School of Business

Homecoming event marks first alumni reunion

The KU School of Business is holding a class reunion and Homecoming celebration, scheduled for Homecoming weekend, Oct. 7. The event will honor alumni whose graduation year ended in a one or a six.
           
The festivities will begin two hours before the kickoff of the KU vs. Texas A&M football game. Alumni will meet in the KU Business tent on the Hill, with plenty of food and drinks available. Dean Bill Fuerst and many of the School's faculty will be there to greet all alumni.
           
The following classes will be honored: 1931, 1936, 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006.
           
If you would like to attend this special event, please contact Monica Lemmons at mlemmons@ku.edu or 785-864-7369. Get your football tickets early. Request seats in the School of Business Block to join fellow alumni and cheer on the 'Hawks. Contact the Kansas Athletics ticket office at 800-34-HAWKS (800-344-2957) to purchase tickets.

Business minor launches this fall

A new program at the KU School of Business could have state-wide economic benefits. This fall the school launched a minor in business, allowing non-business students to gain a basic knowledge of business concepts.
           
Ted Boone, director of the business minor, said the program consists of six core courses: finance, management, marketing, decision sciences, accounting and information systems. Students can easily complete the minor in one academic year without delaying graduation.
           
"While it's not a full-fledged business degree, it gives students enough flavor and enough knowledge to deal with businesses in their chosen field," Boone said.  "It will give students a general understanding of business-world principles and enable them to operate in a business environment."
           
Students' requests drove the creation of the business minor, as did a survey of peer institutions' offerings. Boone said an official count of enrolled students has not been conducted, but he anticipates strong demand as the program gains recognition across campus.

Pulitzer Prize winner to visit KU

New York Times investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner David Cay Johnston will be coming to KU to speak with business students and the Lawrence community this fall. Johnston, known for exposing inequities in the U.S. tax code, will hold a public lecture at 6 p.m. Oct. 8, in the Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union.

Johnston's best selling book, Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich – and Cheat Everybody Else, won the Investigative Book of the Year award. His reporting for the Times has closed many loopholes in the tax code, including tax perks for executives using corporate jets for personal use.

During his lecture, Johnston will discuss his coverage of taxes, tax shelters, executive compensation and tax policy at the IRS. He will also present his solutions to improve the tax system.
           
Raquel Alexander, assistant professor, arranged the lecture. Johnston will make a special appearance the following day in Alexander's tax research class.

"Today our students are voters," Alexander said, "but tomorrow they will be policy makers. This generation needs to understand the tax structure and distribution of the tax burden."

Recruiting season set to launch

The KU School of Business career fair is slated for Sept. 21 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Kansas Union. Close to 120 organizations will be represented at this year's fair.

"The purpose of the career fair is to provide a forum for students to interact and develop relationships with organizations that hire KU graduates," said Jennifer Jordan, Business Career Services Center director. "It also serves as a launching pad to our fall recruiting activities."

This year the career fair themes are "Take a Closer Look" and "Your future…Coming into Focus." Based on previous fairs, nearly 1,200 students will attend the event, giving employers a great opportunity to recruit talented business students and gain campus recognition.

The Undergraduate Business Council and Graduate Business Council assisted in planning the event, and all proceeds from company sponsorships will benefit the two student organizations.