November is the busiest month for Commerce student organizers of conferences and competitions that host business students from across Canada and around the world. These provide invaluable leadership experience for undergraduate students responsible for all aspects of these major events, including marketing, financial management, sponsor solicitation, communications and logistics.
 
Each of the six conferences and competitions is described briefly below:
 
• Q3C—Queen’s Commerce Corporate Challenge runs Nov. 2 to 4, and is billed as Canada’s largest and most extensive consulting case competition. Q3C promises twists that push competitors to stretch their creativity through ‘outside-the-box’ thinking and offers a 3:1 delegate to sponsor ratio for maximum networking opportunities.
 
• QBET–Queen’s Conference on the Business Environment Today celebrates its 35th anniversary with this year’s event that runs Nov. 3 to 6. The first such student-run business conference in Canada is focused this year on the theme “The Power of Connectivity.”
 
• QLEAD—Queen’s Leadership, Excellence and Development Conference takes place Nov 10 to 13 when ComSoc organizers welcome high school students from across Canada who are interested in developing their leadership potential under this year’s theme “Own Your Path”.
 
• QWIL—Queen’s Women in Leadership Conference runs Nov. 10 to 12 with the theme, “A Limitless Generation.” Both female and male delegates representing multiple disciplines will descend on Kingston for two intensive days of workshops, panel discussions and speaker presentations.
 
• DECA Queen’s Invitational Conference—This annual conference, run by the Queen’s chapter of an international association of marketing students, takes over Goodes Hall from Nov. 18 to 20. Industry speakers, business simulations and case competitions test delegates’ case analysis, presentation and problem-solving skills.
 
• QFAC—Queen’s Finance Association Conference takes place Nov. 17 to 20 at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel. Canada’s first student-run conference focused on finance and capital markets offers a full complement of activities from speaker presentations to ‘A-Day-on-Bay’ that gives delegates exposure to the workings of major finance companies on Bay Street.

Keynote speaker Brenda Hunter addresses QWIL group

Each year, Queen’s Women in Leadership (QWIL) hosts a ‘Conference Taster’ to give Queen’s students a preview of what QWIL is all about. This year’s Taster took place on Sept. 30 at Loyalist Golf and Country Club and was open to students from all faculties. First up was a golf lesson followed by a networking reception with company representatives and a presentation by keynote speaker Brenda Hunter, Director of Education of the Limestone District School Board.

Master of Management in Finance Academic Director Dr. Sean Cleary with MFin students in the Toronto classroom.

QSB opened its doors to its inaugural Master of Management in Finance (MFin) class this month. A five-day residential session in Kingston welcomed the 43 students on July 11. This introduction to the program featured presentations from guest speakers such as Tom Robinson, Managing Director, Education Division, CFA Institute, and Queen’s alum Jon Aikman, LLD’99, author of “When Prime Brokers Fail: The Unheeded Risk to Hedge Funds, Banks and the Financial Industry.” Regularly scheduled classes began in a downtown Toronto classroom the following week.

The new class hails from an impressive cross-section of firms in the Toronto area, including the ‘Big Five’ banks and their investment bank subsidiaries. More than half of the new class has passed the CFA level 1 exam or higher.

Queen’s Master of Management in Finance is a unique 10-month program that enables students to continue to work while they pursue this highly sought-after degree. The program, developed in partnership with the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute, includes extensive preparation for CFA Levels 1 and 2 exams and gives students an inside edge in attaining their CFA designation. MFin classes are held every Tuesday and alternate Saturdays at a downtown Toronto classroom.
The new class is scheduled to ring the bell to open the trading session at the TSX on August 25, 2010.

For more information on the program visit www.qsbmasters.com/finance.

First-year commerce student Annie Wang has been selected as an ambassador for the Junior Team Canada trade mission to China. Joining Annie are Karicia Quiroz, a Queen’s third-year economics student and Queen’s Faculty of Law ’09 graduate Joanna Si.

The group will spend three weeks in China travelling to Beijing, Hong Kong, and parts of western China during the trip in August. They will meet with industry and government leaders to explore business opportunities on behalf of their partners at home and promote teamwork and cross-cultural understanding.

Only 30 are selected for the trade mission out of more than 2,200 applicants. For more information on the trade mission visit Global Vision.

The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) has elected QSB Marketing and Strategy professor Ken Wong to its new Board of Directors. The election was held at the CMA’s annual conference in Toronto at the end of May.

Conference delegates were treated to Professor Wong’s high-energy keynote address Stop the (so-called) Marketing Madness, which looked at the symptoms, reasons behind and the remedies needed to overcome marketing’s malpractices. Watch a highlight from Ken’s presentation: “Why don’t marketers do the right thing?”

