Appendix C8 Advisory Committee Minutes
Santa Monica College
Business Department
Advisory Board
Minutes November 14, 2013
Members: **attending today
Pamela Anderson, Business Consultant, PD Anderson Consulting Inc.
Alissa Bell, Audit Campus Recruiter, Deloitte & Touche
**Marygail Brauner, Ph.D., Senior Operation Research Analyst, The RAND Corporation
**Dr. Beverly Biggs, Ed.D., Legal Support Administrator, Department of Justice
Catherine Daubek, Director, Deloitte & Touche
Dr. Rafi Efrat, CPA, JD, Director, M.S. in Taxation Program, Associate Professor, Accounting and Information Systems, CSUN
Mark Fuglevand, Tax Department, Fox Entertainment Group
Andrew Hossom, Vice President, Marketing & Research, FOX Sports Interactive, A Division of FOX Sports Networks
Moises Gomez, Manager, Corporate Audit Services, Amgen Inc.
Tina Gurrola, Human Resources Manager, Pacific Park
**John Halliday, Senior Operations Researcher, The Rand Corporation
Syed Haneef, Director of Human Resources, Gibson Overseas Inc.
**Norman Harris, Business Unit Customs Clearance Manager, Panalpina
**Christina Hsu, formerly of Nickelodeon
George Hynes, President, Logistic Edge
Ken Kessler, CEO, Sander A. Kessler & Associates Inc.
**Lisa Kludjian, Human Resource Director, The Walt Disney Studios
**E.J. Liao, Yahoo
Ken Miller, Tegner-Miller Insurance Brokers
**Pam Missett, Staff Recruitment, The Aerospace Corporation
David Nelson, Tegner-Miller Insurance Brokers
Carmen Palafox, VP of Investment Operation, Dimensional Fund Advisors
Winny Poon, Executive Director, Finance & Accounting, Warner Brothers Entertainment
Mary Ann Powell, CEO/GM, Pacific Park
**Phil Ramsdale, President, Transport Solutions, LLC
Laurel Rosen, President & CEO, Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce
Susan Twomey, CPA, Tessler, Rubin & Company
Ben Van Roo, The Rand Corporation
Al Shepetuk, President , Calif. Transportation & Logistics Institute
Paul Shapiro, CPA, consultant
**Roberta Suied , Employee Relations, The Aerospace Corporation
Todd Thomas, Branch Manager, Expeditors International
**Linda “Tish” Tisherman, President, The Corporate Alternative
Carolyn D. Trader, Sr. Managing Partner , TMI Consulting Group
Andrew J. Valdivia, CPCU, ARM, President, White & Company Insurance Inc.
Chelley Wilkes, Corporate Recruiter, CaseStack Inc.
Jeff Klocke, Pacific Park
Advisory Board Meeting
Minutes: November 14, 2013
Attendees:
Advisory Board members: Marygail Brauner, John Halliday, Phil Ramsdale, Roberta Suied, Pam Missett, Dr. Beverly Biggs, E.J. Liao, Christina Hsu, Lisa Kludjian, Norman Harris, Tish Tisherman
Business Department faculty: Joy Tucker, Fran Chandler, Ming Lu, Sal Veas, Teri Bernstein, Jenny Resnick, Aileen Huang, Greg Brookins, Marce Kelly, Eleanor Schapa
I. Intro
Advisory Board members were welcomed and brief introductions of were made on a round-table basis. New members included E.J. Liao, Christina Hsu and Pam Missett.
II. Department update: Joy Tucker
· CTE grant money has been received to fund several projects—primarily to upgrade one classroom for “flipped classroom” interactive learning. Full-time faculty have each received a Surface tablet to interface with the Microsoft environment in the classroom.
· CTE funding was received for the departmental website upgrade in process by Sal Veas
· CTE grant funding was received for Pat Halliday to develop an online version of Personal Finance, Business 47. She will also be the faculty liaison with the Chamber of Commerce.
· Student outreach: Black Collegians, Adelante and Veterans organizations. We have done outreach activities to familiarize students in these communities with the department, and to make the department more approachable and understandable. Workshops have disseminated information about opportunities. We have also arranged for textbooks to be donated to these groups, and we have donated supplies. Part of the funds given by an anonymous donor to the Business department faculty will be used for scholarships. We are in the application period now and the money will be distributed in this academic year.
