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Business Social on the Hoval Celebration

Students with Professor

There is a growing number of students on the hill pursuing business. This year the Ciocca Center awarded 82 Certificates, up from 64 last spring.  To celebrate this milestone, and the retirement of Prof. David Chu, the campus community was invited to the inaugural Business Social on the Hoval held on Monday, May 2 from 1-3pm.

Business Certificate Program graduates were invited to pick up their hard copy certificates and graduation pins.  Underclassmen interested in learning more about the program were encouraged to chat with Ciocca Center staff for more information and to register for a Business Certificate Program.

Faculty and students took this opportunity to meet up with other Business Certificate Program students, recharge before finals and say goodbye to Prof. Chu before retirement at the end of the academic year.

Everyone enjoyed delicious food truck fare with Mrs. Moriconi’s Ice Cream and Say Cheese!  A number of students lined up to get their professional headshots taken, and others mixed with peer Business Certificate Program students under the tents.  It was a celebratory afternoon and we look forward to doing it again next spring!
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Prof. Chu Reflects on Career at Holy Cross
Group of students with Prof. Chu
Prof. Chu with participants of the 2011 Summer Business Program.

Conor Joslin ’23, the student intern for the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society,  interviewed Prof. David Chu upon hearing about his retirement at the end of the current academic year.

CJ: Let’s start with a little background about your pre-Holy Cross life.

DC: I grew up in Hong Kong and came over to the United States for college. I went to a small college called Anderson College, where there were 2,000 undergraduate students. Anderson College is a liberal arts institution and I majored in accounting and business, which enabled me to study accounting and business while fulfilling all of the liberal arts requirements; so I had a very well rounded education. Then I went to graduate school at Indiana University in Bloomington where I got my MBA and went on to get a PHD. I then taught at Indiana University while my wife was finishing up her medical training. After that, we decided to look around, and Holy Cross offered me a position, which I was very thankful for. My wife also got a job at what was then called the Fallon Clinic, and we moved out here. I started in the fall of 1991, and it has been a great career since.

CJ: What are your roles and responsibilities as the director of the Ciocca Center?  What are the more challenging aspects of your job? Continue reading “Prof. Chu Reflects on Career at Holy Cross”
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Ciocca Center Provides Multiple Pathways to Business

The Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society takes business programs at Holy Cross to the next level giving students multiple pathways to study business at the College. “Before, we emphasized that students could ‘major in anything, succeed in business,’ but we only offered the one pathway, the co-curricular certificate of readiness through COES,” says David Chu, the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society’s director of certificate programs and prebusiness advisor. “Now, we are going to give students multiple pathways to learn about business.”


In addition to the technical skill building Certificate in Business Fundamentals and Certificate in Entrepreneurship, the College has recently developed a new interdisciplinary minor in business, ethics, and society. The minor draws on a range of liberal arts disciplines to help students develop historical, economic, political and philosophical perspectives on the world of business, while exploring overarching questions about the role of business in a just society. In addition to this coursework, students in the minor will complete an internship and participate in relevant workshops offered through the Ciocca Center.

Read the full story on the Holy Cross news site.

 

 
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Ciocca Center Intern Interviews Bill Abbott ’84

Bill Abbott ’84
President & CEO of Crown Media Family Networks

“This is where being a major in English really comes in handy.  I feel like I learned story, characters, and emotion and all the things that comprise great storytelling at Holy Cross.”

Bill Abbot Headshot

On March 29, 2019, Ciocca Center Student Intern Sarah Anderson ’20 interviewed Bill to learn about how he turned his English Major into a career in the entertainment industry.  Bill is the President and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  Did you always know you wanted to work in the entertainment industry?  No, not at all. I was an English major, with a lot of political science classes mixed in there.  I was really focused more either on law school or teaching when I was at school. But, after college I felt like more school wasn’t really where I wanted to be my first year out.  So, I was fortunate enough to get a job in the media world, loved it from the beginning, and decided that’s what I would focus on. Entertainment is not something I intended on, but the liberal arts education provided me with a great backdrop for really anything I wanted to do because it teaches you and gives you a good sense of how to communicate and critically think and write.  All of those are crucial aspects to any job. Continue reading “Ciocca Center Intern Interviews Bill Abbott ’84”
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New Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at Holy Cross

Have an idea for a business? Interested in working with cool ideas?
Get involved with entrepreneurship and innovation this fall!

 

“The extracurricular entrepreneurial opportunities offered outside of the classroom such as the Ignite Incubator, the Fullbridge Program, the Shark Tank Competition, visits to start-ups, and networking events have all furthered my desire to pursue a career in business.”

– Paul Wiley ’20, chemistry major
2017 Shark Tank Competition Winner


>> Join the new Holy Cross student run Ignite Incubator! The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program is excited to launch the College’s new student run incubator. The Ignite Incubator enables students from all class years to learn what it takes to bring a business to market through hands on experience. Students can either:

  • have their idea or business incubated in the program
  • work on other students business ideas

The incubator is now accepting applications for both business ideas and for associate positions on the management team.
Apply NOW! Deadline: September 10, 2018

>> Fall Course: Entrepreneurship 101
Tue. & Thu. from 12:30-1:45pm
Prof. Ja-Naé Duane

Entrepreneurship begins with a vision.  This course focuses on the foundations of entrepreneurship and is appropriate for students from any major.  It is designed to introduce students to the entrepreneurial process so that they may begin to shape their own entrepreneurial vision. Course objectives include an introduction to the challenges of entrepreneurship, an understanding of the ethical environment in which entrepreneurs operate, the skills to think critically and work toward the ability to evaluate opportunities in the business. This is a course that includes project-based entrepreneurial activities where students work to test and validate ideas.

