Fisher Graduate Student Organizations

2008-09 Annual Report

 Table of Contents
Student Organizations Page
Professional
Fisher Entrepreneurship and Emerging Business Association 3
Fisher Professional Services 4
Fisher Real Estate Society 5
Operations and Logistics Management Association 5
Graduate Human Resources Association 6
MBA Finance Association 7
MBA Marketing Association 8

Networking
Black MBA Association 9
Chinese Business Professional Association 10
Fisher Christian Fellowship 10
Fisher Graduate Women in Business 11
Fisher Partner’s Club 11
Fisher Latino Graduate Association 12
Indian MBA Association 12
International Business Club 13
OutInBusiness 13

Service
Fisher Board Fellows 14
Net Impact 14
FisherServes 15

Recreation
Fisher Golf Association 16
Fisher Graduate Poker Association 16
MBA Sports Association 17

Governance
Fisher Graduate Student Association 18
MAcc Association 19
Working Professional MBA Council 19

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 Fisher Entrepreneurship and
Emerging Business Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
This year was a great year for FEEBA. We successfully carried out our venture capital trek to San Francisco, which was
an unbelievable experience. We met with a number of top tier venture capitalists, as well as visited Google and
Facebook – which once began as Entrepreneurial ventures. We also continued our Entrepreneur Luncheon Series –
where 10-12 students at a time were given the opportunity to listen to an entrepreneur’s story and engage in discussion
over an intimate lunch setting. We had our 2nd annual networking event coming up on May 20th, where we expect a
group of approximately 40 – mixed students, faculty and local professionals in related fields (entrepreneurship, venture
capital, private equity, small business/ early stage strategy or finance) to engage in a social environment. We have finally
launched our website! https://groups.cob.ohio-state.edu/feeba
…and membership more than tripled! There is a lot of interest in the area among first-year MBA candidates.

NEW INITIATIVES
Almost everything has been new. We worked hard to create a revitalized organization that better addresses the
interests of a broader spectrum of students. In order to preserve this, we felt it was important to elect a committee from
the first-year class to sit on the leadership board with us – we believe this will help smooth the transition and preserve
the devotion to the group as we graduate. We felt that entrepreneurship is more than investing a product and starting a
new business—it is working with new ideas, transforming existing ones, as well as financing them. We sought to target
differing interests of each class, as well as an evolving global business environment. Therefore, we did not want the
term “entrepreneurship” to limit interests in entrepreneurial activities, hence changing the organization’s name to Fisher
Entrepreneurship & Emerging Business Association, dubbed FEEBA.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
Our membership exceeded 30 by the end of the winter quarter 2009. Interest definitely peaked with the implementation
of the venture capital trek; however, many of those that joined for that reason have stayed involved. We believe it just
attracted more attention to our group. With the recent destruction of value in our economy, opportunities in
entrepreneurship will become more prevalent, so Fisher will see interest among students growing.

The gender composition of the group is about 75% male and 25% female. By class, the group is about 1/3 2nd year
MBAs, 1/3 Working Professionals, and 1/3 1st-year MBAs. Working Professionals have taken tremendous interest in the
group and should be encouraged to continue to get involved.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
We made a large food donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus. We also worked to coordinate a one day
mentorship with elementary school students through the Center for Entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, it did not come to
fruition this year; however, we hope that the incoming leadership team will be able to carry it out.

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 Fisher Professional Services
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Fisher Professional Services (FPS) is the MBA-run consulting and project-based organization at the Fisher College of
Business. FPS is led by two 2nd year MBA students with oversight provided by a faculty advisor. The organization
averaged 65 MBA students throughout the academic year consisting of approximately 2/3 1st year MBA students and 1/3
2nd year MBA students. The organization has continued to grow over the years, with current 1st year student participation
increasing almost 50% over the prior year.

FPS’ role in the Fisher College of Business is to provide real-world learning opportunities where students are active
participants in consulting projects with local businesses or other Ohio State University entities. Over the academic year,
FPS members participated in over 15 paid projects earning over $120,000 in revenue for the organization.

In the fall academic quarter, 48 1st year MBA students participated in a team-based learning environment with NetJets,
the world’s leader in fractional ownership of private business jets. During this 10-week engagement, the teams
evaluated several strategic initiatives to bolster long-term profitability and growth for NetJets. Throughout the remainder
of the year, FPS members were staffed on projects for local organizations ranging in topics from brand development,
strategic marketing and product commercialization to business planning, financial forecasting, and economic
development.

