Business and the arts and sciences
Weinberg College graduates find success and opportunities in the business world
As she neared graduation 15 years ago, Diane Knoepke ’00 wondered how her English degree would play in the professional world, particularly in the business arena.
As it turns out, Knoepke’s English studies and arts and sciences education proved to be a job-saving asset amid recession-era downsizing.
“My firm was laying off people and the stronger communicators were the ones who kept their jobs, so that’s one significant way that my communication and writing skills paid off,” says Knoepke, currently the managing director for client leadership at ESP Properties, an international firm that helps sports, entertainment and nonprofit organizations create stronger brand partnerships.
Knoepke wasn’t alone in touting the value of an arts and sciences degree in business circles during the Weinberg College Student-Alumni Engagement program on Oct. 27 at Ryan Hall. The 90-minute panel discussion featured six Weinberg College alumni. Each highlighted how an arts and sciences education can be applied in areas such as entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, consulting and management.
- As a psychology undergrad, Melissa Kaeser ’01 was most interested in how people formed impressions and made decisions. Today, Kaeser injects that curiosity into her work as a marketing director for Tyson Foods. “I get to [study] people and how food fits into their lives and then apply that to our business in a variety of areas like communications, finance or supply chain,” Kaeser says.
- Though less than two years into her professional life, economics major Hannah Singer ’14 says her ability to hone in on problems and learn different industries has fueled her early progress at DigitasLBi, where she has shifted from being an account executive to an analyst. “With the broad problem-solving skill set I developed [at the College], some on-the-job learning and a lot of passion, my colleagues look to me as a resource,” she says.
- As a self-employed entrepreneur for much of the last 25 years, political science major Joe Flanagan ’86 has embraced the opportunity to build businesses. As the current chairman and CEO of Acquirent, a 100-person, Evanston-based outsourced sales firm, Flanagan says his ability to lead, collaborate and communicate — skills sharpened at Weinberg — has proven critical. “I love helping people grow and playing coach and mentor, and that’s critical to tackling the responsibilities that come with growing a business,” Flanagan says.