Our Diwali

International Student Organization planned a pre-Thanksgiving, Diwali fest for all Full-Time and Part-Time MBA students. For those of us who might be unfamiliar with Diwali, it is the single biggest holiday of the Hindu/Indian calendar, and is the start of the new year for those who celebrate.

What’s the Deal with being Different? Written By Neha Mukherjee-Nathani

“Diversity” has become a hot, catchy, buzz word in the business world today. From recruiters to managers to consultants, everyone is looking for a “diverse” workforce, but what does diversity really entail? And, perhaps more importantly, what do we do with our diverse backgrounds? RAMS recently put together a panel of four talented, experienced and insightful marketing professionals, all from unique cultural and experiential backgrounds, who talked how to best leverage your unique value offering as a candidate. Garfield Stoute, (NPI Operations & Product Lifecycle Management at Avaya,) Debra Albert, (COO at Sequent Learning Networks,) Fernando Ferrer, (Director of Marketing, Oncology at Celgene,) and Eduardo Niete (Director of Marketing, Oncology at Electio Consulting) spoke about the attributes of leadership that any candidate should cultivate and how to communicate these.

Among other insight they shared was advice to:

•        Be open to difference and maintain a genuine curiosity to all things new or different.
•       Think broadly; bringing in the opinions of different groups of individuals brings a different perspective on any issue, giving you a broader perspective on the problem.
•      Always seek mentors who will always give you honest feedback – they will be your biggest critics and allies.
•       Communicate respectfully and honestly – share with your team members and be open to hearing criticism and feedback in return, this will help you grow.
•      There might be times people don’t trust your judgment simply because of your background or experiences, but be patient and engage them respectfully.
•      In order to overcome the “glass ceiling” determine how and where you can add value to the firm. You should have a development plan in mind that charts out your organization within the firm and where all you will add value to the firm’s growth.
•      Take advantage of networking opportunities: once you’ve proven you can get the job done, it’s all about building relationships. Never be intimidated to approach a senior member of the firm simply because of their title.
•        Integrate your knowledge of diversity into your input: you have a specialization of knowledge and experiences, don’t hesitate to add input from this intelligence.

This forum was not only a chance to get real-world, practical insight into managing our careers but also an opportunity to learn the value of our unique selling points. Yet more evidence that these networking and learning opportunities sponsored by student clubs such as RAMS are not-to-be-missed!

Black Faces in White Places -Discussed in RBS spaces!

By: Anjum Malkana

The Rutgers Business School Black and Hispanic MBA Association (BHMBAA) held a novel new event last Monday, Nov. 1 – a lecture and book-signing event with Drs. Jeffrey Robinson and Randal Pinkett, two accomplished entrepreneurs and business scholars. Dr. Robinson is serial entrepreneur and an RBS professor associated with the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, and Dr. Pinkett is an entrepreneur, consultant (founder of BCT Partners), former Rhodes Scholar, and recent winner of NBC’s The Apprentice (season 4). Drs. Robinson and Pinkett met as classmates in college, and have since continued along similar lifestyle and career paths through graduate school, entrepreneurial endeavors, and fatherhood. Their close personal friendship and mutual respect was evident in their conversation styles and banter, turning a large auditorium lecture into an intimate and genuine conversation about their lives and the lessons they seek to impart through their new book, Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness.

Black Faces in White Places is an insightful advisory playbook for ambitious minority professionals who seek to adapt and thrive in their field or function. The book is divided into ten strategies which build upon each other to enable minority achievers to perform, adapt, and eventually, “redefine the game” entirely. The authors introduce the concept of the “ever-changing game,” which they present as a metaphor for the contests we face in our careers and every day. They argue that the “glass ceiling” metaphor is no longer applicable, as the challenges faced by women and minority professionals are no longer invisible (“glass”) nor impenetrable (“ceiling”), and that the upcoming generation of achievers will need to learn to play and master the ever-changing game. You can catch part of the event at the Rutgers Business School website, or below:

Black Faces in White Places

The Rutgers Business School Black and Hispanic MBA Association rewarded the first twenty-five attendees with free copies of Black Faces in White Places – and yes, I was one of the lucky 25! After the lecture and question-and-answer session, the attendees were able to purchase copies of the book, and even get them signed by Drs. Robinson and Pinkett. If you order the book, make sure you let Dr. Robinson how you enjoyed it when you see him around the RBS building!

Many thanks to the BHMBAA Executive Board for organizing such a fantastic and motivating event: Patrice Senior and Dasheeda Dawson (Co-Presidents), Brian Fraser (Executive Vice President), Bert Lacy (VP of Finance), and Cindy Birch (VP of Administration). We are looking forward re-defining the game with you and the incoming BHMBAA Executive Board (Shandan Meng (President), Jason Barado (Executive Vice President), Evita Salles (VP of Administration), and Duberliz Anaya (VP of Finance)).

A Note from the President-Elect

First of all, thanks to Ashley and Mandy for the congratulatory message. I'm excited to work with the full SGA leadership team (which we'll know after the treasurer and secretary are selected). Those of us elected thus far have already been chatting about our respective visions, etc. We'll post more information in the next few weeks.

On another note entirely, I just met with an administrator working on the upcoming visit from CEO Joseph Pieroni of Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. (USA). Pieroni holds a Rutgers MBA and leads US operations for the pharmaceutical company, which grossed about $9.7 billion in sales in 2009. I wanted to make sure that everyone had seen the description of Mr. Pieroni, and of the event. He will be talking about how healthcare reform will affect developments in biopharma, which holds greats promise for public health and which is one of the most promising growth opportunities for the industry in general. The CEO Lecture Series is relatively new to Rutgers (it started just last year) and I'm excited about what our turning out in good numbers and asking dazzling questions can do for the school's profile.

Regards,
Barak Epstein

Student Government Association Votes are in...

Dear Student Body:

We are pleased to Congratulate Barak Epstein, for being elected as President for the Student Government Association!

We would also like to congratulate his cabinet:

Full Time Vice President - Anjum Malkana

Part Time Vice President (Newark) - Megan Reed

Part Time Vice President (New Brunswick) - Sonia Singh


Biographies and some thoughts from the cabinet will follow soon!