loyola executive spring 2010

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS MAGAZINE LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS SPRING 2010

INTERNSHIPS PROVIDE REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE • CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL CAPITAL OPENS

STUDENTS CREATE LEARNING PORTFOLIOS FOR SUCCESS • PROFESSOR ILLUSTRATES THE VALUE OF COMMUNICATION

From Internshipto Passion

to Profession

ExecSpring10Cover_SummerCover 3/1/10 8:42 AM Page 3

LOYOLA UNIVERSITYNEW ORLEANS

Loyola University New Orleans PresidentThe Rev. Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J.

College of Business DeanWilliam Locander

Coordinator of Internshipsand COB MarketingKathy Barnett

Associate DeanAngie Hoffer

Area Chairperson of Accounting,Economics, and Finance

Lee Yao

Area Chairperson of Management,Marketing, and International Business

Kendra Reed

Development Officer College of BusinessTraci Wolff

Loyola Executive EditorPublications Editor

Ray Willhoft ’00

Loyola Executive DesignerCraig Bloodworth

PhotographerHarold Baquet

Contributors

Kathy BarnettBrian Danos

Catherine I. KoppelWilliam Locander

ExecSpring10_2-5_128_loyolaSpring_2-4 3/1/10 8:43 AM

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS MAGAZINELOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANSSPRING 2010 • VOL.3 • NO.1 • WWW.BUSINESS.LOYNO.EDU

COVER FOCUS6 From Internship to Passion

to Profession

FEATURES10 Do You Have Experience?

14 The Center for Spiritual Capital––A New Venture for theCollege of Business

18 The Business ProfessionProgram: Creating LearningPortfolios For Success

22 Spending the Holidays in theSouth... America That Is

24 No “Failure to Communicate”Here!

Loyola Executive is published bi-annually forLoyola University New Orleans College of Business

alumni and friends.Please address correspondence to:

Loyola ExecutiveOffice of the Dean

6363 St. Charles Avenue, Box 15New Orleans, LA 70118

News and photographs for possible use in futureissues may be submitted by readers.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:Loyola Executive

Loyola University New Orleans7214 St. Charles Avenue, Box 909

New Orleans, LA 70118

Loyola University New Orleans has fully supportedand fostered in its educational programs,

admissions, employment practices, and in theactivities it operates the policy of not discriminatingon the basis of age, color, disability, national origin,race, religion, sex/gender, or sexual orientation. Thispolicy is in compliance with all applicable federal

regulations and guidelines.

The inside of Loyola Executive is printed on recycledpaper using 10 percent post-consumer waste.


“Experience” is THE word in business education today! This issue of LoyolaExecutive is all about the experience that the College of Business’ students are gettingto prepare them for life after Loyola.

In this magazine, you will see two articles that profile the importance of ourinternship program. Dr. Kathy Barnett is the “shepherd” of this program andrecounts how important real-world experience is in getting a job or finding a career.Likewise, the cover story shows how internship-to-passion-to-profession (especiallyif it is with a friendly giraffe) can dramatically change the direction of a Loyolastudent’s life.

The newly funded Center for Spiritual Capital addresses the spiritual side of ourstudents’ growth. Thanks to our founding donor partners (John Levert and DocLaborde), we now have a center that will help teach and research in the area of howCatholic values can play a role in creating a productive work environment. If we for-get the errors in our past, we surely have another error on the horizon. My person-al thanks to the founding donors and to Dr. Nick Capaldi for his leadership in thisendeavor.

Lastly, we should say thanks to two faculty members, Drs. Michelle Johnston andLen Treviño. Michelle has provided leadership to the College of Business ExecutiveMentor Program which adds rich business expe-riences to our freshman class. Len took the ini-tiative to orchestrate a Latin American trip for14 MBAs and 6 undergraduates over theChristmas holiday. Those kinds of experiencesadd much value to our students’ lives.

Don’t miss the photos of our Wolves on theProwl participants and annual Fall CoB Picnic.

This spring marks the end of my second yearas dean of the college. While time flies, I couldnot be more proud of our staff, faculty, and stu-dents for what they have achieved over the lasttwo years.

