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W2: The Women to Women Conference Will Feature an Award-Winning Journalist as Keynote

May 15th, 2013
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Award-winning journalist Nance Guilmartin will deliver a keynote address from noon-1:30 p.m. at the 2013 W2: The Women to Women Conference, set for Thursday, May 23, at the Best Western Plus GranTree Inn in Bozeman.

The conference, “Empowering Women to Move Forward in Business and Life,” is presented by the Montana State University College of Business, MSU College of Business Women’s Circle of Excellence, Prospera Business Network and Montana Women’s Business Center.

Guilmartin is an author, educator, executive coach and four-time regional Emmy Award-winning journalist. Her book, “The Power of Pause: How to be More Effective in a Demanding, 24/7 World,” teaches professionals new ways to succeed. At the conference, Guilmartin will discuss ways to exercise leadership skills that can save time and strengthen relationships. She also will offer thoughts on engaging in productive exchanges, learning how to save time and money, and leading with confidence in the face of uncertainty and change.

Other topics to be covered at the conference include creating change in business, developing and implementing powerful marketing plans, empowering employees, understanding the power of financials through strategic cash flow management, evolving business with e-commerce, and re-launching and renewing careers. The conference also includes a panel discussion on the power of female-owned businesses.

Major sponsorship for the conference is provided by Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, with additional support from ABC/Fox Montana, PrintingForLess.com, BlueCross BlueShield, CenturyLink and Home Instead Senior Care. Also providing support are American Federal Savings Bank, BioScience Laboratories, First Security Bank, CPA Gina Jones, Montana Chamber Choices, Montana Department of Transportation DBE Program and Northwestern Energy.

Registration for the W2 Conference is $89 and includes workshops, materials and meals. Continuing professional education credits for certified public accountants are available. The deadline to register is Friday, May 17, 2013.

Registration is available online at ProsperaBusinessNetwork.org/W2.

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Accounting Student Receives Prestigious National Scholarship

May 13th, 2013
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Amanda Powell, an accounting student, has been awarded a prestigious Ritchie-Jennings Memorial scholarship for $5,000 from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). These scholarships are based on overall academic achievements, an essay and three letters of recommendation.

Only 30 U.S. and international student scholarships are awarded each year; one $10,000, two $5,000, and 23 $1,000. The $5,000 scholarship is the highest amount any Montana State University (MSU) College of Business (CoB) student has ever received.

Four students from the CoB had previously received $1,000 Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarships: Jennifer Hill (2002-2003), Erin Mohr (2003-2004), Joey Ottoy (2008-2009), and Sophie Mumford (2010-2011). Molly Zander received a $2,500 scholarship for 2012-2013.

The ACFE is an anti-fraud organization working to reduce business fraud worldwide and inspire public confidence in the integrity and objectivity within the anti-fraud profession. They support the education of students worldwide enrolled in accounting, business, finance and criminal justice who wish to pursue a career in fraud examination or a similar anti-fraud profession. For more information, go to www.acfe.com.

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MSU breaks ground for new Jabs Hall

May 3rd, 2013
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May 03, 2013 — MSU News Service

The new Jabs Hall at Montana State University will help mold Montana’s future entrepreneurs, according to Kregg Aytes, dean of the MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

“The building will shape our behavior, and we will become more collaborative and innovative,” said Aytes, who was one of several officials to speak Friday at a groundbreaking ceremony held for the new building.

The event began with a processional of students, faculty, staff and friends from MSU and the community. The MSU Spirit Band, members of the ROTC, and horseback riders from a local drill team also participated in the event’s processional.

Jabs Hall will be the new home of the MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, formerly known as the MSU College of Business. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed in 2015.

Both the building and the college are named for Jake Jabs, a Montana native and Montana State College alumnus who in 2011 announced a $25 million gift that will completely fund construction of the building and other programs.

Jabs’ spirit of entrepreneurship and decision to give back to students in his home state is “exciting and empowering to our students,” said Lindsay Murdock, a sociology student and president of the Associated Students of MSU, during her remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony.

“We are very excited,” Murdock said.

Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian said that the building will “mean good things for students in Montana, mean good things for Montana State University, and mean good things for the state of Montana.

“Montana is very fortunate to be the home state of Jake Jabs,” he added.

MSU President Waded Cruzado said that the university has a “bold vision” — for its business school to be one of the best in the nation. Jabs Hall, she said, will help the university achieve that goal.

Jabs himself noted that everyone needs business skills, and that there “is more need for entrepreneurs today that there has ever been.”

Jabs grew up on a farm near Lodge Grass and received a degree in vocational agriculture from Montana State College in 1952. While at Montana State, he played music with the band, was on the rodeo team and joined the ROTC.

