University to host Diversity Business Summit

University to host Diversity Business SummitSeptember 09, 2008SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

Syracuse University will host the seventh annual Diversity Business Summit on Monday, Oct. 6. The event is sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley and SU’s Career Services Network and Office of Multicultural Affairs.

The summit features a case study competition, dinner with employers and a networking reception/reverse career fair, all designed to give students of diverse backgrounds an opportunity to connect with employers.

“This is a unique networking opportunity,” says Mike Cahill, director of the Center for Career Services. “The dinner gives students a chance to sit down and talk with employers about job opportunities, as well as global issues and diversity trends in the workplace.” As the presenting sponsor of the event, JPMorgan Chase will provide Kim Davis, president of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, as the keynote speaker for the dinner. Davis leads the company’s philanthropic activities and co-founded a private company dedicated to developing diverse leaders.

Cahill emphasizes the networking component of the Diversity Business Summit. “After the dinner, the networking reception/reverse career fair lets students educate employers about their organizations, and how their work may be of interest to the employer. It is a great, relaxed way to build connections between students and employers,” says Cahill. Deloitte will sponsor this component of the Summit.

The evening begins on a more competitive note, however. A cornerstone of the Diversity Business Summit, the Morgan Stanley Case Study Competition forces students to prepare innovative solutions to workplace problems involving diversity. The students, working in groups of four, present their solutions to a panel of employer judges, who choose a winning team. The prize is an iPhone for each winning team member.

Students may register for the Diversity Business Summit, select seating for Diversity at the Dinner Table, or sign up a team for the Case Study Competition by visiting http://careerservices.syr.edu.

For more information about the Diversity Business Summit, contact Cahill at the Center for Career Services in Room 235 of the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center or mtcahill@syr.edu.