Sincerely,

William B. Locander, Ph.D.College of Business Dean

Spring 2010 www.business.loyno.edu 5

From the Dean


6 Loyola Executive

From Internship to

ExecSpring10_6_9_128_loyolaSpring_5_9 3/1/10 8:44 AM

7

“My internship completely changedmy life” were the first words spoken byCollege of Business alumna TraceyHenneman ’09 when we sat down at theAudubon Zoo in New Orleans, La., foran interview. A 2009 graduate with amajor in marketing and a minor in masscommunication, Henneman was unsurewhat direction she should pursue withher business degree. She was preparedto work but she didn’t know at what.Then one day an internship list-

ing posted on Loyola’s CareerDevelopment Center’s websitegot her attention. Henneman wassearching the site for internshipsin order to find something thatwould fulfill the College ofBusiness’s internship requirementwhen something totally different

caught her eye. TheAudubon NatureInstitute waslooking for anintern in theirdevelopmentd e p a r t -ment .

Henneman had not considered working inthe nonprofit sector until that day, butsomething about the area of developmentfor a nonprofit agency intrigued her. Sheapplied, was hired, and what followed was acrash course in nonprofit management—event planning, fundraising, donor relations.At that time, the Audubon Nature Institute

was rolling out its newest attrac-tion—the Insectarium.

H e n n e m a n

foundh e r s e l f

working on amyriad of com-

plex tasks whichshe describes as “the

most interesting andexciting work I had ever

experienced.” As a develop-ment intern, she spent lots oftime interacting with many ofthe institute’s donors. It was

during this internship period thatshe realized nonprofit work was hercalling. The donors made an impres-

sion on the then 20-year-old. “The

Passion to Profession

ExecSpring10_6_9_128_loyolaSpring_5_9 3/9/10 1:44 PM

8 Loyola Executive

donors are so very passionate about theorganization. I began to realize howemotionally connected people are tothe zoo, the aquarium, the parks.Knowing that what you are doing isproviding so much joy to others isrewarding to say the least.”

Six months into her internship,Henneman was offered a part-time jobwith the institute. But the real pay-offto working so hard as an intern cameprior to her May graduation. Her bossin the development office recommend-ed her for a full-time position as opera-tions administrative coordinator, andonce again, she got the job.

In her current position, Hennemanserves as a liaison between the zoo andits many, many guests tendingto special requests, questions,concerns, safety, and lots ofcommittee work. What she likesbest about her job is that no twodays in a row are ever the same. Sheloves the challenges that the unpre-dictability presents. Not to mention theperks. She just returned from a trip vis-iting various zoos around the country inorder to compare systems and solutionsfor all those daily challenges. She alsoenjoys a great deal of freedom in beingable to create and present proposals fornew policies and systems at the zoo. Sogreat is her new-found passion for thenonprofit sector that she will soonpursue an advanced degree in publicadministration.

The day-to-day work isn’t theonly thing driving Henneman’sinterests and passion. Not onlyhas she found a career throughthe Audubon Nature Institute,

she has found a group of people whotruly enjoy their work. She readilyacknowledges that her accomplish-ments are in large part due to a group ofdedicated colleagues that make thingshappen. This group of professionalstook the time to teach and mentor heras an intern. She is proud to be a part ofthat family.

There is something else that makes thisstory so significant for the Loyola communi-ty. It wasn’t happenstance that the postingfor this internship ended up on Loyola’swebsite. It was by design. Gina Trapani ’06,

development oper-ations manager,needed a studentwho was smart ,dedicated, intu-

i t i v e ,a n d as e l f -

s t a r t e r .Being a Loyola

graduate her-self, she knewLoyola was theplace to start her

search. “I’m verygrateful that Mrs.Trapani looked to Loyolafirst,” says Henneman.“She afforded me a greatpersonal opportunity to getmy foot in the door andfind my way in my life’swork. I will forever be

grateful to her and the entiredevelopment staff.”A business grad in the non-

profit arena may seem like afish out of water to some. But,



when you consider what a Jesuit educationmeans, nonprofits are a very logical ending toan academic career. As Henneman explains, “Idon’t recall a particular moment at Loyolawhen I was aware of being taught the Jesuitideals, but when I graduated, I definitely real-ized I had changed over the last four years.There had been a shift in my thinking fromsomething beyond just myself to working for agreater cause. That’s what I took away fromLoyola. That’s what enabled me to be involvedin something that is part of a greater good.”