FPS also assisted students in the Fisher community by introducing opportunities in the field of consulting. FPS, along
with the Office of Career Management, organized and hosted the Fisher Consulting Boot Camp, a 2-day event in which
78 1st year MBA students were exposed to the exciting career opportunities within the field of consulting. Speakers from
some of the world’s leading professional services firms were on hand to share their experiences and answer students’
questions. FPS also led a series of ‘Fundamentals of Consulting’ sessions where local consultants provided the ‘basic’
skills of consulting, helping students understand the fundamental tools needed to be successful in the field. Throughout
the year, FPS also organized several other events including a ‘Green Consulting’ event as well as a workshop on
advanced Excel techniques.

NEW INITIATIVES
Entering the 2008 academic year, FPS was led by Managing Partners Rob Harrold and David Klusas. As the
organization continued to grow in size and took on additional engagements, a director was hired and a supplementary
leadership team was assembled to assist with the development of the organization. The leadership team currently
comprises several 1st-year MBA students fulfilling the roles of Human Resources, Business Development, Marketing,
Technology, and Controller. These students will continue to assist the organization during the 2009/2010 academic year
along with the two newly selected Managing Partners.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
Over the course of the year, FPS consisted of approximately 65 1st & 2nd-year MBA students. This was largely 2/3 1st-
year and 1/3 2nd-year MBA students.

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND SPONSORSHIPS

FPS was recognized by the Fisher Graduate Student Association in the fall academic quarter for having the most
effective programming for Fisher students.

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 Fisher Real Estate Society
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
The 2008 / 2009 was a banner year for the Fisher Real Estate Society. We started the year strong with numerous
recruiting events, including an executive luncheon during the third week of class. In fact, our initial recruiting push was
so successful that we grew the membership from the 12 in the 2007/2008 academic year to 19 this year (now 20
members). This represents an increase of over 50% in the membership base. Furthermore, a byproduct of our
recruiting efforts was the fact that five outstanding first-year students applied for the two first-year leadership positions on
the FRES executive committee.

NEW INITIATIVES
New initiatives include the following:
• Hosting a FRES / Fisher alumni networking event at the Columbus Club. This event was well attended and served
as a great opportunity for our members to meet and mingle with Fisher alumni working in the Columbus real estate
community. This was the first time FRES has ever done something like this.
• Involving the first year leadership more in the planning and execution of events
• Expanding our recruiting effort to include Knowlton School Architecture students and actively recruiting non-full-time
MBA students (MACC, Working Professional, etc.)
• The home buying seminar FRES sponsored on Thursday, April 11th. The response was tremendous. There were 43
registered attendees. The purpose of this event is to educate the Fisher graduate community about the home
buying process.
• Working more proactively with the Center for Real Estate on coordinating events. In addition, in his capacity as
president of the FRES, Derek Rogers participated in a committee to launch the newly-created Real Estate Mentor
Program. This program, which is offered by the Center for Real Estate, matches Fisher students with real estate
industry professionals.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
There are currently 20 members of the Fisher Real Estate in good standing. Members include students in the MBA (FT
& WP), MACC, and Masters of City and Regional Planning programs.

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND SPONSORSHIPS

The Fisher Real Estate Society successfully negotiated a sponsorship fee, to be paid to FRES, for the home buying
seminar.

Operations and Logistics

Management Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• Increased membership from 12 to 40 members.
• Conducted speaker series, inviting industry speakers from OSU Medical Center, Greif, etc.
• Organized field trip to the Scotts Company and a recruiting event with the supply chain team at Scotts.
• Organized lean six sigma interactive session with Operations faculty Peter Ward and Peg Pennington.
• Had general body meetings and student roundtables focusing on planning for next year and internship advice,
elective suggestions etc.

NEW INITIATIVES
Started work on the website and have transitioned requirements into the incoming leadership to create a robust and
professional web marketing tool for OLMA.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
40 members in the organization with 12 members from the class of 2009.

