Management Students’ Society

Fall 2016 Recap

Prepared by Jacquelyn Walker and Jordie Prestie

Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 2

Club Mission .......................................................................................................................................... 2

Events and Initiatives ............................................................................................................................ 3

Executive Team ..................................................................................................................................... 5

Moving Forward .................................................................................................................................. 11

Executive Summary This document provides an overview of the Fall 2016 academic semester for the Management

Students’ Society. In March 2016, a team of 24 management students were brought on to

serve as the 2016-2017 Management Students’ Society Executive Team. Throughout the first

semester, while maintaining our flagship events from previous years, our team has introduced a

number of new initiatives. As you will see in this document, we were proud to further improve

on our annual initiatives such as the Markin Hall Meet and Greet, ATB Speaker Series, the

Annual Etiquette Dinner, and the MSS Recharge Week. Such new initiatives included monthly

open meetings, Tailgate for Charity, the Fall Introductory Managerial Case Competition, a

Mental Health Chill Zone, an apparel line, and the establishment of a Calgary Campus branch of

MSS.

While this document provides an opportunity to reflect on our successes and challenges of the

past semester, we are also focusing on how to make our spring semester even better. With

Chillin 4 Charity, Powderburn, Spring IMCC, 5 Days for the Homeless, a fundraiser, and Year

End Gala on the horizon, we look forward to providing our students with even more

opportunities to enhance their education.

Club Mission We are dedicated to enhancing the value of the Bachelor of Management degree at the

University of Lethbridge.

Events and Initiatives

Open Meetings Monthly

For the first time, the MSS hosted monthly open meetings. These meetings were open to all

students, not just those on our executive team. Through engaging a broader base of students,

we are able to disperse more information and build more of a social culture with our fellow

students. We look forward to continuing this initiative in the new year!

Markin Hall Meet and Greet September 28th

This event marked our first large scale social gathering of the 2016-2017 academic year.

Participants enjoyed pizza, played games, and networked with fellow students and faculty. We

were thankful for the participation of Dr Bob Boudreau, faculty staff, and even a few professors.

At one point during the event, there were 40 people in attendance, which we were impressed to

see.

ATB Speaker Series October 4th

For the third year in a row, Highlands ATB collaborated with the MSS to host an academic

workshop. This year, Rob Smith, ATB South Market Vice President, gave a presentation on

leadership and the art of “being present”. This opportunity to learn and network attracted 35

students! This large of attendance was an MSS milestone for the fall speaker session.

15th Annual MSS Etiquette Dinner November 1st

The MSS hosted Sue Jacques and a sold out crowd to a fantastic meal and a lesson on

business etiquette. The 90 students in attendance were also provided with a chance to network

with the 20+ faculty staff and community corporate attendees as well (our highest ever

corporate engagement!). For the first time, the MSS surveyed the attendees and created a

comprehensive document highlighting key takeaways from the event. This document is being

used to refine our event planning for Year End Gala and future dinners.

Tailgate for Charity November 4th

For the first time, the MSS hosted a Tailgate for Charity event at a Pronghorns basketball game.

In October 2016, the MSS established a Student Learning and Leadership Fund, with the goal

of providing students with financial help to enhance their studies. The Tailgate was our first

opportunity to fundraise for this new initiative.

Fall Introductory Managerial Case Competition November 19th

This year, the MSS team decided to double the amount of case competitions we provide. For

the first time, we hosted a Fall IMCC event which hosted 20 competitors. Consistent with the

format of our previous IMCC events, competitors were provided with a workshop, lunch, and a

chance to compete for cash. Once again, Investors Group sponsored the prizes for the

competition winners.

Mental Health Chill Zone November 23rd-24th

For the first time, the MSS hosted a Chill Zone for two days during the ULSU Mental Health

Awareness Week. We collaborated with the Students’ Union, Academic Advising, and the

faculty to provide students with popcorn, healthy snacks, netflix (with The Office and Dragons

Den on repeat!), and an adult coloring station. Most of all, the Chill Zone provided students with

a safe space to discuss mental health and bring stress management top of mind.