Henneman’s job can be very demanding,requiring a great deal of professionalism. She

acknowledges that her internship experienceallowed her to develop that professionalismand the confidence needed for the full-timeposition. But more importantly is the fact thatwhat started out as a search to fulfill a degreerequirement ended up with a fulfilling full-timejob offer. One never knows where somethingwill lead. Embrace the opportunities and whoknows, you may find your passion somewhereamong the giraffes, the manatees, or an exoticinsect from a far away land.

We would like to thank AudubonZookeeper Sarah Stough for her assistancewith the animals.

What does it take to make our magazine come to life?It takes a Harold Baquet. We couldn’t put together Loyola Executive without

Loyola Photographer Harold Baquet—an artist with acamera. No matter the subject matter, Harold takes it all in stride capturing the momentso we can bring all the CoB characters—two- and four-legged—to you, our readers.Thanks, Harold, for all your work!


10 Loyola Executive

Do You Have Experience?You have heard the old adage, “How do I get a first job without

experience and how do I get experience without a first job?” The

answer: INTERN. According to Roberta Kaskel, director of

Loyola’s Career Development Center, employers report that for

students to have a true competitive edge in today’s market they

really need to complete at least two, if not three,

internships. Employers want students to come with a realistic

“work” view and a proven track record of completing projects on

time, the ability to work in teams, and a sense of engagement in

their work that comes from having truly experienced the

demands of professional settings. The long and short of it,

employers consistently report that a full-time summer internship

with quantifiable results trumps a 4.0 every time.

Students explore careers and

“The biggest value that I gained was truly learninghow one company operates—everything from thebudget they have to work with, to where theyadvertise, to how long they take off for lunch. Sinceeveryone at NOTMC was busy working on so manyprojects, they could not dedicate all of their time andresources to showing me everything. Instead, I wasentrusted with responsibilities to get things done.”

Tyler KauffmanMarketing MajorInternship: New Orleans Tourism

Marketing Corporation

ExecSpring10_10_13_128_loyolaSpring_10_17 3/1/10 8:46 AM Page 2


business through internships

College of Business faculty members realized long ago the

importance of student internships, including a requirement

that all business students complete an internship in order to

graduate. In these economic times, internships have become

even more important for recent grads to compete for fewer job

openings. Students are able to gain hands-on experience while

also trying out different careers.

Dr. Kathy Barnett, coordinator of CoB internships, says,

“Students often don’t realize the value of the internship until

they’ve completed it. I have so many students that tell me they

were more than a bit aggravated that we make them complete

an internship when many other business schools don’t .

Students quickly add, ‘but I’m so glad you did. I learned so

much. I wish I had t ime to do more internships . ’ ”

“Being at Ogden Museum of Southern Art hastaught me that business can be incorporated intosomething that people truly care for and enjoy. Andlearning about the behind-the-scenes aspect ofmusic events is knowledge I can carry with methroughout my professional life. I am interested inthe field, so networking with everyone I met duringmy stay as an intern proved to be beneficial.”

Samantha FosterManagement MajorInternship: Ogden Museum of Art


Given that most college students work their way through

school waiting on tables or tending bar, the internship is

often a student’s first up-close look at a professional business

environment. As one Loyola student recently commented, “I

was surprised how much of my coursework I could actually

use while working in the real world. The concepts I learned

in my Business Communications course were part of my daily

work. I expected work to be so different from college, but

Loyola really prepares their students.”

Students receive three hours of academic credit upon

completing a minimum of 120 hours of work at an approved

internship site. Interns write a short report on their duties

and activities tying in what they have learned on site to

course concepts in addit ion to a few other career

development assignments.

Barnett points out that the success of the program hinges

on the willingness of business people to provide meaningful

internship opportunities for students. Loyola is fortunate to

have good working relationships with many local and

national business organizations that of fer a variety of

possibilities for students. Internship supervisors spend time

12 Loyola Executive

“My internship at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundationprovided me with hands-on experience in a number of differentareas. For example, I learned about the grant process and theresearch required in finding possible patrons for the arts.Perhaps most importantly, I discovered that any connection, nomatter how small you think it may be, is sometimes the mostpowerful connection when trying to get somethingaccomplished.”

