Archive for January, 2011
Honoring Dr. King
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
As a Penn State alumnae and current employee, I’m always interested in experiencing the opportunities Penn State has to offer. This year, I had the opportunity to attend the 36th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Banquet on behalf of the Commission for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Equity. As a new affiliate member on the commission, it was a great chance to learn more about Penn State’s commitment to diversity and equity at an event attended by over 700 people from across the university. In addition to chatting with and getting to know people from CLGBTE and CORED (The Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity), I also saw many familiar faces from the Smeal College of Business . The Forum on Black Affairs hosted the event, and they put together a great agenda full of speakers, dancers, readings, songs, and award presentations (not to mention a fantastic dinner menu!). Each year, FOBA presents the Humanitarian of the Year award to an individual who has provided outstanding service to the African-American community of Pennsylvania, notably within Penn State and the Centre Region. This year’s unsuspecting award winner was Smeal’s very own Associate Dean of Diversity and Community, Dr. Vernis Welmon. Affectionately known as “Dr. V” by many at Smeal and Penn State, Dr. Welmon talked about the spirit of family and community that the Penn State University has worked so hard to achieve. As Dr. V spoke, I felt a renewed sense of pride in being both a member of the greater Penn State community and the community of the Smeal College of Business. As the presenter noted, Dr. V makes everyone he comes in contact with feel special, worthwhile and part of something unique. I couldn’t agree more. Overall, the evening’s event reminded me of the history of our country, the importance of Dr. King’s legacy, and the importance of remembering how one person really CAN make a difference. One of the performances singled out Rosa Parks and her now famous bus ride, driving home the point of “One person. One word.” Simply saying “no” to giving up her seat changed history. This week, please take a minute to remember those who have gone before us to make our country what it is today, and let us continue the Legacy of Dr. King by making the choice to act in our daily lives to continue the journey toward equity for ALL.
–Stacey Dorang
Tags: CORED, Dr. King, FOBA, LGBT, Martin Luther King Jr., MBA, Smeal, Vernis Welmon
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Back to the Books
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
Our Penn State Smeal MBA students came back to school this week, hopefully refreshed and ready for the new semester. Heard from a first-year student, “Thank goodness I made it through the first semester. I really needed a break but when I got home I missed everybody and couldn’t wait to come back!” And from a second-year student, “I can’t believe I only have one semester left. I thought I’d be glad but I don’t want to leave!”
Those are the reactions that accompany the January start, along with, “Wow, so this is snow?” But the best part is hearing about everyone’s holidays and breaks, and getting ready for Spring. Here’s to another great semester!
~Carrie Marcinkevage
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Confessions of a List Maker
Monday, January 3rd, 2011
Throughout my life I’ve determined that there are different types of “organizers”. Some can organize people, some can organize events, yet others excel at filing and paperwork. There are people who can locate their first pay stub in 30 seconds, haul out (and actually find!) the holiday decorations in the blink of an eye, and even those who can be packed for vacation a week in advance with exactly the right amount of socks in the suitcase. I am the type of organizer who dabbles in different spheres of organization (except that of filing and paper—please allow 2-3 weeks notice for me to find anything that has been printed out or mailed to me). I’d like to think I am relatively successful in the events and people organization realms, but for ANY of my successes in the organizational arena, I must give credit to my key partner in making things happen—the LIST.
I have typed lists, lists on my outlook calendar, lists on my refrigerator, and lists in my planner (which is still in paper and pencil format by the way…). My brain is not bionic, nor do I have an exceptional memory. I simply must write everything down or it will be left undone, forgotten, or continue to rattle around in my brain until I do it by accident, write it down, or forget it (and then say many unmentionable words about it) until a much later date. Sometimes, I even write down things I’ve already done just so I can cross them off my list or check them as complete. As a firm advocate of “old school” list methodology (writing stuff down with a good old fashioned ball point pen), I love the feeling of scribbling off the offending list item once I have conquered it.
Am I writing about this to tell the world about my list-making OCD? Not really. I have enough quirkiness that people already make fun of without adding fuel to the fire! What I am saying is that I have learned what types of organizational tools allow me to be successful and complete my work or projects efficiently and on time. Does list making work for everyone? Probably not. In fact, there is someone else who lives in my house (who shall remain nameless) who refuses to make lists. It drives him crazy to work from a list—and he gets annoyed at how attached I am to mine. But it works for me. On the other hand, despite his list-making refusal, he gets to work on time, pays the bills, remembers most birthdays, and generally succeeds in most of the things he sets out to do. When I try to force him to make lists, we wind up with two unhappy people and a whole lot of tasks that tend to remain undone. It doesn’t work for him. So, I will continue to make my lists, he will continue to not make his lists. We will also continue to leave the grocery store on a regular basis without milk and/or toilet paper (yes, I had to get one tiny jab in here in my defense). Is there a right or wrong here? No. Just a right or wrong for what works for you. So take some time to take a good look at how you can organize yourself for success, and then decide where to start. I can now check “blog” off of today’s list…
–Stacey Dorang
Tags: admissions, lists, MBA, new year's resolutions, organization, Smeal MBA, time management
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