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 Graduate Human Resources Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Fall 2008 – We hosted three new companies, OSU College of Medicine, Sears Holdings, and Giant Eagle, which were
hiring HR interns and full-time hires for information sessions. We held the first ever GHRA Thanksgiving potluck as well
as a Holiday Soiree for our social events, and also collected 61 pounds of food at the soiree, which we donated to the
Mid-Ohio Food bank.
Winter 2009 – We cosponsored the Nourishing Lives Through Inclusion Event at Fisher with General Mills to showcase
the importance of diversity and inclusion both in the workplace and in the community. We donated gift baskets of
General Mills products to the families of the Ronald McDonald House, and cooked dinner at the RMH with members of
Graduate Human Resources Association, Indian MBA Association, Black MBA Association, and the General Mills’
Supplier Diversity Manager. 145 products were donated from the Fisher community as well as 82 hours of service, and
General Mills donated 21 cases of products to this cause. We also hosted several professional development events,
such as a Marketing/HR session with Professor Neeli Bendapudi and a Finance for HR session with Larry Lewellyn.
Spring 2009 – We hosted the first ever Finance workshop geared toward HR students and had a sizeable 23-person
turnout. We also hosted Richard Needles, a prominent consultant with over 30 years of experience and a Fisher alum,
who gave MLHR students advice on how to build a strategic career. We ended the year with a Mentor Appreciation
event that we cosponsored with the undergraduate Human Resources Association This featured Jane Ramsey, EVP of
HR for Limited Brands, as our guest speaker and celebrated the wonderful networking relationships that we have built
between Fisher HR students and HRACO.

NEW INITIATIVES
Every event listed above was a brand new event or initiative. The only event that we did last year was the end of year
event, which we made more professional and increased the number of attendees. Overall, we brought in a more diverse
array of companies, we became a more inclusive organization (many of our events were open to all Fisher graduate
students), and presented new professional development topics as well as new speakers within and outside of Ohio
State.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
We have 49 members - all of which are MLHR students. 29
members are in their second year (or more if they are PT
students) and 20 are first year students.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Nourishing Lives Through Inclusion (82 hours, 21 cases of
product, 145 Fisher donations, dinner prepared, and gift
baskets assembled). We also donated 61 pounds of food to
the Mid-Ohio Food Bank when we hosted the GHRA Holiday
Soiree in December and charged members canned food
items as admission. In February we made Valentine’s Day
cards for one of the local senior centers.

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND

SPONSORSHIPS
General Mills co-sponsored the Nourishing Lives Through Inclusion event.

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 MBA Finance Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
We had a great year with the association; especially bringing Jim Cramer’s Mad Money taping to Ohio State. Through
the hard work of our leadership, we believe the event was executed perfectly and let the Fisher College of Business get
the exposure it deserves. We also had a great line-up for our capstone event, the Finance Summit. We invited industry
leaders from corporate finance, investment management, private equity, and the Federal Reserve here to the Fisher
College of Business for a truly interactive conference where students and industry professionals discussed topics such
as macro-economic trends, career duties and responsibilities, and strategies. We also had some smaller events that
were quite useful, like the Chief Economist from Nationwide.

NEW INITIATIVES
We wanted to make sure we could make a big impact this year versus last year, and through the persistence of our
leadership, we believe the Mad Money taping exemplifies the hard work of the organization. We hope to instill this in the
future leadership team.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
We have approximately 65 members that have interests across the board in the finance industry, from corporate finance,
investment management, private equity/VC, and real estate. This diversity gives us a lot of different perspectives within
the industry. We also have a sizeable contingent of international students as well.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Our Treasurer and President presented a Women and Investing seminar at Ohio regional Delta Zeta sorority conference
at Ohio Wesleyan University. The regional director asked us if we could present at their conference and we had two
different presentations, one about budgeting/good credit to freshmen/sophomores and another one about investing to
seniors and alumni. They were really appreciative for our contribution to their event and we are looking to continue this
opportunity for future leadership teams to get involved with. We also have all the members of the executive committee
participating in the Fisher 5k, which is something the previous leadership teams have done.

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND SPONSORSHIPS

We had a number of students receive scholarships for the CFA Program.

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 MBA Marketing Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
The highlight for MBA Marketing Association has been the distinct activism in getting members involved in events with speakers,
companies and with each other in mentoring programs etc. The association has grown from being a passive organizer of events to
one that actively scouts for engagements with the industry, faculty and others.