Catherine WatsonMarketing MajorInternship: Jazz and Heritage Foundation


not only teaching the intern about the tasks at hand but also

often mentor students regarding career choices, networking,

and other survival skills.

Whether the internship leads to ful l - t ime employment

for the s tudent i s not necessar i ly the u l t imate goal ,

a l though i t i s certainly a most welcomed outcome. The

exper i ence p rov ide s c ruc ia l p ro f e s s iona l and ca ree r

development knowledge. Internships are t ruly unmatched

in their abi l i ty to provide a win-win s i tuat ion for both

the students and the employers .


“During my internship, I had to answer to loan officersand experienced professionals, but as I showed I was able tohandle what was given to me, I was given more work and moresignificant work. For example, instead of working on basic loanrenewals, I was given a business proposal to read over and askedto calculate the projected numbers that were given to us to see ifthey were realistic. I learned a great deal.”

Myles PalumboAccounting/Finance MajorInternship: Whitney Bank

“I learned that hard work, however big or small, has a significantimpact on improving our economy. So, whether it is simply enteringdata or translating documents for foreign use, it is all important. Ialso learned that relationships are important in business. I wasable to meet with several influential participants in Louisianacommerce—for example, those involved in city planning. Buildingrelationships with these people makes it easier for the World TradeCenter to build relationships with foreign firms and to provideincentives for them to contribute to our state’s economy.”

Jennifer GutierrezInternational Business/Marketing MajorInternship: World Trade Center, First Stop


14 Loyola Executive

The Center for Spiritual CapitalA New Venture for theCollege of Business

“The great challenge before us, accentuated by theproblems of development in this global era and madeeven more urgent by the economic and financial crisis,is to demonstrate, in thinking and behavior, not onlythat traditional principles of social ethics liketransparency, honesty and responsibility cannot beignored or attenuated…It is a demand both of charityand of truth.”

—Pope Benedict XIV


Just as global financial markets werecrashing in fall 2008, and the Americanpublic was decrying greed and theseeming lack of morality in Americancorporations, a small group of NewOrleans, La., businessmen were meetingmonthly to discuss the intersection ofCatholic values and free enterprise.Participating in the noncredit

seminar, “Catholic Social Thought andthe Market Economy,” led by Loyolaprofessor Nicholas Capaldi, Ph.D., theLegendre-Soulé Distinguished Chair inBusiness Ethics, the dozen or so businessleaders were inspired by their readingsand discussion and started to urge theformation of a center at the universitythat would capture and incorporate theessence of Judeo-Christian morals intobusiness education and practice. The volatile economic climate late in

the last decade also didn’t go unnoticed.“The scandals and recent economic

crisis have always informed myteaching,” says Capaldi, who teachesbusiness ethics, “but they gave a greatersense of urgency to the founding of thecenter.”In spring 2010, businessman John B.

Levert, Jr., and the College of Businessofficially launched the Center forSpiritual Capital. Dean Bill Locandersays, “The center will be a cornerstoneof Loyola’s College of Business.” The center is a first of its kind at a

Catholic university. According to DeanLocander, “It is only right that a centerdevoted to the organizations thatemphasize a culture of entrepreneurialthinking, trust, and moral decision-making be housed in Loyola’s College ofBusiness.” Loyola’s center is a research,

education, and outreach organization

housed in the College of Business thatworks with scholars, policy experts, andbusiness leaders to connect academiclearning and real-world practice. It isaimed at serving industry leaders andtraditional students alike who willexercise more profound roles asentrepreneurs in both commerce andculture. Through coursework, retreats,and other activities, the center’s missionis to promote sound interdisciplinaryresearch and innovative ideas thatadvance a sustainable, free, prosperous,and responsible civil society. The center’s outreach programs with

executives will reaffirm, reeducate, andinspire leaders to make morecontributions to the greater good, whilepromoting the importance of spiritualityin modern workplaces and a culture oftrust and moral decision making.At the core of the center is the notion

that wealth obtained honorablycontributes to the betterment of societyand improves the conditions that keeppeople from flourishing. “The centerwants to emphasize how creating wealthand jobs is one among many ways ofachieving social justice,” explainsCapaldi. “The great debate amongCatholics is not whether but how tohelp the poor. There are many ways ofdoing this that are not mutuallyexclusive.” Capaldi points to two papal

encyclicals, Centesimus Annus andCaritas in Veritate, to support thisphilosophy. In Cenresimus Annus, PopeJohn Paul II explores the positiveaspects of business and production as ameans to help impoverished peopleescape “the humiliation of subjugation.”In Caritas in Veritate, Pope BenedictXVI expounds on human and economic



development in the midst of theglobal economic crisis and promotesthe pursuit of profit if it is usedresponsibly and contributes to thecommon good.