· Increase in success rate: Between 2011 and 2012, we saw an increase in the course success rate improve for both black students (46% to 49%) and Latino students (58% to 59%).
· Departmental concern: succession plan: Several faculty will be retiring over the next few years. We are taking steps to document historical knowledge and will be applying for positions in the next hiring cycle (which will include 20 faculty campus-wide). We are down two faculty from last years’ retirements.
· Textbook Adoption Process documentation: Greg Brookins. We had two major textbook adoptions which were implemented this fall: Business 1 and the Accounting 1 and 2 sequence. Greg is documenting the textbook adoption process to both provide direction for the future, ad to satisfy a campus-wide need, identified in the last Program Review, for a “best practices” document in this area.
· Emergency Preparedness: Partly in response to the June incident on campus, all faculty have been trained in emergency preparedness, and have participated in the October 17th “shake out” drill. As a courtesy, we are providing the same emergency preparedness kits which were received by faculty to Advisory Board members.
III. Advisory Board Members’ “Best Advice for Students”
· Brandon Parker (sent by email) The best way to learn and grow is on the job. A good part time job should be required for business majors. To be effective, be professionally persistent.
· Ken Kessler (sent by email). Follow up from the original contact made with a potential employer. Make a personal connection. Deliver on any commitments.
· E.J. Liao: With respect to Yahoo’s values in hiring: We look for people who have a passion. The future will bring jobs that have never been thought of before. We want people who are not afraid to dream big. Don’t be afraid to love your accounting class. The analytics are important.
· Christina Hsu: Never underestimate the power of networking. Extra-curriculars are important, organizations are important, church and other community connections are important. Sometimes you can’t “pay back” the help or advice that you get from a contact…if that is the case, just “pay it forward” and let your contact know you have done so. Always keep learning and challenging yourself. I’ve read a great book recently: “How will you Measure Your Life?.” By Clayton Christianson. Challenging, learning, open to new things. Successful in corp world but personal lives have suffered.
· Tish Tisherman. Listen. Don’t just hear…Listen.
· John Halliday: I want to get down to specific skills: Microsoft Office—spreadsheets, written communication, and presentation software. Students need to be able to use these tools with confidence and mastery. Written communication is important. How to prepare and tell a story with a Powerpoint is important. Secondly, with respect to the “soft skills” area: Thinking about the consequences of a decision is critical to effectiveness—what will the reaction of other people be to that decision? What might the unintended consequences be?
· Marygail Brauner: Don’t burn your bridges. When you leave a job, leave on good terms. If you really want to fire off that email: wait. You never know. Don’t fill in the “to” until you have taken a while to think about whether you should send the communication.
· Phil Ramsdale: 1) Own the numbers that relate to your job or operations—don’t just depend on someone else. Understand them. Ask questions to make sure you understand them. 2) Have a good attitude, which means that you ALWAYS do more than the minimum. Doing the “letter” of what is required but ignoring the “spirit” of what is needed is not enough. 3) Apply for scholarships. There are a lot of scholarships out there. For example, there was a supply chain scholarship given by the Council of Supply chain Management Professionals. 4) Take advantage of the document that CSCMP is putting together for its student members on how to network effectively. 5) Take advantage of other opportunities to learn to network—maybe faculty can set up role-play opportunities in class or at Rotaract. Students need to learn how to be appropriately assertive. 6) Join organizations as a student member—CSCMP student membership is $35 per year.
· Norman Harris: The first thing that came to my mind was that each student should become an EXPERT in something. Do the research, become proficient. Don’t just know a little about a lot of things.
· Roberta Suied: 1) Join a professional organization. Be like an anthropologist studying the field you want to be a part of. Know the lingo, know the key players, know about the field. 2) Spend more time with people than with your devices. It is people that hire you. Find a mentor. Be patient. 3) Soft skills are more valuable than students think they are: Be persistent. Manage your time so that you don’t overdo it. Be authentic when you communicate.
