CEOs Lecture at YU for a Fourth Consecutive year

Management 4931, Contemporary Problems in Business, is a weekly seminar given by a major business leader in regards to their corporate experience at the Schottenstein Center in Midtown Manhattan. The various CEOs lecture for 45 minute and then for the remaining hour and 45 minutes, students act as business reporters, and question the lecturer about his or her experiences in ‘the real world’. The purpose of the course, according to Dean of Sy Syms School of Business, Harold Nieremberg, is to " bring the students the experience, counsel, and guidance of CEO’s of major business organizations."

In preparation for the sessions, each of the 60 enrolled students from both the Uptown and Midtown campuses researches the business to be discussed in class and writes a small report on the company and executive. This culminates in a large research paper about the various companies introduced in the course. Students’ exposure to CEO’s "bridges the gap between the business and academic world. Each CEO is an academic who can describe the subtleties in business, coping with challenges in business, and how to achieve a high level of success," explained Dr. Fred Palumbo, Associate Professor of Management and Marketing.

A recent speaker was Mrs. Alexandra Lebenthal, CEO of Municipal Bond House. After graduating from Princeton University, Lebenthal secured a position at Kidder Peabody, an investment banking house. She is presently working in her family’s company. Lebenthal discussed how her business developed and stressed the importance of keeping a business within the family.

Upcoming speakers include: Takeshi Nagaya, President of Toyota Motor Corporate Services, on Feb. 13; Richard Goldstein, President of Unilever USA., on Feb. 27; and Aaron Feuerstein, Chairman of Malden Industries, Inc., on March 20.

This course is being offered for its fourth consecutive year. Each executive is presented with a plaque or scroll, as well as a videotape of the session that they attended. Alumni and Board of Trustees members are invited to attend the lectures as well. Eric Schubert, a SSSB junior, described the course as, "A unique opportunity to learn about various types of business ventures, with first hand accounts from people of a wide business background."