The center will feature lectures byspeakers with a sound understandingof these themes and how traditionalfaiths can play a vital role inretrieving and reinvigorating thespiritual roots of business practice;conferences of scholars and CEOs whodelve into the ethics of commerce andthe religious roots of business; forumsincluding journalists, academics,clergy, and students on challenges tospirituality in the work world; and afull-service resource center providinge v e r y t h i n g f r o m c u r r i c u l u menhancement and faculty developmentto seminar planning and advice toindividuals, small corporations, andnonprofits.

The center will also offer a 12-hourgraduate certificate program in theCentral Business District of NewOrleans, La., for middle and upper-levelbusiness leaders to explore the spiritualfoundations of business decision making,analyze key elements of erosion in socialvirtue and social capital, and critiquethe teachings of mainstream religioustraditions on business.

Capaldi’s hope for the center is “toestablish a home for a new network ofbusiness leaders, academic leaders,religious leaders, and community andpolitical leaders in general to focus onthe search for renewed ethical normsto guide the evolving economicrelationships of the post-modern era.”

Finally, Capaldi feels that“entrepreneurs are not the source oftoday’s problems but very possibly thesolution.”

16 Loyola Executive

Guiding Principles:• A partnership of business

and academe promoting theidea of spiritual values inthe workplace.

• A search for new ethicalnorms in economicrelationships throughexploration of issues ofspiritual capital.

• A desire to give rise to aspiritual culture fororganizations grounded inleadership which fostersand empowers the humanspirit.

www.business.loyno.edu/spiritual-capital



“Right is right even if nobody is doing it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it,” saysJohn B. Levert, Jr., paraphrasing the words of the Rev. William Byron, S.J. That’s the philosophyLevert follows as one of southeast Louisiana’s most successful businessmen and a generousbenefactor and former member of the Board of Trustees of Loyola University New Orleans.

“Business should be conducted along those principled lines,” Levertsays. And now, Levert has the chance to spread that philosophywith the launch of the Loyola Center for Spiritual Capital.

Levert is a former chief executive officer of HowardWeil Labouisse Fredrichs, Inc., which he joined in 1970,and currently serves as president of Tripp Corporation,United Lands Company, Inc., and as a director ofEvangeline Farms, Inc., which owns and breeds PasoFino horses. Prior to joining Howard Weil, Levert wasthe executive vice president of Metal Building Productsin Harvey, worked as a salesman for Carl E. WoodwardConstruction Company, and was a first lieutenant inthe U.S. Army.

He is well known and active in New Orleans’ charitableand professional organizations, having served as pastpresident of the United Way and governor of the NationalAssociation of Securities Dealers. He also was a boardmember of the Public Affairs Research Council, the NewOrleans Chamber of Commerce Business Council, theBusiness Task Force on Education, and a member of theEconomic Development Committee of the New Orleans Chamberof Commerce. Levert was awarded the Papal Knight of St. GregoryAward in 1989 and the Humanitarian Award from theArthritis Foundation in 1989.

Levert attended the University of Virginiaand received his bachelor of arts degree fromTulane University in 1954, but he also hasa long and dedicated history with Loyola.He is a member of Loyola’s HeritageSociety and the Society of St. Ignatius,and he served on Loyola’s Board ofTrustees from 1989 until 1997. In 1998,he was named an honorary trustee.

Levert and his wife, Anne, reside inBush, La., and they have two grownchildren, John Levert, III, M.B.A. ’95 andAnne Hardy ’85.

John B. Levert, Jr., Founding Partner of the Centerfor Spiritual Capital


18 Loyola Executive

The BusinessProfessionProgram:

Creating LearningPortfolios

for Success

The BusinessProfessionProgram:

Creating LearningPortfolios

for Success

Students took a tour ofBlaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World.


