison between a student’s theoretical knowledge how to keep them concise while still getting my advice to employees. They are trained, they and practical experience. While internship point across,” she said. read company materials, and they observe the opportunities can strengthen ties between the Johann and Martin are two of a dozen WKU professionals to learn how to do it correctly. university and the business community and students serving as interns at the plant. Students “I have learned a lot about how a company provide advice and resources to cash-strapped are involved in human resources, computer deals with a union workforce,” he said. academic programs, ultimately they hold a vital information systems, communication, and “Helping resolve grievances, conducting role in a student’s educational experience by engineering. interviews, and studying how the discipline allowing them to see what life is really like in the Obtaining an internship before graduation system works are just a few things I’ve been able work world. was important to both management majors. to learn this year.” THE FORD REPORT 5 Jessica Canada would start the day at the Peoria, Ill., offices of Caterpillar, Inc. shaking her head in amazement at the task list on her desk. With items such as “Call the dealership in Germany,” “Review the labor contract for Belgium,” and “Check on the arbitration meeting in Denmark,” Canada found herself in the middle of the company’s renewed emphasis on global labor relations and human rights. “They should not be letting an intern do this,” she would often think as she contacted one international official after another. But indeed, she was doing this. Canada served this past summer as Corporate Human Resources Intern at Caterpillar, Inc., a leading manufacturer of construction equipment with facilities in more than 50 countries. She was assigned to assist the manager of global labor relations and human rights develop effective FINDING A CAREER communication strategies between the corporate office and international affiliates, anticipate global trends that could potentially impact the supply Through an Internship chain, and help identify labor experts at each location in anticipation of rewriting the company’s By Stacey Gish central labor agreement. “It was incredible,” the Williamsburg senior said of her experience. “I had way more of a positive experience than I anticipated.” When she was assigned to the global role, it was a last-minute change of plans that she wasn’t certain she would appreciate. 6 THE FORD REPORT “It sounded a bit boring,” she said. “But once I got into it, I found the issues very interesting.” Canada’s supervisor not only was the first to serve in the global labor relations role, but she had only been in the position for a year. The two women were forging new ground nearly every day. “It was a trial by fire,” she admitted. “There was a lot of information gathering, a lot of research. I read A LOT! I don’t think they intended to give me as much responsibility as they did but I know we were making a difference each day – asking questions, charting the activities around the globe, anticipating potential issues.” Canada said she was grateful for the opportunity to work for such a respected organization and to be given so much autonomy. “I feel like I’m contributing,” she said. “I know they are using my information and research.” In fact, Canada made such a difference this summer that the company retained her as an intern over the fall semester.