Class is back in session, and so is the Ralph Nye Executive Lecture series at the John B. Goddard School of Business and Economics. Speakers in the series are generally Weber State University graduates or closely tied to the university. Without a designated topic, they share from their personal experience. Business challenges, career foundation and development, and ethical dilemmas in the business world are all topics students can expect to hear from speakers this semester.
“Based on their background, they either choose to talk about their business, their career history, or often a favorite subject that they might have,” said the course instructor for the series, John Hoffman.
Speakers are encouraged to talk about their experiences with ethical dilemmas in their business.
The first lecture for the semester, held Aug. 25, kicked off with an introduction from Jeff Steagall, the dean of the School for Business and Economics and a master teacher for the course. He encouraged students to interact with the individuals coming to speak this semester and take full advantage of this opportunity. After a review of the syllabus and procedures from Hoffman, the remainder of the time was turned over to Pat Wheeler, the business and economics career development director, to orient students on services provided by the college.
Wheeler talked about what employers want and how the School of Business and Economics and WSU can help students become an appealing finished product upon graduation through all of the many services offered.
“I didn’t even know that there were all these opportunities available, and all these clubs and internships and everything, so I am kind of shocked,” said Delany Decker, a junior in business management.
Decker said she found all the provided information to be very helpful. Other course students agreed with Decker on her evaluation of the lecture series.
“I think the take-home point from this lecture is get involved [in business and economics services] early and put a lot of effort into it because it’s your job,” said Evan Briggs, an accounting major and senior at WSU. “It’s your future. It’s your career. It’s something that you should be fully invested in.”
The lectures are held each Thursday at noon in the Smith Lecture Hall in the E. O. Wattis Building Room 206. While the lecture series is a required course for all business and economics majors, all students are welcome to attend; however, they won’t receive credit unless enrolled in the course. The lectures are an hour and fifteen minutes. A free luncheon with the speaker follows, giving students an opportunity to further discuss anything the speaker talked about or ask questions. While the luncheon is free, it is only open to students who have previously signed up for the luncheon. Any student is welcome to do this in Wattis Building Room 201 or by emailing Mary Ann Boles at [email protected].
Hoffman, who’s also a professor in business administration, said students may complain that the course is required for their degree, but there is no doubt it will benefit them in their career ventures.
“We’ve had many students come away from this lecture series saying it was the very best thing they had at Weber State.”