· Pam Missett: Presentation skills are needed. Think about your audiences. Even if you are in Human Resources you need to know the numbers. If you are in sales…you need to know the numbers. When you are looking for a mentor, consider approaching someone who is close to the end of their career and thinking of “easing out.” Don’t limit yourself by being overly concerned about the career ladder. Take the lateral career moves that will add breadth to your experience and make you more valuable to your company. Move sideways…and eventually you will move up.
· Dr. Beverly Biggs: 1) We are in a new world and everything is in flux. There are budget reductions. You need multiple skills and you need to be adaptable. 2) Be organized. Organize your information. Develop a career portfolio. 3) Be able to sell yourself in a presentation. 4) Learn cultural etiquette. 5) Have fun.
· Lisa Kludjian: 1) Successful people have a presence. Some people are smart and talented and have great ideas, but they have not developed a coherent public persona. Having a successful presence can help a person be better at influencing other people and furthering their career. One way to develop the “presence” you want to project, is to find people who are objective and courageous who will give you honest feedback. It takes honesty and collaboration to hone and develop a great presence. 2) Try not to think of your “group project” assignments as an ordeal. They are opportunities to learn how to collaborate, and to let knowledge flow back and forth between and among group participants. Learn how to support others and how to get support. 3) Do internships. If you can’t get a competitive internship, then get creative and create your own internship opportunities.
· Board member contributions after the round robin:
o It is important to have a “presence”—and to know how you are perceived. Put out that positive perception.
o Be punctual. Don’t be the person about whom the interviewer says to a colleague, “My interviewee is stuck in traffic.” Keep your commitments.
o “Work ethic”: make sure you know what that means, and that you have one.
o If you are having trouble getting your resume looked at by the company you want to be hired by…find out who the company contracts with for temporary help. Then get hired by the temp company and make it known for whom you want to work. Temps get hired into permanent positions.
o Professors can help improve the “group work” experience by finding ways to get slackers in the groups to be accountable. Maybe leadership skills need to be taught. People in a group need to learn that everyone in the group needs to get something out of the group experience. Participants need to be open to changing ideas, and how to actively listen to others.
o There is no “I” in “team.” Learn to “earn a spot on the team” with your contributions.
o Samohi is doing service learning projects, and instructors are having students map the flow of communication during a discussion. This activity can help students learn how decisions get made and how effective communication builds.
o After a group project, professors could get feedback one-on-one about each person’s individual experience in a group.
o At competitive companies, each hiree is expected to be their own whole person. Everyone is expected to be self-organized, and to be an active critical thinker.
o Where does collaboration belong in the curriculum? It actually has to be taught over and over.
o Maybe SMC could hold a Professional Development Series. Each month there would be a different topic. Students would know that they could gain a skill by the end of the night. Topics might include leadership skills, effective collaboration, how to manage people, personal improvement, how to deal with difficult people, for example.
IV. Departmental Website: Sal Veas
· The SMC website has been dysfunctional at the college level, which is why we have taken on the project to create our own website. Our website includes a fairly static information page, two YouTube channels, and posts of interest to students.
· Question from Advisory Board: Do we try to optimize site for Google searches? No, because we are under Sharepoint, and SMC Admissions controls the domain. This may be more possible when we add the Wordpress component, so we will be looking for expertise in optimization at a later date.
· Data shows that students click most on posts that are about other students, and posts that contain pictures.
· Website Future: We will use the Wordpress platform for a Blog, which means we will need more content…including pictures and biographies of Advisory Board Members.
· Comment: Does the Department have the right Facebook and website name? Answer: We are looking at this issue. We just changed the name of Rotaract to the “Business Club” because we realized that students did not know what “Rotaract” was. We realize that we are not easy to find in web searches. This is certainly an area where we will continue to make progress.
· How many people are in LinkedIn? We can crosslink to LinkedIn. Many advisor board members expressed enthusiam for LinkedIn—not only as a resume and networking tool, but also for follow-up from conferences. This will be a priority for the future.
· Ming’s experience with setting up former students as a group on LinkedIn has already proven valuable, as 6 years out students have not only had successful transfer experiences but they have also obtained jobs and offer realistic career paths for students to use as role models.
IV. What is the Job Market Outlook in Accounting and Business?: Comments from Board members
One person’s experience: Young people are getting hired before older.