To see more photos from the event, click here.
Samantha LaRose ‘17
The twelfth annual Ted Winnowski ’63 Student Conference in Business brought students, alumni, friends and visiting scholars to Siena’s campus to network and share research. The conference provides students with the opportunity to advance their presentation skills by discussing their projects in front of an audience. The conference was divided into four segments: economics and public administration, marketing and management, entrepreneurship, and accounting and finance. Across the four segments, there were twenty student presentations and over thirty participants.
This is the first year the conference has expanded to include student presenters from other institutions. Participants from Union College, College at Brockport and Skidmore College joined with Siena’s scholars to showcase their work.
Winnowski, who has over thirty years of financial and banking experience, served as the keynote speaker for this year’s event.
Speaking to the audience, Winnowski said, “The message that I want to share with you is short and sweet, but it involves me. I want to indulge your patience in listening to my story because I think that the things I can share with you, and the things I had to do are going to be important to the students and others in this audience. I’m going to take you through a little story of me and try to concentrate on three different things. One is your decision making, two is your responsibility, and thirdly the road to get there is your attitude”.
Winnowski shared stories from his personal life in hopes that they would serve as valuable real life lessons for the audience. Speaking to the student presenters, he said, “I am humbled and proud to be able to spend a few minutes with you... I’m going to learn more from you, I think, than you’re going to learn from me."
After Winnowski’s speech, the student participants assembled into their teams and presented in four different areas in the Sarazen Student Union. Beth Rucinski ’17 presented her project, “Athletes: Your Scandals Are Affecting Consumers” in the marketing and management segment along with her partner, Lauren McGrath ’18. Their faculty mentor for this project was Raj Devasagayam, Ph.D., professor of marketing.
Of her experience participating in the conference, Rucinski shared, “I feel so grateful for the mentorship and guidance that Dr. Raj and Dr. Buff have given me. Both Lauren and I feel immensely grateful for the opportunities they have provided for us. It is only at a school like Siena in which undergraduate students can work so closely with and learn so much from some of the most honored and respected professors here. The support network is one of the most beneficial things this conference could provide to anyone involved”.
