St. Louis area alumni gather for annual fall Dean's Reception

By Adam Casper

The College of Business held its annual fall Dean’s Reception at The Ritz-Carlton St. Louis on Thursday, September 10th. The hors d’oeuvre and cocktail reception lasted from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

The Reception is typically held on campus in Carbondale, but this year, it was expanded to welcome all St. Louis Area College of Business Alumni and friends, in addition to College faculty, staff, and External Advisory Board members. Approximately 200 people were in attendance, including SIU Alumni Association Director, Michelle Suarez.

The College was proud to feature the keynote speaker, award-winning, nationally-recognized editor, author, and columnist Alan M. Webber. Webber is the founder of Fast Company, the fastest growing, most successful business magazine in history, and has recently published the book Rules of Thumb. Webber spoke about the current state of the US economy, including factors that contribute to the peaks and valleys.

The Dean’s Reception was a prelude to the semi-annual Dean’s External Advisory Board (EAB) meeting, which took place the next day at The Ritz-Carlton. Members of the Dean’s External Advisory Board, along with members of the College of Business faculty and staff met to discuss the College’s strategic plan, among other topics.

The EAB meeting lasted from 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., followed by a brief business meeting and luncheon. Dean Cradit and the College of Business would like to thank all those who attended to help make the Reception and Board meeting a success.