Jabs, 83, is now president and CEO of American Furniture Warehouse based in Denver. The company is one of the largest retail furniture companies in the U.S. and one of the largest privately held businesses in Colorado.

Jabs credits his parents for providing him with a strong work ethic, and Jabs’ father, who had no formal education beyond the second grade, shared with Jake and his siblings his belief that education was essential.

Jabs’ $25 million gift - the largest private gift in the history of higher education in Montana — will also be used for new scholarships and new academic programs in entrepreneurship, professional skills development, and fostering cooperative work between business students and students in other disciplines.

In addition to the $25 million gift, in 2010 Jabs gave $3 million to the MSU College of Business for the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship, plus additional funds for scholarships for entrepreneurship students.

Of his decision to invest in education, Jabs said in a 2010 interview that, “education gives you the confidence to take risks, and to be successful in life you have to have take risks.”

Others speaking at the groundbreaking event included Montana Lt. Gov. John Walsh, who said the new building will help produce the next generation of business owners, leaders and executives; and Angela McLean, chairwoman of the Montana Board of Regents, who noted that Jabs Hall and the students who take classes there will have a bright future. Michael Stevenson, president and chief executive officer of the MSU Alumni Foundation, thanked Jabs on behalf of all of MSU’s alumni.

After the prepared remarks, Jabs and the other members of the platform party ceremonially turned ground at the building site. Young children wearing T-shirts that read, “I’m a future entrepreneur” helped the group break ground.

The MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers four undergraduate options of study - accounting, finance, management and marketing - as well as six minors - accounting, business administration, entrepreneurship and small business management, finance, international business, and management of information technology. It also offers a master of professional accountancy degree. Last fall, the college reported an enrollment of 1,151 undergraduates and 42 graduate students.

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MSU Students Impress Judges with Comprehensive Advertising Campaign

April 23rd, 2013
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Calling themselves Caldera Collective, sixteen Montana State University (MSU) College of Business and College of Arts & Architecture graphic design students spent two semesters creating a brilliant advertising campaign which earned them 2nd place honors at the regional National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) in Boise, Idaho this April. Moriah Ellig, an MSU graphic design student, won the best female presenter award and the MSU team won the award for the best guerrilla marketing idea.

Each year, a different corporate sponsor provides a case study reflecting a real-world situation to challenge these students. Past advertising class teams have worked with companies ranging from Coca-Cola and Nissan America to Dove and State Farm Insurance. This year’s sponsor was Glidden Paint.

The students put together an extensive integrated communications campaign that included everything from target market research, marketing goals, multi-media and print advertising to guerrilla marketing tactics, in-store promotions, mobile apps and social media. They centered their campaign on the slogan “Paint Fearlessly” and featured ads that showcased cheeky uses of Glidden paint titled “fail temporarily,” “fail fashionably,” and “fail naturally.”

The team of students presented this extensive advertising campaign to a panel of judges, consisting of professionals in the communications industry, during the competition in Boise. Other schools represented at the competition included Boise State University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, Idaho State University, Portland State University, University of Idaho, University of Oregon and Washington State University.

A huge thank you goes out to sponsors supporting this group of students: Jim and Connie Alderson, Flying Horse Communications, InstyPrints, KBZK Bozeman, MSU Office of Student Activities, MSU School of Art, O’Berry Collaborative, Walmart Bozeman and MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

Left to Right:
(Back) Tucker Kirschner, Peihan Hao, Corbin Hutchinson, Dan Clem, Pierce Ware *and Bryce Tiernan *
(Middle) Michael Bechler, Tina Smith *, Mike Gold, Allie McRae* and Chris Stanick *
(Front) David Driscoll*, Moriah Ellig *, Shayla Preeshl, Mary Louke, Vanessa Swenson*and Gavin Voeller
*denotes graphic design students

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MSU to hold groundbreaking ceremony May 3 for new Jabs Hall

April 18th, 2013
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A groundbreaking ceremony and celebration for the new, privately funded Jabs Hall at Montana State University will be held from 1:15-2:45 p.m. Friday, May 3, at the building site north of Montana Hall on the MSU campus.

Jabs Hall will be the new home of the MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, formerly known as the MSU College of Business. The building and college are named for Jake Jabs, a Montana State College alumnus whose $25 million gift will completely fund construction of the building and other programs. The building is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

“Jabs Hall is designed to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and will provide important spaces for advising, classrooms and one-on-one work with students,” said MSU President Waded Cruzado. “Thanks to his generosity, Mr. Jabs’ visionary gift will benefit generations of students to come.”