Decisions about the future can be complicated andoften scary for college students, particularly in theirfreshman year. But it doesn’t have to be that way.Preparation for life after college should begin the first daystudents set foot on campus. Notsurprisingly, most college freshmen justdon’t “get it.” Let’s face it—they haveother things to think about. Loyola’sCollege of Business is committed topreparing students for their work lives—that time beyond classrooms andtextbooks. Whether it’s finding one’scareer passion or figuring out how tocontribute to a greater good through thatpassion, the CoB seeks to equip studentswith the necessary tools for success.A new program, initiated by the CoB

this past fall, serves to address issuesrelated to transitioning from collegestudent to real-life opportunities. The BusinessProfession Program: Creating Learning Portfolios forSuccess (Portfolio for short) was launched in the fall of

2009 with the freshman class of 150 students. Modeledafter a program at Xavier University, Cincinnati,Portfolio is a series of eight non-credit semester courses

that begin in the freshman year with topics related topersonal development and culminates in job searchplanning and interviewing in the senior year. The inaugural semester included programs that

helped freshmen to identify personal strengths and careerinterests that would further their understanding of themany opportunities that await them—both at Loyola

and beyond.The first of such programs

was StrengthsQuest, an onlineassessment by the Galluporganization required for allincoming Loyola freshmen.The StrengthsQuest assessmentprovides students with a tool inwhich to identity theirpredominant strengths andunderstand how to use thosestrengths to their advantage inall aspects of their lives.Portfolio discussions, led byuniversity personnel trained in

StrengthsQuest assessment, allowed students to furtherexplore their results and interpretations.Next, students were enrolled in the career assessment



20 Loyola Executive

program, CareerLeader—a software program utilized bymore than 400 business schools worldwide. Resultsprovided students with insights into what careers wouldbe a good match for them based on their interests andpersonality. Loyola students are able to accessinformation on numerous industries and career options

helping them to better understand what they might liketo do when finished with their studies in the CoB.

The final Portfolio assignment required students toattend a campus-wide event.The assignment was designedto have students experiencesomething beyond their usualactivities and think about theevent topic in terms of Jesuitideals. (See box for studentcomments.)

The focus of the springsemester program is forfreshmen to begin exploringvarious industries and possiblecareer opportunities. Wekicked off the spring course in January with a program onthe tourism industry—a natural tie-in with New Orleansand the Carnival season. Freshmen (many of whom hadnever experienced Mardi Gras before) were treated to atour of Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World and dinner.

Mary Beth Romig, director of communications andpublic relations for the New Orleans Convention andVisitors Bureau, spoke to the freshman class on theimpact of tourism on the New Orleans economy.Students got an up close look at the Mardi Gras industry.

In February, the Portfolio program hosted a session forstudents titled “Your Career StartsToday” with New York-based businessconsultant and trainer Mary Crane.Crane talked about how to start buildinga professional mindset now in order tosuccessfully transition from college life tothe fast-paced work environment.

The final assignment of the springsemester will have students researchingand profiling an industry of interest tothem. Students will have to think abouthow their strengths and career interestmight fit with a future in that industry.

The Business Profession Program willcontinue to evolve in order to keep up

with current trends in the marketplace. According toDean Bill Locander, future plans include thedevelopment of a CoB Career Placement Program and a

job placement coordinator who will work in conjunctionwith Loyola’s Career Development Center to assistbusiness students in finding a career that matches theirpassion—simplifying what can be a sometimescomplicated and scary process.



Student Voices from PortfolioThe inaugural semester included programs that helped freshmen to identify personal

strengths and career interests that would further their understanding of the manyopportunities that await them—both at Loyola and beyond.As part of Portfolio, students were required to attend a campus event. Here are a fewof the comments from CoB students regarding what they took away from the event:

“The stories were very moving and gave me a new view of America’s justicesystem. I am thankful to be at a small liberal arts school that supports newideas. This experience has changed my life.”

—Attendee: Voices of Innocence

“Attending an event outside of your major area of study or comfort levelties into the Jesuit ideal of developing the whole person—and it’s a greatway to experience something new.”