Professor Wong is the Commerce ’77 Teaching Fellow in Marketing at Queen’s School of Business, Vice-President, Knowledge Development, Level 5, and an inductee into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends.

The Canadian Marketing Association is the marketing community’s leading advocate on the key public policy issues affecting both consumer and business-to-business marketers. With more than 800 corporate members, the CMA is the largest marketing association in Canada. Read about the CMA’s new Board of Directors in the official announcement.

As part of BNN’s ongoing Summit 2010 series, Professor Louis Gagnon will share his expert views in a roundtable discussion on the tax debate Saturday, June 26 at 10 a.m. Other panelists include Ross Healy, Chairman & CEO, Strategic Analysis Corporation, and Barry Allan, President, CEO & CIO, Marret Asset Management. BNN anchors Michael Kane, Rudyard Griffiths and Andrea Mandel-Campbell will host.

Louis Gagnon is an Associate Professor of Finance at QSB and an expert on capital markets and risk management. During his time in senior management at the Royal Bank of Canada, he oversaw global interest rate derivatives exposures and developed risk management methodologies and policies. In addition to teaching at QSB, Professor Gagnon consults for a number of organizations in the finance and the non-finance sectors and is actively involved in executive development both in Canada and abroad.

Professor Gagnon has also been interviewed about the tax debate by the Wall Street Journal and Radio-Canada.

Profs Moore, Free, Busch, Kissick and McConomy chosen by grads

Professors McConomy and Kissick with Commerce ’2010 grads at the May 31 Convocation

Professors Moore and Free with Executive MBA (National and Ottawa classes) and Cornell-Queen’s Executive MBA grads at the May 27 Convocation. (Professor Marc Busch was unable to attend.)

KINGSTON, ON – QSB’s Teaching Excellence Awards were voted by the graduating classes of 2010 and presented at end-of-year celebrations held by the various programs.

David McConomy, Assistant Professor in Accounting, received the Comm’89 Professor-Student Life Award for having made the greatest contribution to the graduating class over their four years in the Commerce Program. The Commerce Society Teaching Excellence Award was presented to Distinguished Faculty Fellow in Business Law, Associate Professor Peter Kissick.

The award for Teaching Excellence in the full-time MBA Program was presented to John Moore, Assistant Professor of Accounting, at a pre-convocation reception at Goodes Hall. Marc Busch, a professor of International Business at Georgetown University, was recognized for his teaching excellence by the graduating classes of both the Cornell-Queen’s Executive MBA and the Accelerated MBA for Business Graduates. Clinton Free, Associate Professor and Distinguished Faculty Fellow of Accounting, was the recipient of the Teaching Excellence Awards presented by both the National and Ottawa Executive MBA Programs.

Dean David Saunders, the Honourable Peter Milliken, House of Commons Speaker and Kingston MP, The Right Honourable Paul Martin, and Queen’s Chancellor David Dodge

Kingston, ON – In a mix of old and new, historic Grant Hall and the new Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) hosted convocation ceremonies for nearly 690 proud Queen’s School of Business graduates and their families on May 27, 28 and 31.

Former Prime Minister Paul Martin received an Honorary Doctorate and gave the Convocation address at the ceremony for full-time MBA, Accelerated MBA for Business Graduates, and Master of Management programs on May 28. In his remarks, he challenged the new graduates to exercise their judgment and do the right thing when faced with practices that challenge their sense of right or wrong. “If you are asked to push the envelope past where you believe you should, remember there is no asset you will ever possess that is greater than your own integrity and your reputation.” Click here to view his complete address.

Don Bayne, (BA’66, LLB’69, LLM’74, EMBA’01) delivered the Convocation address at the ceremony for graduates of the Executive and Cornell-Queens MBA programs. He highlighted the lasting effects of the many lessons he learned in the MBA program and encouraged the graduates to make the most of opportunities that often present themselves during turbulent economic times. Click here to view his complete address.

David Sculthorpe, BCom’83 and past Chair of the School’s Advisory Board, spoke at the ceremony for Commerce graduates and offered examples of some of the life-changing decisions that he has had made that didn’t always follow the conventional wisdom. Click here to view his complete address.

The new gymnasium at the ARC and the Biosciences Complex hosted post-ceremony celebrations where family, friends and graduates celebrated and bid a fond farewell to faculty, staff and classmates.

Congratulations to all graduates – the newest members of the Queen’s School of Business alumni family.

Historic Goodes Hall receives additional $5 million pledge from namesake

Queen’s School of Business Commerce student Jason Liu, lead donor Mel Goodes and Dean David Saunders break ground on the $40 million expansion to Goodes Hall.

