11-12-03
PENN STATE ERIE STUDENTS EXPLORE
CAREERS AT THE BUSINESS BRIDGE
Second-year business students from Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, recently explored career paths at the Business Bridge, a two-day experiential learning session conducted in a business retreat format at the Clarion Bel-Aire Conference Center in Erie. Sponsored annually by the college's Sam and Irene Black School of Business, the weekend program gave students an opportunity to talk with business leaders about their careers and to seek coursework advice from alumni and upperclass business students.
"Penn State Erie's Business Bridge really is a bridge for sophomore students from the excitement of their first-year interest group to the intensity of business courses in their junior year," said Jana Goodrich, lecturer in management and marketing and director of the Business Bridge Committee. "Many are unsure about which courses to take and which career path to follow, so the opportunity to get one-on-one advice from people already working in the business world is invaluable." In addition to career advice, Goodrich said, the weekend also provides training in leadership, team-building, negotiation skills, and business etiquette.
"I think the Business Bridge experience was beneficial in determining my major and my field," said Jennifer Kaleta, a student who has focused on a major in marketing.
"I met a lot of people that will be helpful to my future success," said Daniel Bucholz, a management information systems major. "It was fun, too, to get to know faculty and other students."
The Penn State Erie Business Bridge program originated four years ago when a group of business faculty recognized sophomore students' need for career guidance and developed a program to meet that need. The program attracted attention when Goodrich presented the concept and results of the Business Bridge at two national conferences, and it garnered international attention following a presentation at the Hawaii International Conference on Business. This year forty-six students took part in the program, the largest group ever.
Students also benefited from a breakfast presentation titled "Seven Habits for Managing Your Brand," by Paul Wallenhorst, a speaker sanctioned by the Covey Leadership Center. Wallenhorst told the students that creating their own "brand" early in their college careers will make them a unique and valuable commodity at graduation.
Contact:
Loretta Brandon
814-898-6063 (O)
E-mail: lzb6@psu.edu