—Attendee: Loyola Ballet

“Attending this event made me realize how much I take my freedoms andsafety for granted. I now want to delve deeper into the social issues of these

governments and societies to discover how we can help and get involved.”—Attendee: Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Speaker Event

“Camilleri’s message was a very simple one that I believe encompasses the Jesuit ideals westrive to uphold: in every human is the presence of God and thus we must strive to gainequality for all people.”

—Attendee: Migration, Poverty and Racism, Speaker Event

“By attending this play rather than simply lazing around on Sunday afternoon, I feel as thoughmy time was much better spent. It’s important for me at this point in my life to take advantageof the various opportunities Loyola and New Orleans offer in order for me to become a more

fully mature individual.”—Attendee: Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes

“Attending this event was an enriching experiencethat allowed me to learn about a reality different from

my own. This has opened my eyes and helped medevelop a new appreciation for my life. Events such asthese contribute to our education on a very different level.”

—Attendee: Voices of Innocence,Speaker Event

“This event brought out emotions in me I never knew I hadand made me want to do things to help I never thought I wanted

to do before and for that, I am truly grateful.”—Attendee: Katrina’s Internally Displaced People,

Speaker Event


22 Loyola Executive

Spending the Holidays in the South…


h

A group of 19 MBA and undergraduateCollege of Business students spent part oftheir semester break visiting SouthAmerica. Not a bad way to usher in thenew year and learn about the globaleconomy all at the same time! The trip toSantiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, included plannedvisits to area businesses and cultural sites. The group was led by Dr. Len Treviño, Gerald N.Gaston Eminent Scholar Chair in International Business at the CoB. The trip, which counted towards three hours of academic credit, allowed students to

explore international business environments and practices up close. Business visitsincluded the Chilean American Chamber of Commerce, La Moneda Palace, IBM,McCann Erickson, La Serenisima dairy, the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, and BodegaNorton winery, among others. A key aspect of a Jesuit education is understanding the

importance of making our communities a better place for havingbeen there. In keeping with that concept, students spent some oftheir time in South America on a service project with theFoundacion Nordelta. Loyola students visited an area school andspent time cleaning, painting, and having fun with some of thechildren from the school.

…America That Is



24 Loyola Executive

No“Failure to

Communicate”Here!

You don’t have to be very old beforeyou hear a line from the American FilmInstitute ranking the top movie quotes.The top two are:

#1 – “Frankly, my dear, I don’tgive a damn,” ClarkGable in Gone withthe Wind.

#2 – “I’m gonna make him anoffer he can’t refuse,”Marlon Brando inThe Godfather.

Number 11 on AFI’s list of top quotescomes from the movie Cool Hand Luke. Inthe movie, actor Strother Martin uttersthe line to a young chain gang prisoner(played by Paul Newman) after his failedescape attempt.

#11– Martin says, “what we’vegot here is…failure tocommunicate.”


Overcoming the “failure to communicate”has been the life’s work of Michelle K.Johnston, Ph.D., associate professor ofmanagement with the College of Business.She has been working with students andexecutives for more than 15 years to makesure that they are not guilty of failing tocommunicate. Johnston’s experience as aprofessional speaker and corporate trainerdates back to the early 1990s and along theway has influenced clients like Entergy, Pfizer

Pharmaceutical, Pan American Life, andImperial Trading Company, to name a few.Her expertise in communication has helpedmany a corporate client hone theirprofessional communication skills—whetherit is learning how to make powerfulpresentations that get results or how to run ameeting more effectively—and Johnstonleaves them with an enhanced understandingof how important good communication is totheir success. Her academic research work in

listening has complemented her professionalconsulting work in communication.

In the Classroom

While an acclaimed professional speaker,it has been at Loyola where Johnston ismaking a difference and influencingstudents’ lives. “My goal in teaching any ofmy courses, whether it’s BusinessCommunication at the freshmen level,Leadership at the senior level, orManagement Communication at the

graduate level, is to bring out eachstudent’s personality when theycommunicate,” she says. “I don’t wantthem to be robots who all answer interviewquestions the same, write cover letters thesame, and give presentations the sameway. I want each student to understandwhat makes them unique and interestingand incorporate those strengths into theirleadership style. I want students to leavemy course with confidence that they can


It’s All About Communication

In the Classroom


28 Loyola University New Orleans Magazine

26 Loyola Executive

interact in any business setting that’s thrownat them and sell themselves successfully.”Johnston is a big fan of Loyola students and

finds them to be hard working, creative, andcapable of adding value to any businesssituation. As such, she has worked hard tomake their time at Loyola more than just aclassroom experience.