MSS Annual Recharge Station November 28th-December 1st

Once again, the MSS provided students with a chance to recharge during the busiest week of

the fall semester! With group presentations, projects, and exams on the go, we provided

students with healthy snacks, tea, and coffee. Many students expressed their gratitude for this

gesture during such a stressful time of the year.

Calgary Campus Ongoing

This year, the MSS team set out to create a Calgary branch of our student club. After recruiting

a small executive based in Calgary, we established a strategy going forward for how the

Calgary branch will operate. On November 26th, the Calgary MSS team hosted their inaugural

meet and greet event. To their own surprise, 40+ students showed up along with even 4

professors! At the event, the MSS team had an event survey to help plan for future MSS events

and initiatives in Calgary. The Calgary team is now working on recruiting more executive

members and hosting another social event on December 20th.

Apparel In addition to our MSS jackets and polo shirts, this year we introduced general apparel for

students to purchase. Coming in t shirts, hoodies, and tank tops, the general apparel features a

Thomas Edison quote and a unique design created by our marketing team. On our first

shipment alone we had 20 different orders from students!

Executive Team This year the MSS team is composed of 25 management students. There are still the traditional

6 executive positions but each of those positions has now expanded and developed to include

director positions. All of the incoming team was hired before the Canadian Association of

Business Schools Roundtable Event in March 2016, which allowed all of the current team to

attend and learn about their position from other institutions across Canada. With this strong

start, all of the VPs established goals for their teams in April and were able to implement the

majority of them in the fall semester. This growth in the MSS will hopefully help the succession

of the club and continue the positive momentum that has developed.

To ensure accountability to the club, our Executive team meets bi-weekly. Along with these bi-

weekly meetings, each of the VPs has been encouraged to meet with their own team of

directors weekly as well. New this year, the presidential team conducted performance

evaluations with each VP to make sure that each VP was achieving all of the goals that they set

out for their teams in April and indicate changes that could help increase their productivity in the

spring semester. These performance evaluations were also done in a way to provide the

executive team with real constructive criticism in an educational way that will be beneficial for

them in the future.

Internal Pictured Below: Meg Smith, Tiffany Herrell, Crystal Lang, Leila Methot

The Internal team is responsible for all of the internal communications within the team and acts

as the main hub of knowledge for all MSS related documents and information. As the internal

spokesperson for the club, the Internal team is also responsible for the collection of all

succession materials and election prep for the following year. This year, the Internal team was

able to review and amend the MSS constitution and all changes were approved by a vote at our

first open meeting. The Internal team has also created many team activities for the MSS team

itself which has increased the participation and synergy of the team greatly. Going into next

semester, the Internal team will be focusing on succession planning documentation, the

presidential election, and the hiring of the new team.

External Pictured Below: Justin Chymboryk, Davis Weber, Ammar Shahid

The External team is responsible for all external MSS communication. This includes acquiring

all sponsorships, working with the faculty, and representing MSS at events. This year, the

External team created a brand new Corporate Partnership Package, brought in more sponsors

for the Etiquette Dinner than previous years, created an MSS Rewards Card, and brought

together a great silent auction for the new MSS Tailgate for Charity event. The team is already

reaching out to the Lethbridge community for Chillin 4 Charity and Year End Gala.

Events Pictured below: Danny Masson, Spensor Griffith Cochrane, Jenny Rowell, Jared Hubbard, Scott Harvey

The Events team is responsible for overseeing all of the events that MSS hosts throughout the

year. This semester was the first time that MSS took over organizing the Tailgate for Charity,

which was historically a JDC event. With this event, we were able to raise money that went

towards a new Student Learning and Leadership Fund. Along with this event, the Events team

was also able to maintain the level of professionalism expected for all of the other MSS events.

Next semester the events team will be focusing on succession documentation to make sure that

all of the event information is recorded. The events team is also focusing on Chillin for Charity

and is working very closely with the SU and the University of Lethbridge to ensure this event is a

huge success.

Marketing Pictured below:

Tommy Jorge, Garrett Finstad, Vince Varga, Lisa Giovanetto, Brittany Primrose, Bola Fowosere

The VP Marketing is responsible for engaging the student body and for creating awareness

around all MSS events and initiatives. This year the Marketing team has been able to create

many different mediums of marketing materials including posters, social media templates and

schedules, and videos. The marketing team has also developed a brand new website and a

new line of MSS apparel this year. MSS is active on all social media platforms and has a large

marketing team that supports all of the different portfolios. Next semester, the marketing team

will be focusing on Chillin for Charity, 5 Days for the Homeless, Spring IMCC, and Year End

Gala.

