Because of DePaul University’s dedicated network of alumni and location in Chicago business, students at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business have to ability to work with business executives in the classroom, as covered in this series of stories on the school’s website.
Business leaders’ interactions with students goes beyond guest lectures and networking dinners — they participate in the curriculum and engage students by presenting real-world examples.
Take Mark Hoppe, CEO of MB Financial Bank, and Harry M. Kraemer, former chairman and CEO of Baxter International, for example.
Hoppe says his classroom participation started three years ago when he was approached by a few professors to work with the school on committees and in the classroom. Soon Hoppe was preparing lecture notes and getting ready to present in front of students.
“I loved it,” Hoppe says. “I was really impressed by the insightful questions and comments the students had. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to do it again.”
Kraemer, former chairman and CEO of Baxter International, gave a business ethics lecture to finance students this year.
“I do whatever Maureen Meyer tells me to do,” Kraemer says, jokingly. DePaul alumna Meyer (B.S. Finance ’90) worked at Baxter and knows Vahap Uysal, associate professor of finance at DePaul.
“When Professor Uysal approached me about someone to help him teach students about business ethics, I instantly thought of Harold,” Meyer says. “He was gracious enough to agree.”