Tag: community

As we wrap up activities of the fall semester, we are continually reminded about the troubling events that took place in our community before the semester began. Again and again, we are reminded of the deep issues of race and inequality that continue to divide our community and communities around our nation.

I believe there is an important role for business leaders and our school to play in the economic revitalization and healing process of our communities. Over the last two months, I have been in discussions with our senior leadership team and leaders in the St. Louis business community to begin to define how Olin can contribute as we push forward.

Chronic disparities in access to education, healthcare, and business development won’t be solved by a single discourse, project, or activity. Leaders of our community need to develop a long-term strategy to share knowledge, create awareness, and identify opportunities that aim to address the inequities that exist in our society. Olin, like Washington University, is committed to being an active force for positive change.

Olin has an opportunity and a responsibility to lead. However, we also must be responsive to local needs and consider carefully what actions and projects will have sustainable and lasting impact. For that reason, we have been in serious discovery conversations with other important stakeholders here at Washington University and in the St. Louis business community. Together, we are working to identify specific projects that will harness our most important asset—the skills, energy, and passion of Olin’s students, faculty, and staff.

I look forward to engaging in discussions with the Olin community on these important issues in the new year. Our goal is to formulate a purposeful response to the needs of communities like Ferguson that can bring about lasting change for the good of all. It is a formidable challenge, but I feel confident that we, at Olin and Washington University, can use our skills and creativity to make a positive impact.

Best wishes for the holidays and a restful semester break.

What better way to get in the Holiday Spirit than by gathering up your closest friends for a night of charitable giving and festive cheer?

On Saturday, December 13th Ballpark Village and Washington Avenue will play host to the annual “12 Bars of Charity – St. Louis” charity pub-crawl. $10 of your $35 registration fee will go directly to one of the eight selected St. Louis area charities from which you choose.

For the very first time, St. Patrick Center is one of the benefiting organizations.

A little bit about St. Patrick Center: “At St. Patrick Center, we’re one of Missouri’s largest providers of housing, employment and health opportunities for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. We take an action-based approach to service and offer nationally recognized programs that assist more than 8,000 people each year. Our mission, at its core, is to help individuals and families move from homelessness to independence in dignified, cost-effective and permanent ways. This approach transforms our clients as well as our entire community.”

In addition, your registration fee includes:
• Official 12 Bars of St. Louis “Team” Sweatshirt (Black Team for St. Patrick Center!)
• Shuttle Pass that runs a route around the 12 Bars of St. Louis
• 12 Bars koozie
• 1/2 Priced Drink Specials at all participating 12 Bars: Bud Light, Budweiser, Bud Select, Stella Artois, Shock Top and Ketel One Vodka Cocktails

To sign up you and your team, simply click the below link and follow the instructions:

http://www.12barsofcharity.com/saint-louis-1.html

Or to quickly sign up under St. Patrick Center’s Black Team, click the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/12-bars-of-saint-louis-black-team-st-patrick-center-tickets-13058653785

Hope to see you there!!

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
― Winston S. Churchill

Many thanks to all the Aramark employees at the Charles F. Knight Executive Education and Conference Center who work so hard to cook, serve, and clean up the biggest Thanksgiving day feast on campus! 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of Olin’s turkey tradition that began with a small gathering of international students who were introduced to this very American holiday with all the fixings when Stuart Greenbaum was dean.

More than 500 reservations have been made for this year’s celebration. And the Knight Center Chef has roasted 50 turkeys. Pass the mashed potatoes and enjoy!!

Image: Rick Scully, Thanksgiving Dinner, 2008, Flickr, Creative Commons

Last week Olin hosted its first Coffee Connect, an opportunity for members of the Olin Community – students, faculty and staff alike – to informally network over coffee.  Coffee Connect will happen weekly through the last week of classes this semester.  Join us Tuesday, November 4, for the second Coffee Connect, 9:45-10:45 in the Frick Forum.

I had eagerly volunteered to be a student blogger last year, and had high hopes of being a [semi]regular contributor to the blog. Unfortunately, I never found (or made) the time to sit down and type out a few words…until today.

So, today, as a student-turned-alumnus, I want to talk about being grateful.

This past weekend, I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. Graduation day was a significant and memorable event…one that will forever be etched into my nostalgic, curious brain. And on that day, I found myself swept up by feelings of deep gratitude.

I. Am. Grateful. Grateful that my parents had made the trip to St. Louis to celebrate the big day. Grateful to my wife for her incredible encouragement and support over the past two years. Grateful for a remarkable and diverse collection of classmates, who have given me a lifetime of memories. Grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from gifted, insightful professors who challenged me and pushed me to succeed. Grateful for an administration that has my best interests in mind, and worked tirelessly to provide me with a meaningful experience. Grateful for a dean who leads with purpose, and who possesses a warmth that endears him to every Olin student. Grateful for the gift of stunning new business school buildings, which have sparked even more life into an already-vibrant Olin community.

I. Am. Grateful.

Ah, but this gratitude stretches far back, having settled in long before graduation day. I am grateful that in 2012, the fine folks of Olin Business School thought I might be a good fit for the MBA class of 2014, so they offered me a spot on the roster. I’m grateful that they provided me a scholarship that enabled me to say “yes” to that offer of admission. I’m grateful that from Day 1 of GO! Week, I felt like the people around here were invested in me. The Olin community has always made me feel like “they” believe in ME…that I am capable of great things, now and in the future. And if Olin has a brand, I would argue that its brand is the ability to instill belief in its students. This belief trickles down in nuanced ways – through conversations, emails, smiles, questions, and handshakes – and it has always found a way to find me. The impact of this institutional quality cannot be overstated. Over the past two years, whenever I found myself struggling, wavering in uncertainty, or stressed and stretched thin, I found strength in Olin’s belief in me.

For all of that, I am incredibly grateful. Thank you Olin Business School and thank you Washington University. I’m going to miss your beautiful pink granite buildings and the friendly faces that have made this school such a wonderful place to call home over the past two years. How lucky I am that Wash U will forever be part of my story. I promise to come back and visit.

Two first year MBA students, Katie Miller and Alex McDonnell, spent their Saturday morning planting seedlings for Missouri Forest ReLeaf. 

Forest ReLeaf is an organization that was founded 20 years ago in an effort to raise awareness of the need for trees within cities and to inspire local volunteers to plant more trees in their communities.

Katie and Alex pause for the camera while helping pot 2,000 seedlings on a recent Saturday.

On Saturday, Katie and Alex helped a volunteer group to plant over 2,000 seedlings in St. Louis!  It is great to see the commitment of our MBA students to the St. Louis community!

Katie Miller serves as the President of the Olin chapter of NetImpact.  NetImpact is an student organization that encourages and teaches business students the importance of  sustainability, corporate responsibility, and social entrepreneurship.

Click here to learn more about Missouri Forest ReLeaf or Olin NetImpact.