IMPACT
Alumni Profile: Matt Williamson
March 26, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerBy Jamie Gnazzo When Matt Williamson (MBA ’05) came to UNC-Chapel Hill as an undergraduate in 1990, he pursued a double major in political science and philosophy, or, as Williamson explains it, “what we should do and what we actually do.” Now, with two degrees from Carolina and more than 20 years in between, Williamson’s career as an entrepreneur seems about as far from his original studies as possible. Yet to those who know him, his tireless work ethic, enthusiasm and leadership abilities make him ideally suited to the role of an entrepreneur. “Matt fuses the mindset of an entrepreneur with the maturity of a corporate leader,” says Ted Zoller, director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Williamson’s former Read More
Alumni Weekend 2013
March 21, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerUNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Alumni Weekend is only a couple weeks away on April 5 – 7, 2013. There is still plenty of time for you to register so you don’t miss out on the fun! Come back to Chapel Hill during the glorious spring weather – and join your former classmates, current and former faculty, staff, current students and special guests for a wonderful weekend of reminiscing and reconnecting to the business school. There will be special programming for graduates of every degree program, along with a family friendly atmosphere, so we invite you to register now! All alumni are invited, with a special emphasis on the reuniting classes of: 1952 – 1953 – 1957 –1958 – 1962 – Read More
1919 Society Dinner
March 21, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerOn Friday February 15, more than 60 attendees gathered at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill for a dinner in celebration of the 1919 Society, which recognizes donors who have achieved cumulative lifetime giving of $100,000 or more (including matching and irrevocable planned gifts) to UNC Kenan-Flagler. Members of the school’s board of visitors also attended the event. This is the second time that the school brought Kenan-Flagler’s most generous donors together to formally recognize them for their loyal support. The 1919 Society is named for the year that the University established the Department of Commerce, one of the oldest accredited business schools in the nation. The Department of Commerce was renamed Kenan-Flagler Business School in 1991 to honor Read More
Theory & Practice
March 21, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerThis story was written earlier this year by journalism student and UNC Kenan-Flagler intern Brooke Shaffer. Since then, Kay has accepted a faculty position at Southern Methodist University, and Worthy is continuing his education with a professional service trainer. Virginia Kay and Worthy are both working toward their PhDs. Kay is a doctoral student in organizational behavior (OB) at UNC Kenan-Flagler, while her four-legged companion is earning a PhD, the highest level of dog training, in the Canine Life and Social Skills program. Kay is Worthy’s “puppy parent” and says that OB and training future service dogs have more similarities than you might expect. She socializes the golden retriever as part of his training to become a service animal. Read More
Giving Back & Paying Forward
March 21, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerMany Kenan-Flagler alumni seek meaningful ways to give back to the school such as financial support, serving on advisory councils/committees or participating in local club activities and events. But many alumni may not be aware of a particularly personal, meaningful and easy way to give back to the school that helped launch or advance their professional life – the Alumni Career Advisors Network (ACAN). The ACAN offers a way for alumni to directly impact both alumni and current students’ career success. The Network is currently a group of nearly 1,400 members who provide the kind of advice, insight and networking connections that can be invaluable to students and alumni. For example, previous advisees have commented: “I contacted six different Read More
Top 10 Rankings for Leadership and Sustainability
February 21, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerBloomberg Businessweek surveyed the MBA Class of 2012 about the full range of their business school experiences, and we are pleased to report that UNC Kenan-Flagler was ranked No. 7 globally in the areas of leadership development and sustainability. “We have invested in these two areas for a number of years in an effort to create exceptional programs, and it is clear that this is paying off,” said James W. Dean Jr., dean of UNC Kenan-Flagler. “Our students are graduating with world-class knowledge and skills in leadership and sustainability. This is a wonderful time to be studying or working at UNC Kenan-Flagler.” Bloomberg Businessweek 2012 Top MBA Programs for Leadership IMD Stanford Harvard Cornell (Johnson) Pennsylvania (Wharton) Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) Read More
New Dual-Degree Program with China
February 21, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerThe University of North Carolina and Tsinghua University recently launched a dual-degree Executive MBA (EMBA) program in China that fuses the disciplines of business and engineering. UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and Tsinghua’s Department of Industrial Engineering created the Global Supply Chain Leaders Program to meet the growing need in China for executives with both leadership skills and technical knowledge. Graduates will receive a master of business administration (MBA) from UNC and a master of engineering management (MEM) from Tsinghua. The UNC-Tsinghua dual-degree program is the only partnership of its kind between a top Chinese industrial engineering department and a top U.S. business school. “We are honored to collaborate with Tsinghua University, one of China’s most prestigious universities, to offer a Read More
Paying It Forward
February 21, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerUNC Kenan-Flagler is pleased to announce that QIEF Management LLC recently established The Jack Behrman “Pay It Forward” India Fellowship Award, with the dual objective of honoring the career of Jack N. Behrman (MA ’45), the Luther H. Hodges Distinguished Professor Emeritus of International Business and Ethics, and encouraging future generations of Indian business leaders to focus on ethical practices. The fellowship award was initiated by Kenan-Flagler alumnus Ajit Dayal (MBA ’83), CEO and CIO of QIEF Management LLC and a former student of Professor Behrman. QIEF Management is an investment management firm that advises and manages the capital of pensions, university endowments and foundations that wish to build a long-term, India-dedicated portfolio. “Our goal in sponsoring this fellowship is Read More
Knowledge & Courage
February 21, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerAs a Kenan Institute Leadership Fellow, military veteran Nick Black (MBA ’13) is not only participating in a premier leadership development program but also putting that knowledge to work to help other members of the military. In 2011 Black co-founded Stop Soldier Suicide (SSS), a nonprofit veteran-led organization that works to raise awareness of solder suicide and connect military men, women and veterans to services to prevent it. “We formed Stop Soldier Suicide to curb the rate of suicides among active and veteran service members. Our mission is to prevent those who serve from taking their own lives by offering tailored services and support at the individual, family and community level throughout the United States to curb active and veteran Read More
Student Perspective: May Chang
February 20, 2013 By unc kenan-flaglerQ&A WITH AN ASSURED ADMISSION BUSINESS STUDENT May Chang, a sophomore from Plainsboro, NJ, is a student in the Assured Admission program at UNC Kenan-Flagler. This Q&A was reprinted from the UNC Admissions Blog. How did you choose to study business and what would you like to do with your degree? In high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, I only knew what I didn’t want to study. Eventually I realized that I wanted to do business because I liked interacting with people and knew business was applicable to everything and was a necessary skill not only for jobs, but also for managing personal finances. As I was exposed to the business school at UNC, Read More