Kingston, ON – In response to increasing demand for enrolment at Queen’s School of Business from aspiring undergraduate and graduate students across Canada and around the world, the business school officially broke ground on a new 75,000 square foot wing at a ceremony held today in Kingston, Ontario.

The expansion of Goodes Hall will include classrooms equipped with the latest teaching technology, breakout rooms designed to foster group discussion and teamwork, two new research centres and over 50 additional faculty offices. The new wing will also feature student offices and common areas, a multi-purpose room for conferences, guest speakers and corporate recruiting events. The project will be LEED certified, incorporating design elements that promote sustainability and reduce energy consumption. 

“This new wing will enable Queen’s School of Business to continue to educate the leaders of tomorrow, and allow more of the most promising young people access to the vital business training that a Queen’s education provides,” said visionary donor Mel Goodes, whose lead gift of $10 million in 2001 helped build Goodes Hall. Goodes, the former chairman & CEO of Warner-Lambert Company, has pledged an additional $5 million towards the new wing. 

The new wing will be built on the west side of the existing 113,000 square foot Goodes Hall, with five levels including underground parking. The expansion will allow for an increase in enrolment across all QSB programs.  

“This expansion will allow more great teaching, research and learning opportunities, while honouring our tradition of intimate learning,” said David Saunders, Dean of Queen’s School of Business. “By accommodating more of the best students, we will also expand our global footprint and alumni network, advancing our goal to be one of the most innovative and influential business schools in Canada and the world.”

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by hundreds of alumni, students, benefactors, faculty and staff and included remarks by Queen’s University Principal Daniel Woolf, QSB Dean David Saunders, Mel Goodes, Jim Leech, Chair QSB Advisory Board and President and CEO, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and student leaders.

Saunders acknowledged the School’s many benefactors. “We are very grateful to all of our donors, including our corporate sponsors, BMO Financial Group, Cadbury Adams Canada, Cara Operations and PricewaterhouseCoopers, our Commerce students who pledged $1.2 Million, as well as three anonymous million dollar-plus benefactors. The commitment of our donors to this project is the reason we’re celebrating this ground-breaking today.”  

$18.2 million of the $22 million fundraising portion of the expansion was funded through donations from alumni and friends, with plans to raise the final $3.8 million by January 2012. The remaining $18 million for the $40 million project will come from government and university funds related to program growth.

For more information, and to see images and floor plans of the expansion, visit www.goodeshallexpansion.com. 

About Queen’s School of Business

Queen’s School of Business is one of the world’s premier business schools – renowned for exceptional programs, outstanding faculty and research, and the quality of its graduates. Canadian executives regard Queen’s as Canada’s most innovative business school, offering students academic excellence and a superior overall experience. Queen’s School of Business –where Canada’s first Commerce program was launched in 1919 – is located at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. The School also delivers programs at locations across Canada, as well in the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates. 

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For media inquiries please contact: 

Amber Wallace, 613.484.7033 / awallace@business.queensu.ca

Toronto’s Indigo store on Bloor was the setting for the Toronto Queen’s Business Club’s event on April 13 that featured Indigo’s founder and CEO Heather Reisman, KOBO’s CEO Mike Serbinis and EVP Content and Sales, Mike Tamblyn. A panel discussion moderated by Marketing Professor Ken Wong highlighted Indigo’s strategy in getting into the e-book business on a global scale and its interest in Kobo, a new e-book seller of which Indigo retains majority control.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Kobo’s new e-book reader was available for pre-order at Indigo  — “only $149, a perfect Mother’s Day gift,” said Mike Serbinis – as he proudly displayed the paperback sized, 10mm thin, quilted back device. Kobo generously provided an e-reader as a door prize won by a lucky alumna in attendance at the sold-out event.

The device is just part of the mix – Kobo is getting into the e-book market on a global scale, with partners in Australia, New Zealand, the US and Hong Kong. And their application is downloadable on smart phones and other mobile devices so that customers can choose when and where they catch up on their reading.

Heather Reisman explained why Indigo was getting into the market in a serious way. “Right now, predictions are that between 15% and 40% of books will be read digitally within four years. And those projections are changing monthly. Our strategy is to move with the evolving technology and our book-loving customers online.”

When Ken Wong asked about the longevity of the book lined library and what the future of print books is likely to be, Ms. Reisman was quick to respond. “I don’t think books are going away. While there’s something seductive about reading a book at the dentist’s office, reading parts on an iPhone, there’s also the feeling of wanting to settle back into a good book. I think, for at least some time, we’ll do both.”

For more information about Kobo and Indigo’s foray into e-book retailing, visit  www.chaptersindigo.ca and www.kobobooks.com