Events Hosted by MBAMA:

• Partnership in Marketing Boot Camp
• Mentorship Program
• Cincinnati Marketing Hop
• Speaker Series
Paul Hemmingway Brand Manager, Abbott Nutrition
Rick Martinez VP of Sustainability, Scotts Miracle-Gro
John Dix Former Fisher Faculty Member; President, BDI Inc.
Mike Bills Fisher Faculty Member on Roles of Innovation
Russ Klein President, Global Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation for Burger King
Tammy Katz Fisher Faculty, CEO of Katz Marketing Solutions
Jeff Hoover Brand Manager, Wendy’s on Frosty Launch
Harold Peck Vice President of Strategic Pricing, Cardinal Health
• Site Visits:
Priority Designs
Resource Interactive
NetJets Recruiting Event
• Kimberly Clark Brand Olympics and Info-Session
• Elective Choice discussion

NEW INITIATIVES
Several new initiatives were launched in this year, of which I personally consider the following to be the most significant in terms of the
impact it has had on students:
• Boot Camp: We partnered with Jennifer Heckscher from Career Services to participate in the boot camp. We engaged in
networking with the students upfront, and used this forum to introduce the mentors to their mentees and share some insights
about marketing at Fisher through the student panel discussion.
• Mentoring Program: For the first time we paired incoming first years with an interest in Marketing with a mentor in second year
based on their inputs on career aspirations and who an ideal mentor would be.
• Website Overhaul: https://groups.cob.ohio-state.edu/mbama/
When the current leadership took over, the website was updated till 2002. We completely designed a new website from scratch
incorporating alumni interviews and career resources specific for Marketing. We have discovered ourselves that maintaining it up-
to-date is a tremendous challenge without resources (read programmers). This will be a challenge for the incoming leadership.
However we believe, we have provided them with a solid platform to build on.
• Speaker Series: We brought in some great speakers from across the industry (though most of them were from companies based
in Midwest, a shortfall we hope the incoming leadership will be able to address) to talk about a different theme each time.We
covered- Brand Management, Sustainability, Pricing, Innovation, New Product launches, Career paths in Brand Management etc.
It should be mentioned that we got so many speakers this year primarily due to the enthusiastic search and networking by all
members of the association and generous sharing of contacts by Professor Robinson and other members of faculty.
• NetJets Recruiting Events: Again this event happened due to relentless follow-up and persistence of Mike Nemeth from the first
year. I believe that this event sets up a model for future events based on recruiting themes, whereby a student association can
persuade a company to host a site visit for students with the incentive (for the company) of gathering as many interested students
as possible under one roof at minimal cost.
• Feedback from Members: We conducted a survey for all members to assess feedback on different events and on the
leadership. This was done for the first time, and it provided some valuable insights on where the incoming leadership should be
focusing their energies on.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
We had 46 members in the association, (technically, the number of folks who had paid their dues for 2009) of which 21 were first
years and 25 were second year MBA students. The comparable membership numbers for the previous year were 30 members
overall. Again, the number of active members ranged from 20-30 members, and most of them were first year MBA students. The
challenge for the incoming leadership would be to figure out how to improve participation of second year students in MBAMA
activities.

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 Black MBA Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
*Participated in The Ohio State University Black Caucus College Student for a Day Initiative where we provided 6th and 7th grade
students from the Granville T. Woods Community Shule School an accounting skills workshop

* BMBAA YWCA Community Service Project (Fall ’08) – This was a community service initiative where we partnered with Giant Eagle
to provide breakfast for over 170 residents at the local YWCA.

*BMBAA Thanksgiving dinner basket sponsorship of The OSU Access Collaborative Program participants (Fall ’08) – This was an
initiative where we partnered with the Columbus Chapter of the National Black M.B.A. Assoc. to provide 10 participants (low-income,
single-parent minority students currently enrolled at OSU) in this program with Thanksgiving dinner baskets.

*BMBAA Black History Month Black Leaders and their Impact on Society Speaker Series. We invited a diverse lineup of leaders which
included Gene Smith, J. Tracy Robinson, Richard Dent and our keynote speaker Dr. Boyce Watkins to share their successes to date,
the challenges they faced in achieving that success, and the coping strategies they employed. They also addressed the importance of
race in their success/challenges and shared their thoughts on Black History Month.