The groundbreaking ceremony will include remarks from Jabs, Cruzado, MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship Dean Kregg Aytes, Montana Lt. Gov. John Walsh, and Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian. Jabs, Walsh, Cruzado, Aytes and Christian will ceremonially break ground at the event along with Michael Stevenson, president of the MSU Alumni Foundation, and others.

“Jake has always been a loyal and generous champion of MSU,” Stevenson said. “We look forward to joining the lieutenant governor and others in appreciating Jake and celebrating the impact that private donors have on our campus.”

The groundbreaking event is free and open to the public. RSVPs may be made online at foundation.montana.edu/cob or by calling 800-457-1696.

In 2011, Jabs announced an unrestricted gift of $25 million to the MSU Alumni Foundation to support the MSU College of Business, $18 million of which was earmarked for the design and construction of Jabs Hall. The gift — which is the largest private gift made in the history of the Montana higher education system — will also fund scholarships and new academic programs.

In 2010, Jabs gave $3 million to the MSU College of Business for the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship for the New West, plus additional funds for scholarships for entrepreneurship students.

“In addition to Jabs Hall, the scholarships and new academic programs that Jake Jabs has made possible will enable generations of MSU students to continue to develop their skills and talents,” Aytes said. “All of this will contribute to important economic development in Montana.”

Jabs grew up on a farm near Lodge Grass and received a degree in vocational agriculture from Montana State College in 1952. While at Montana State, he played music with the band, was on the rodeo team and joined the ROTC.

Jabs, 83, is now president and CEO of American Furniture Warehouse based in Denver. The company is one of the largest retail furniture companies in the U.S. and one of the largest privately held businesses in Colorado.

For more information about the Jabs Hall groundbreaking, contact Carlye Cook, director of special events at the MSU Alumni Foundation, at 994-2560 or ccook@montana.edu.

News

Award-winning journalist to deliver keynote address at W2: The Women to Women Conference

April 17th, 2013
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Award-winning journalist Nance Guilmartin will deliver a keynote address from noon-1:30 p.m. at the 2013 W2: The Women to Women Conference, set for Thursday, May 23, at the Best Western Plus GranTree Inn in Bozeman.

The conference, “Empowering Women to Move Forward in Business and Life,” is presented by the Montana State University College of Business, MSU College of Business Women’s Circle of Excellence, Prospera Business Network and Montana Women’s Business Center.

Guilmartin is an author, educator, executive coach and four-time regional Emmy Award-winning journalist. Her book, “The Power of Pause: How to be More Effective in a Demanding, 24/7 World,” teaches professionals new ways to succeed. At the conference, Guilmartin will discuss ways to exercise leadership skills that can save time and strengthen relationships. She also will offer thoughts on engaging in productive exchanges, learning how to save time and money, and leading with confidence in the face of uncertainty and change.
Other topics to be covered at the conference include creating change in business, developing and implementing powerful marketing plans, empowering employees, understanding the power of financials through strategic cash flow management, evolving business with e-commerce, and re-launching and renewing careers. The conference also includes a panel discussion on the power of female-owned businesses.
Major sponsorship for the conference is provided by Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, with additional support from ABC Fox Montana, PrintingForLess.com, BlueCross BlueShield, CenturyLink and Home Instead Senior Care. Also providing support are American Federal Savings Bank, BioScience Laboratories, First Security Bank, CPA Gina Jones, Montana Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Montana Department of Transportation DBE Program and Northwestern Energy.

Early bird registration for the W2 Conference is $59 and includes workshops, materials and meals. Continuing professional education credits for certified public accountants are available. Exhibitor booths and sponsorship opportunities are still available.

Registration is available online at ProsperaBusinessNetwork.org/W2.

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Orser Speaker to Address: From Academics to a Real Business on April 16

April 12th, 2013
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Robert “Bob” Chickering will present “From Academics to a Real Business,” on Tuesday, April 16, from 4:10-5:00 p.m., in the Procrastinator Theater. He will give insight on how to be entrepreneurial and what it takes beyond what you learn in school to launch a business in the real world.

Chickering earned a Master of Arts and Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University. He has successfully lead several corporations, including Santa Barbara Aerospace, Inc., American Enviro Products, Inc., The Cotton Buds Company, Chickering/Howell Advertising, a consulting firm and Cunningham & Walsh Advertising, Inc. He has conducted international business in China, Japan, Mexico, Columbia, Australia and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Chickering spent several years in New York and Los Angeles with Cunningham and Walsh Advertising as vice president and director of account management for American Home Products. Brands under his management included Woolite, Black Flag, Easy Off, Wizard, Anacin and Dristan. He was responsible for business development and account management of Armor All, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Porsche Design, Adidas, and A&W Restaurants.

