Welcome back to Campus Chronicles! This week we’ll have a look through The Monroe Street Journal, the student newspaper of Michigan Ross’s MBA program, to share with you some of the events that have been going at the Ross campus.
Early December at Ross saw the 34th annual Black Business Students Association (BBSA) Conference, themed “Leading the Way: Staying Competitive in a Changing Global Economy.” In addition to other seminars and panels, students in attendance had the chance to hear from keynote speaker and Ross alumnus Ralph Johnson, who also won the Alum of the Year award. In his keynote address, Johnson spoke about his belief that current and former BBSA members should maintain close relationships to ensure their professional success. Students also got to hear from Warren Brown, an entrepreneur frequently seen on the Food Network, as well as compete in a case competition. The winning team of MBA1s were awarded $3,000 in American Airlines travel vouchers.
Students at the BBSA Conference had a chance to participate in the first-ever Business in Africa Panel Discussion. Ross professor Allan Afuah moderated a discussion between three panelists: Ugo Ikemba, a Ross alum who began an priate equity fund in Nigeria, Forrest Branch, who has consulting experience in the Southern African mining industry, and Tal Dehtiar,, who manufactures shoes in Ethiopia. During the panel discussion, panelists and students debated Africa’s business strengths, China’s growing presence in Africa, and in the business world as the merits of doing business in Africa.
In line with the holiday season, Ross students have recently been focused on giving back to their community. Two student clubs, Ross Net Impact and Art Enterprise, co-hosted The Holiday Party, where 200 students showed up and danced the night away to live music. Ticket sales for this event raised over $2,000, which will be given to The Generation Project, an educational philanthropy organization. In addition, several Ross students participated in “Rockin’ for the Hungry,” a food drive sponsored by a local food bank. With Ross volunteer participation, ultimately 258 tons of food were raised for local families in need.