Academic Pictured below: Jill Tataryn, Christian Blott

VP Academic is responsible for making sure that the students in the faculty of management are

receiving the information and education that they find important, and ensuring their

competitiveness after their degrees are completed. Specific events under the Academic portfolio

include the Introductory Managerial Case Competition (IMCC) and the ATB Speaker Series.

This year the Academic team implemented a Fall IMCC event creating a second opportunity for

1st and 2nd year students to participate in an introductory case competition. VP Academic will

be focusing on doubling attendance to the Spring IMCC event.

Finance Pictured Below: Alex Glydon, Ryana Kritzer

VP finance is responsible for keeping MSS financially responsible. This year, VP Finance

implemented participatory budgets for all of the VP portfolios. By having all of these budgets

developed at the beginning of the year, a certain amount of money was able to be saved each

month to properly fund our events in the second semester. With the addition of the MSS Calgary

Campus branch, the VP Finance position has gotten more complex. The goal of VP finance next

semester will be acquiring an accounting program so that MSS can better control finances.

Moving Forward

Fundraiser Planning Before the spring semester begins the MSS team will be meeting to discuss new goals for the

Spring semester. At this time we will also start developing an MSS fundraiser event that will be

implemented before the end of the academic year. This fundraiser will have more of a social

focus compared to other MSS events and will hopefully provide MSS with more financial

freedom throughout the year.

Chillin for Charity January 13th 2017

Chillin for Charity has historically been a JDC fundraiser. This year, the MSS has taken the lead

on this event, but the traditional spirit of the event will remain as all of the funds raised will go

toward the United Way. A main difference this year is that event will be taking place on campus

on January 13th in conjunction with the Founders’ Day Weekend celebrations. Over the winter

break, the MSS team will be working to plan out event logistics and marketing for the event.

Presidential Election January 2017

Throughout the second half of January, the MSS will be running a Presidential election for the

2017-2018 MSS President. We look forward to recruiting a high caliber executive team for next

year.

Powderburn January 20th 2017

One of the most popular events on campus, the MSS ski trip is a perfect start to the spring

semester. This year, we're headed to Kimberly with Backside Tours! This season's trip

includes two night stay in the fabulous Kimberley Condos, 2 days of skiing at the stunning

Kimberley Alpine Resort, as well as round trip transportation to and from Lethbridge. .

Spring Introductory Managerial Case Competition March 5th 2017

The Introductory Managerial Case competition is aimed at providing 1st and 2nd year U of L

students a platform to enter the world of case competitions. These competitions are becoming

increasingly popular across North America and the world. These cases outline a real business

scenario that requires students to analyze the problems the organization is facing and provide a

strategic recommendation.

5 Days for the Homeless March 2017

Once again, the MSS’s largest charity event of the year is back! 5 Days Homeless is a

weeklong fundraiser for Wood’s Homes, a local non profit community organization. Woods

Homes offers a wide variety of formal and informal programs, such as crisis stabilization, family

preservation, adoption support, and youth shelters.

Canadian Association of Business Students (CABS) Round Table March 8th-12th 2017

CABS Roundtable is not only one of Canada’s largest and most prestigious student run

conference, but the keystone event in the Canadian Association of Business Students’ (CABS)

conference circuit. An annual affair, it connects over 300 of the brightest student leaders from

over 30 of the top business schools across the country. Every year since its inception in 2008,

Roundtable has been hosted in a different Canadian city. The host university is selected by the

CABS board of directors and is mandated to create and promote a conference that highlights

leadership, team building, and best practices to ensure the success of each school’s individual

business societies. We look forward to sending both our incoming and outgoing executive

teams to this event in Winnipeg!

Year End Gala March 31st 2017

In celebration of a year well done, the MSS Year End Gala focuses on recapping the year's

accomplishments. Come out and enjoy a delicious meal while listening to alumni speak about

their journey and impart words of wisdom.