DePaul University is inviting alumni back to school for a day of learning with current professors and faculty members on Saturday, April 18. Alumni who sign up to participate in “Alumni University” will be able to attend three classroom sessions on the Loop Campus, with a break for lunch and conversation, in order to get them back into the classroom and network
Two faculty members, Nezih Altay and Michael Miller, from the Driehaus College of Business will be presenting sessions during the event.
This will be Associate Professor Altay’s first year of presenting at Alumni University. His session, “Managing Humanitarian Supply Chains,” is an overview of what supply chains are, how humanitarian supply chains deliver aid in times of crisis, and what business lessons corporations can learn from how humanitarian chains are structured.
“The idea of reaching out to alumni sounds great, and that’s why I accepted,” Altay said. “Supply chain management is the management of the movement of product and information all the way from raw material to end user.”
Altay hopes alumni who attend his session will gain general knowledge of how humanitarian relief moves and works so they can learn how best to help during a disaster.
“The biggest mistake most folks make is they collect clothes, books or shoes and ship them to the affected area. This type of help actually doesn’t help—it clogs the whole supply chain and slows down the movement of essentials like medication and emergency relief,” Altay said.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Miller participated in Alumni University a few years ago, where he discussing economic conditions. This year, Miller’s session, titled “Current Economic Conditions and Trends,” will consider the role that will be played by monetary policy both in the United States and around the globe.
Part of the discussion will be the difference between what the United States and the rest of the world are facing economically:
“At the moment the Federal Reserve is taking actions which are different from the rest of world’s central banks because the American economy is in a different place. In the U.S. we see that growth is expanding and we’re doing reasonably well. In Europe, there are problems with the euro, and in Greece their central bank will be keeping things steady for the next year and a half at least. In Asia, the Bank of China is concerned about growth, so they’ve been lowering interest rates and looking for stimulus,” Miller said.
Miller expects to see two segments of alumni in the audience. “One will be interested; the other group will be informed, will want to hear another take and spend some time discussing their questions and my views,” he said. “That’s why it was fun last time: I was able to present my views. In a classroom, I have to be unbiased, but in a presentation like this, I can also present my own views. That creates a good atmosphere for discussion and debate.
Although Miller’s session is at capacity, there is still space available for Altay’s session and others offered April 18. Alumni can register for free online.