First-Year MentorsIn the spring of 2003, the College of

Business wanted to improve its retentionefforts. Retention rates had been hovering atabout 78 percent for years, well below oursister school average of 82 percent. Inaddition, many of our students had expressedfrustration that during their freshman year,they didn’t take any business courses andtherefore did not understand what being abusiness major meant. They had not met asingle business professor and felt littleconnection to the college.So, it was Johnston to the rescue as the first

director of the Executive Mentor Program.

This program would be unlike most otherbusiness school mentor programs offered tocollege students. It would be for incomingfreshmen. First-year business students wouldbe mentored by executives from the NewOrleans, La., business community. Johnstonrecalls, “the first two years were full ofchanges on our end and on the mentors’ end.

Most of the mentors had not worked with 18-year-olds in a long time and had to figure outhow to connect with these Millennials. It wasa challenge for all of us, but we learned onthe go and made it work.”The program was designed so that small

groups of freshmen (five or six) would bepaired up with a New Orleans executive.Passionate about everyone being a strongwriter and an effective public speaker,Johnston is also concerned about students’ability to interact in social events. Over thecourse of a semester, students meet withexecutives for lunch or dinner, visitcompanies, and interact one-on-one. Thisallows the freshmen to develop and practice

First-Year Mentors


their professional communication skills.While the Executive Mentor Program is

exceptionally well designed, the magicingredient that makes executives want to bementors and students benefit so much fromthe program is Johnston herself. Her outgoingpersonality and devotion to students makesher a difficult person to ignore. She works

hard to find the “right” executives that havesomething special to offer our students andthen “persuades” them to join the program.

On to Italy

Last October, Johnston hosted a visitingU.S. State Department contingent of facultymembers from the University of L’Aquila thatwas struck in April 2009 by a powerfulearthquake (4.6 magnitude), heavilydamaging the university and the medievalcity of the same name. When arriving atLoyola, the Italian university had justsuffered a devastating earthquake and thefaculty contingent wanted to learn how to

recover and build partnerships with thebusiness community. They were mostinterested in how to start their own mentoringprogram, so Bill Locander, Kate Lawrence, andMichelle Johnston shared success stories withthem. The visit was a huge success. In fact,Johnston just returned from Rome where shemet with one of the visiting professors,

Margherita Mori, who is an associate dean andprofessor of finance. Johnston and Mori arecurrently working on a cross-cultural analysisof disaster management and have moreresearch projects in the pipeline. During hersabbatical next year, Johnston will visit theuniversity and offer guest lectures. And oncethe Italian city and university are in bettershape, we hope to offer Loyola students theopportunity to study abroad at the Universityof L’Aquila. Loyola has never had arelationship with an Italian university, and wethink this one makes perfect sense. Italianlessons are definitely on Johnston’s list ofthings to do.

No failure to communicate in her future!!!


On to Italy


28 Loyola Executive

Good Foodand Great Fun

at CoB FallHalloween

PicnicThe annual Fall CoB Picnic is always an opportunity

for faculty, staff, and students to take a break from their

usual day-to-day schedules and studies and have some

good food and great fun!

Dr. Kathy Barnett’s dog, Truman, costumedas a Lassie look-a-like.

Drs. Levendis, Reed, and Matherne having a blue-man sort of day.Would you go to SouthAmerica with this guy?



Students took a break from studies to enjoy the CoB picnic.

Dr. David Luechauer and sonMichael dressed for the links.

Only good witches allowed at the CoB picnic.

Saints fever was in full swing at the CoB.


Freshmen Step Up toCommunity Servicewith Wolveson the Prowl

As is the tradition in the College of Business, the

freshman Class of 2013 participated in the annual

Wolves on the Prowl, Loyola’s national day of

community service. Wolves on the Prowl, held every fall,

works toward the Ignatian tradition of being men and

women for and with others in communities across

the nation. Students were involved in various

community service projects including school

beautification in New Orleans public schools.


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