Departmental News

Patricia Clarke receives grant to support financial literacy

A grant from TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation has been received recently to support the ongoing financial literacy service-learning project in SOM Professor Patricia Clarke's Mgmt 260: Principles of Finance class. The grant proposal and the project were developed in collaboration with Jennifer McKee of the Scott/Ross Center for Community Service.

This is the fifth consecutive semester that Clarke's students have participated in the financial literacy service-learning project. Each semester, the Simmons students organize and develop materials for a Personal Finance Information Workshop for English as a Second Language (ESL) students from the International Learning Center, which is located at the main YMCA in Boston. Workshop topics recently included uses of both short- and long-term borrowing, such as credit cards and higher education, as well as short- and long-term savings, including retirement. This hands-on project strengthened the Simmons students' financial education and problem-solving skills, while helping local immigrants improve their financial education and English language and communication skills.

As part of its commitment to financial literacy as a community priority, TD Banknorth also provides employee volunteers for the project at Simmons. In fact, TD Banknorth employee Dan McElhinney volunteered at the workshop this semester and was available to answer questions from the ESL and Simmons students. Additionally, Kianda Addo, Undergraduate '05, a student during the project's first semester, has volunteered to help with the project every semester since then.

New Research: Women in fundraising earn less than men, and gap is widening

A new study conducted by the CGO at the SOM has found that women who work in professional not-for-profit fundraising across the Northeast earn significantly less than their male counterparts--and the gap has widened significantly over the years. The study also shows that women have yet to attain top fundraising jobs in numbers equal to men. Led by researchers Dr. Susan Sampson and Dr. Lynda Moore, the study is the first comprehensive regional comparison of salary levels and career advancement for men and women in the fundraising profession. Sampson and Moore presented their research results and analysis on October 20, 2005 to The Women in Development of Greater Boston at the Radisson Hotel. Click here to see full press release: http://www.widgb.org/newvie/proeve/10_20_05.cfm.

SOM Welcomes Dr. Vipin Gupta

Dr. Vipin Gupta is the first Roslyn Solomon Jaffe Chair in Strategy, teaching in the undergraduate program, as well as international business electives in the MBA program. He is co-principal investigator of the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program, a project in which investigators from more than 60 countries are examining the inter-relationships between culture and leadership. Gupta previously held positions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Fordham University, and Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He also recently published a textbook on business policy and strategic management, titled Business Policy and Strategic Management Concepts and Applications. (October 17, 2005)

Dr. Patricia Clarke leads review and discussion at the FMA

Dr. Patricia Clarke, assistant professor of finance, reviewed and discussed two papers at the Financial Management Association annual meeting in Chicago, October 12-15: "The Middle East Turmoil and Time-Varying Risk Premium in Crude Oil Futures" and "Conducting Performance Attribution Analysis in the Classroom Using Real Market Data."

Gap SVP Susan Burnett speaks at Simmons

On October 4, the SOM's Prince Program and Retail Management hosted "The Leadership Journey: Challenges of the Woman Leader," a talk given by Susan Burnett, '77, Senior Vice President of Talent Attraction and Development at The Gap. Burnett spoke about her personal journey from Simmons into the workforce, including positions held at HP and The Gap. She emphasized the many opportunities at The Gap and announced that The Gap will be recruiting Simmons students for its selective and prestigious Gap management training program.

Simmons holds "Mothers, Daughters, and Money" one-day financial literacy conference

Simmons College Board of Trustees Member Gail Snowden, '78 SM, was the keynote speaker at "Mothers, Daughters, and Money," a financial literacy conference hosted by the Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change and the Simmons School of Management on September 24, 2005. The seminar was designed to help women of all ages develop their money management skills. Workshops covered a range of topics including money basics--banking, budgeting, and savings--debt elimination, asset management, estate planning, and the financial implications of long-term care. Patricia Clarke, assistant professor of finance, gave the welcome remarks. Andrea Glover, a managerial finance major, '06, and president of the Student Government Association at the College, served as a panelist. The conference was sponsored by the U.S Department of Labor Women's Bureau and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.

Dr. Jill Kickul featured on Chronicle

On September 23, Dr. Jill Kickul, the Elizabeth J. McCandless professor of entrepreneurship, appeared on WCVB-TV's Chronicle program, in a segment on entrepreneurship and motherhood.

Dr. Patricia Clarke published in Journal of the Academy of Business Education

Dr. Patricia Clarke, assistant professor of finance, recently had her paper "A Path to Financial Literacy: Potential Impact of a Personal Finance Course" published in the 2005 annual proceedings issue of the Journal of the Academy of Business Education. (September 16, 2005)

SOM Dean Merrill-Sands featured in Washington Post's "Choosing a Woman-Friendly Program"

The Sept. 14 article presented the stark differences in women enrollments at medical and law schools (50%) versus MBA programs (30%). SOM Dean Deborah Merrill-Sands contributed recommendations for women applying to business schools. Among her list of considerations were: the percentage of women students, percentage of female faculty, flexibility in the program, age diversity, classroom environment, and interest in ethics and social responsibility. "Sit in on a class or two and observe the dynamics," she says. "Classroom dynamics change with at least 30 percent [women in the classroom]," added Merrill-Sands.

View the entire article: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/specialsales/exec_education/article6.html