Page 5 - Spring 2019

CONFERENCES ON THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT SCHOOL HAPPENINGS
AND BUSINESS CREATIVITY

2018 Entrepreneurship Conference The fourth annual
conference, held in November, featured successful
local, regional, and national entrepreneurs from a
variety of backgrounds and industries. Students and the
community heard from diverse leaders, who showed
that the entrepreneurial spirit comes in many forms.

2018 Richard Paul Teske Sieur du Lhut Creativity
Conference Interdisciplinary thinking is looking at two
or more disciplines and seeing the voids as well as the
overlaps. Thus was the intent of the 2018 Conference—
bringing business and creativity together.

The conference was borne out of the generosity of the 2018 Entrepreneurship Conference student planning committee
late UMD alumnus Richard Teske and his wife, Judi.
Teske felt students need to be exposed to opposing viewpoints
to help solve problems. Judi continues that legacy.

The fall event, coordinated by LSBE and the UMD Chancellor’s
Office, brought Amy Whitaker and Sura Al-Naimi, experts in
combining creativity and business, to campus.

“You need to make creativity a priority in any career path,” says
Kevin Adah, senior marketing and communications double
major. He added, “Make sure you are also thinking like a
customer and not just like an employee.”

Read more about these two events at lsbe.d.umn.edu/news.
Creativity Conference participants (from left) Judi Teske, Sura
Al-Naimi, Marketing Instructor John Kratz, Amy Whitaker, and
UMD Chancellor Lendley Black

HELPING STUDENTS BRIDGE THE HIRING GAP

Qualified employees are always a necessity to businesses. LSBE
students have many of the skills and qualities that employers are
looking for. LSBE helps bridge the connection for students and
employers through LSBE Company Days on campus.

Company Days allows employers special access to LSBE
students via class visits, lunches, tabling sessions, and more. This
opportunity not only provides students with specialized insight
on the company and interaction with reps, but it also serves as a
Northwestern Mutual reps networking with students recruiting tool for internships and full-time careers.

Roughly fifteen Company Days are held a year with many companies returning annually. Northwestern Mutual has been
participating for six years, hiring eleven interns in 2018 and eight interns thus far in 2019. “We look for future leaders,”
said Ashly Kelley, director of internship development at Northwestern Mutual. “We have found that LSBE students are
well-prepared for success not only at a local level but nationally as well.”

If you are interested in being part of Company Days, please contact Angie Soderberg, director of internships at
asoderbe@d.umn.edu or (218)726-6118.

UMD LABO VITZ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS PG. 5