Rohrer College of Business Rohrer Review

December 2022

Vol. IX Issue 2

Welcome to the Rohrer Review!

RCB t-shirts celebrate 50 years of business education.

Let the celebration begin!

Taking care of business since 1972, RCB kicked off its 50^th Anniversary year with a series of celebrations and events.

More than 600 students attended the 70s-themed Rohrer Fest in September. Students colorfully decorated their Rohrer Fest t-shirts at a tie-dye station, roller skated in Business Center, which was converted to a roller rink, and took pictures in the Warhol Portrait photo booth. The event also included food trucks, ax throwing and a Saxbys coffee garden.

In October, RCB hosted the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Conference. Held in cooperation with the Global Interdependence Center, the daylong program in Business Hall addressed a wide range of issues, including the science behind climate change, health care and the outlook for Covid, and corporate governance and investing amid staggering 21^st century uncertainties.

Rowan President Ali Houshmand speaks at RCB’s Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Conference in October.

RCB conference attendees weigh 21st century opportunities and challenges

The science behind climate change.

Health care and the outlook for Covid.

Corporate governance and investing.

The Rohrer College of Business convened a conference Oct. 14 to address a wide range of issues related to health care, the environment, corporate governance and investing amid staggering 21st century uncertainties.

Dubbed the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Conference, the daylong program in Business Hall was one in a series of events the college is hosting this year as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Among issues considered at the conference: the ongoing and increasing threat of climate change and its effect on business, investing and insurance; the imperative to address climate change now; and the persistent, if sometimes ignored, lingering danger of Covid.

Some of the roughly two dozen speakers scheduled throughout the day included Jordan Howell, associate professor of Sustainable Business at Rowan; Bob Bunting of the Climate Adaptation Center in Sarasota, Fla.; Annette Reboli, dean of Cooper Medical School of Rowan University; and Ken Lacovara, dean of the School of Earth & Environment at Rowan.

Congratulations to Rowan alumni and Halfday Tea founders Kayvon Jahanbakhsh (left), a 2019 finance graduate, and Mike Lombardo, a 2018 marketing graduate, who were selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2023.

Half Day Tea founders named Forbes 30 Under 30 Honorees

Congratulations to Rowan alumni and Halfday Tea founders Kayvon Jahanbakhsh (Finance 19) and Mike Lombardo for being named honorees on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2023.

Dr. Michael Dominik, Accelerate South Jersey program director, talks with businesswoman Creatina Phillips who attended the education bootcamp.

Rohrer College of Business research and practice aligns with U.N. goal to eradicate poverty

The United Nations this month celebrates the 30th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

While the U.N.’s goal hasn’t yet been met, Rowan University researchers in the Rohrer College of Business’ School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship believe the eradication of poverty is fully reachable, and that entrepreneurship can help.

Dr. Susana Santos, an associate professor of Entrepreneurship and associate director of the Rowan Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, was inspired to study the connection between starting a business and breaking an often-generational cycle of poverty by experiences in her native Portugal.

“While I was lucky enough to be born into a middle-class family, many of my classmates were from very poor neighborhoods,” Santos said.

Santos in 2022 published two key papers that connect entrepreneurship and breaking the bonds of poverty, “The Technologization of Entrepreneurial Processes: A Poverty Perspective,” and “Entrepreneurship as a pathway into and out of poverty: a configuration perspective."

Annabella Halbruner developed a range of career skills and discovered her passion during her internships.

Internships clarify career goals for finance major

Annabella Halbruner ’23 majored in finance because she liked working with numbers and knew the field offers a broad range of career options. But her internships solidified her commitment and helped her discover more about her passions.

Halbruner began an internship with the Rohrer Center for Professional Development (RCPD) in 2020 after transferring to Rowan. “It’s taught me so much and exposed me to networking, how to work with employers and how to ask meaningful questions,” said the Cape May resident. “I have met multiple CEOs of different companies, so many recruiters and Rowan alumni, and it has given me a very strong network for a college student.”

The Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and RCB partnered to offer the Combat Systems Engineering Certificate of Graduate Study, led by Dr. Robi Polikar, professor and head of the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.

MBA with a focus in Combat Systems Engineering - a career boost for engineering managers

College graduates interested in expanding their career opportunities in the defense industry can earn a unique Combat Systems Engineering Certificate of Graduate Study available through the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and—for the first time—the Rohrer College of Business.

Beginning this fall, students interested in earning a Master of Business Administration can use the Combat Systems Engineering certificate program to satisfy elective credits in Rowan University’s MBA curriculum. Exclusively licensed from Lockheed Martin, the certificate program’s advanced courses are taught by highly qualified faculty and experienced defense industry experts through Rowan’s Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.