DIvIDEnD - Stephen M. Ross School of Business - University of ...

AlumniActivities awards & worldwide club day
Southeast Michigan, Boston, and India Score Top Alumni club honors
Ross alumni clubs always have been outposts of maize and blue spirit at
points around the globe. However, in the current economic climate their
role has evolved from casual social mingling to continuing education and
career development. The winners of the 2009 club awards reflect a commitment
to relevant programming that meets alumni’s changing needs.
“We have recognized the change in the local environment and felt the
impact on our members,” says Matt Schuster, BSchE ’95/MBA ’00.
He is president of the Ross Alumni Club of Southeast Michigan, which
was named 2009 Club of the Year. Leaders are presenting more topics
that target job seekers, and popular happy hours now include a rotating
group of corporate recruiters. The club recently introduced tiered pricing,
and 1active
membership has doubled in the past year. “Most are joining
or renewing as lifetime members,” Schuster says, “which represents an
interest in long-term connection with our community.”
The Wolverine Spirit Award, which recognizes a club’s tenacity in
building its organization, went to the Boston Alumni Club. Leaders
have focused on continuing education, offering panels on sustainability,
investing, and more. “Our events have involved great conversations on
relevant, timely subjects that people may not have time to explore in the
midst of the everyday hustle and bustle,” says Grace Tsuei, MBA ’03,
the club’s co-president. Adds co-president Jim Hanley, MBA ’94,
“A huge value in attending club events is the opportunity to network
with talented professionals outside my work environment.”
Ross presented its inaugural International Club of the Year Award to the
University of Michigan India Alumni Association. The organization has been
successful through a strong network of leaders and an influx of young alumni
at both the local and national levels. “Some of our alumni lead very successful
companies in India,” says Sanjay Mirchandani, MBA ’89, president.
48 DIvIDEnD spring 2010
roger Frock, MBA ’59
e v e n ts f o c u s o n c a r e e r s, c o n t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n
“Ensuring they are part of our events motivates others.” The club routinely
hosts Ross and U-M faculty traveling in India. During Worldwide Club
Day 2009, they sponsored the panel discussion “Our Green Future,” which
included heads of industry and former government ministers.
Each of the 2009 winners proves that maize and blue spirit still goes
a long way. “The Ross alumni network is so valuable because of the
shared passion and dedication that its members have for the University
of Michigan,” says Jeff Mott, MBA ’95, who chairs the Alumni Board
of Governors’ Alumni Clubs Committee. “Other networks cannot come
close to providing such expansive access to valuable resources and
people around the globe.” Mirchandani agrees. “We all miss our
Ann Arbor days. Club events give alumni a chance to connect and
renew their association with a great institution.” —Amy Spooner
Ross Recognizes Exceptional Alumni with Awards
In 2009 Ross presented its Entrepreneur of the
Year Award to Roger Frock, MBA ’59, president
and CEO of Quest Management Inc. In 1973 Frock
helped FedEx founder Fred Smith execute his “crazy
scheme” for an overnight small-package delivery
company. “No one had ever done what we were
promising,” Frock says.
Today FedEx is a $33 billion enterprise. In his book,
Changing How the World Does Business: FedEx’s
Incredible Journey to Success, Frock chronicles the
legal, financial, and operational crises that confronted
the FedEx team and how they overcame these road-
Board members of the ross Alumni Club of southeast Michigan (from left): rajesh nayak, MBA ’07,
Matt schuster, BsChE ’95/MBA ’00, Karyn skees, MBA ’95, and sanjeev Kulkarni, MBA ’98.
blocks to create an entirely new business enterprise.
He is pictured here at Entrepalooza 2009,
sponsored by the Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie
Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies.
Praveen Suthrum, MBA ’04, received the school’s
first Recent Grad Service Award in 2009. He is the
founder of NextServices Inc., a healthcare solutions
firm with offices in Ann Arbor and Mumbai. (See
story, p. 37.) His objective is to “create a networking
platform for not just alumni in India but also alumni
across the world who are interested in doing business
in India or coming to India.”