Who should take this course?

  • Students who have a business idea
  • Students who want to work on existing business idea
  • Students who want to explore the field of entrepreneurship and innovation

Space is limited. Seats available for second, third and fourth year students.

>> Have questions? Reach out to Ja-Naé Duane, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, for more program details!

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It’s Finally HERE!

Your WOMEN IN BUSINESS NEWSLETTER is finally here!

We are so excited to announce the first edition of The Purple Pulse! In addition to the annual Women in Business conference, the goal is to support this amazing community year-round with a quarterly newsletter – to uplift, strengthen and inspire! 

What can you expect? The student committee will focus on what’s new, upcoming events, spotlights and more!

Check your inbox for the *first* edition of the Women in Business NEWSLETTER! #hcwib #purplepulse

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Fullbridge Professional Edge at Holy Cross!

“I really enjoyed the overall experience of Fullbridge. It definitely proved beneficial to my understanding of the business world. I really was unsure about continuing in the certificate program, however after this program I definitely will continue.”

– English Major, Class of 2019


Registration now open for the May and August 2018 sessions! Find more info at fulbridge.com/holycross

 
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Annual SHARK TANK Competition
Group photo at the 2017 Shark Tank competition. From Left to Right: Bryan Sparkes ’04, Dylan Oliveira ’17, Ed McLaughlin ’78, Mary Kate Vanecko ’17, Paul Wiley ’20 and April Lukasik P16.

Have you seen the show Shark Tank? Did you know we had our own version of it here at Holy Cross? YES! It’s run by the Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Ja-Nae Duane, where current students will pitch their ideas to a panel of alumni judges for real money. Don’t want to compete? Come watch the show!

The annual competition will be held on Thursday, February 22 from 6-8pm in Hogan Suite A …followed by an alumni networking event! Stay tuned to see who the alumni judges will be.

>> Want to compete? Join us for a prep session held on:
Monday, February 5 and Monday, February 12 at 6PM in Stein 216. *Must attend one prep session to compete.

MORE INFO: Meet with Ja-Nae via Google Hangout or stop by the new co-working space in Stein 129C.

— — — — —

UPDATE: Interested in who will be on the judging panel this year?  Come to the event to meet them and mingle during the networking hour with a number of alumni entrepreneurs!

Stacy Chin ’12, CEO & Co-founder, HydroGlyde Coatings
Prof. Daniel Klinghard, Director, J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts & the World, Holy Cross
Tyler Scionti ’15, Product Expert, Hubspot

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Young Alumni Launches Marketplace: ERIDU

Jeff Reppucci’ 14: Russian Studies Major

Founder of the online business, Jeff is excited to announce the launch of Eridu Market and Magdalena Premium Colombian Coffee just in time for the holiday season.

Jeff was a Russian Studies Major at Holy Cross taking several courses on international politics and history. Through his liberal arts education, he was exposed to opportunities and experiences with international communities first hand. During his travels, he met with local business in different corners of the world. Jeff was so captivated by the stories and techniques of the artisans he met, he kept in touch with them long after leaving South America.

By creating Eridu, Jeff has established a platform to sell artisan made products and the Magdalena Coffee.  Here he hopes to both expose the world to the talents of artisans, and help the artisans share their stories and sell to the U.S. market.  Jeff believes his company shares the values of his liberal arts education of authenticity, quality and cultural exchange.

Authentic Products with Authentic Stories: Welcome to Eridu

Through close personal relationships and equitable partnerships with talented artisans and coffee farmers, Eridu brings  you authentic styles, designs, and high-quality products from unique corners of the globe. Eridu currently only has products from Columbia, but Jeff and his team are working on expanding his network of artisans to Peru, Haiti, and Tanzania. Jeff’s goal is to empower people through culture and commerce.   Discover Colombian art and culture today!

 

Single Origin Like Never Before: Magdalena Café

Unlike the vast majority of craft coffees in the US, Magdalena is purely single origin. The coffee is farmed, processed, roasted, and packaged in a mountain-side village by the people and culture who know coffee best- a true import product.  The farmer, Leila, is one of the only female coffee farmers all of Colombia. This is the first time her coffee and this style of indigenous roast have been sold in the United States. Click to learn more about her story and the unique, aromatic flavor of Magdalena Café.

Pictured: Jeff Reppucci ’14 hand delivering his first online order to Prof. David Chu at Holy Cross.

 

 

MEET JEFF and see all of his products first hand at the Holiday Bazaar in the Hogan Ballroom tomorrow (12/8/17) from 10am-4pm for some holiday shopping.  See you there!

— Thanks to Sarah Anderson ’20 & Rosangel Cruz Cabrera ’18 for collaborating to share this story.

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2017 Women in Business Student Recap

Miss the annual Women in Business conference? No worries! Read a review of the 2017 Women in Business conference, written by committee members Sarah Anderson ’20 and Kate Beckerman ’20.   Special THANK YOU to Provost Freije for interviewing Deirdre Latour ’95, Senior Advisor, VP & COO at GE.

Find Your Power Center: GE’s Deirdre Latour ’95 Offers Advice to Students at Women in Business Conference. Students spent a day learning and networking with alumnae at annual conference.

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, November 3, 2018 << Stay tuned for the keynote announcement!

 

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