Chickering then switched his focus towards entrepreneurial endeavors and founded the Cotton Buds Company and American Enviro Products, which manufactured and sold the first biodegradable, disposable diapers. He later sold both firms.

Currently, Chickering is one of the key management team members of Advanced BioCatalytics Corporation, an industrial biotechnology company focusing on the discovery of its Protein-Surfactant Synergists™ (P-SS™) based chemistry for use in cleaners, wastewater treatment, environmental remediation and other applications.

The MSU College of Business’s David Orser Executive Speakers Forum is named for David B. Orser, a 1966 MSU graduate who started funding the program in 1988 in order to inspire MSU business students to pursue careers as innovative, responsible and ethical business leaders. For more information about the forum, contact Audrey Lee at 406-994-7026 or audrey.lee@montana.edu.

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Donate Your Glass for the New CoB Building During Earth Month!

April 9th, 2013
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Turn your glass into countertops and backsplashes for the new College of Business (CoB) building, on Friday, April 12 from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on the east end of the Mall. Glass collected will be processed and manufactured into finished product all within a 5 mile radius of campus. We ask that you come with your glass sorted by color – clear, blue, brown, and green. A label removed gets a gold star! This event is FREE. Sponsored by Facilities Services, MSU Office of Sustainability, NECO, and College of Business.

If you have any questions, contact MSU Office of Sustainability (406)994-6873, www.facebook.com/MontanaStateSustainability

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Additional Community Resources Offering Tax Assistance

March 30th, 2013
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The College of Business (CoB) had record turnouts for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program this year. Sessions filled up rapidly, and we realize that we were not able to serve everyone who had an interest. The following are additional community resources available for tax assistance:

Bozeman Public Library — Tax assistance will be provided by VITA volunteers every Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. -6:30 p.m. in the Library’s Small Conference Room through April 16. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 406-586-6641 or 406-522-0226.

Bozeman Senior Center — AARP volunteers offer assistance at the Bozeman Senior Center on Monday afternoons (1-4:00 p.m.) and Saturday mornings (9 a.m. -12:00 p.m.). Please call 406-586-2421 to make your appointment.

HRDC Community Café – The HRDC offers free tax preparation and filing services on site, with no appointments necessary, at their Community Café on:

• January 30-April 15
• 2nd and 4th Saturdays 9-11 a.m.
• Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 1– 4p.m.
• Site location: Community Cafe
302 North 7th Avenue
Bozeman, MT 59718

Tax Forms & InstructionsGo to Montana Tax Forms and Federal Tax Forms.

Foreign Student Assistance
• H&R Block will assist foreign students with completing their taxes for $133. To make an appointment, call 406-587-0900.

• The University of Texas has established this website to assist foreign students in completing their taxes — http://world.utexas.edu/isss/tax.

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Orser Speaker to Address: From Academics to a Real Business on April 16

March 28th, 2013
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Robert “Bob” Chickering will present “From Academics to a Real Business,” on Tuesday, April 16, from 4:10-5:00 p.m., in the Procrastinator Theater. He will give insight on how to be entrepreneurial and what it takes beyond what you learn in school to launch a business in the real world.

Chickering earned a Master of Arts and Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University. He has successfully lead several corporations, including Santa Barbara Aerospace, Inc., American Enviro Products, Inc., The Cotton Buds Company, Chickering/Howell Advertising, a consulting firm and Cunningham & Walsh Advertising, Inc. He has conducted international business in China, Japan, Mexico, Columbia, Australia and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Chickering spent several years in New York and Los Angeles with Cunningham and Walsh Advertising as vice president and director of account management for American Home Products. Brands under his management included Woolite, Black Flag, Easy Off, Wizard, Anacin and Dristan. He was responsible for business development and account management of Armor All, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Porsche Design, Adidas, and A&W Restaurants.

Chickering then switched his focus towards entrepreneurial endeavors and founded the Cotton Buds Company and American Enviro Products, which manufactured and sold the first biodegradable, disposable diapers. He later sold both firms.

Currently, Chickering is one of the key management team members of Advanced BioCatalytics Corporation, an industrial biotechnology company focusing on the discovery of its Protein-Surfactant Synergists™ (P-SS™) based chemistry for use in cleaners, wastewater treatment, environmental remediation and other applications.

The MSU College of Business’s David Orser Executive Speakers Forum is named for David B. Orser, a 1966 MSU graduate who started funding the program in 1988 in order to inspire MSU business students to pursue careers as innovative, responsible and ethical business leaders. For more information about the forum, contact Audrey Lee at 406-994-7026 or audrey.lee@montana.edu.

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