NEW INITIATIVES
*Black MBA Association Community Service Initiative-This initiative obligates our organization in some capacity to volunteer in the
community at least once a month to demonstrate our commitment to the uplifting of our community.

*Black MBA Association Mentorship Program pairs undergraduate student members of the Council of Black Students in
Administration (CBSA), which is the Collegiate Chapter of the National Black M.B.A. Association and National Association of Black
Accountants (NABA), with graduate student members to facilitate the
personal and professional development of undergraduates by providing
support and guidance to help ensure they achieve their full potential.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
34 Members from MAcc, MLHR, and MBA Full-Time and Working
Professional Programs.
15 Males/19 Female

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
*Participated in The Ohio State University Black Caucus College Student
for a Day Initiative. Service Hours - 10

* BMBAA YWCA Community Service Project Fall ’08 – This was a

community service initiative where we partnered with Giant Eagle to
provide breakfast for over 170 residents at the local YWCA. We raised
approximately $400.00 for this initiative. Service Hours – 25 Hours

*BMBAA Thanksgiving Dinner basket sponsorship of The OSU Access Collaborative Program participants Fall ’08 – This was an
initiative where we partnered with the Columbus Chapter of the National Black M.B.A. Assoc. to provide 10 participants (low-income,
single-parent minority students currently enrolled at OSU) in this program with Thanksgiving Dinner baskets. For this program we
raised approximately $500.00 and received numerous donated goods. Service Hours – 40 Hours

*BMBAA Black History Month Black Leaders and Their Impact on Society Speaker Series. We invited a diverse lineup of leaders
which included Gene Smith, J. Tracy Robinson, Richard Dent and our keynote speaker Dr. Boyce Watkins to share their successes to
date, the challenges they faced in achieving that success, and the coping strategies they employed. They also addressed the
importance of race in their success/challenges and shared their thoughts on Black History Month. For this program we raised
approximately $5,000.00; Service Hours – 200 Hours

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND SPONSORSHIPS

Our Black History Speaker Series Program was covered by The Columbus Dispatch and The Lantern. There was also a featured spot
on OSU’s Diversity webpage as well.

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 Chinese Business Professional Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• Two association meetings
• Chinese New Year Celebration
• 1st Year Chinese Business Summit
• Initiated student exchange program between Fisher and UIBE

NEW INITIATIVES
• Opened the organization to anyone who is interested in bridging the culture differences between China and US – we
had American Students join the association.
• Increased involvement in Fisher recruiting events
• 1st Year Chinese Business Summit

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
Our membership increased almost 50% compared to previous years with students representing the MBA, MLHR, and

Macc programs.

Fisher Christian Fellowship

HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Consistently connected with several Christians at Fisher and provided a way to fellowship, study the Bible, and support
each other. We arranged for two guest speakers to come and share their experiences. Our first speaker was Matt
Palmer of the Joseph Group, who spoke about various topics for Christians in business. Our second speaker was Gary
Nielsen of PEER Servants. He spoke about microfinance, specifically in the former Soviet republic of Muldova.

NEW INITIATIVES
Guest speakers.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
Only about 5 consistent members, although the group has had contact with many other Christians at Fisher.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
We donated $205 to PEER Servants

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 Fisher Graduate Women in Business
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
The highlights started immediately in the Spring of 08. We started by hosting several potlucks to bring unification. At the
same time, we contacted a local golf pro and set up affordable group lessons for members. We realized the need in the
community and partnered with Dress for Success. In the fall, 20 members traveled to Stanford, CT to attend the
NAWMBA conference. It was Ohio State’s first appearance at the conference, bringing us visibility to company’s through
which we would have never had exposure. We began hosting our Executive Series Luncheons and hosted a
Negotiations Workshop. We began 2009 by hosting a potluck for unification. We continued our Executive Series
Luncheons while beginning to plan our Annual Summit. The Summit’s format was radically altered. We secured a
President of AEP as our speaker, and four extremely accomplished professional women as panelists. The change
resulted in a 300% raise in demand; we would have had more people attend if we did not have to cap it at 170 due to
occupancy restrictions.

NEW INITIATIVES
• Started the Executive Series Luncheon – Inviting Community leaders and professors to speak with NAWMBA
• Attended the National Association of Women MBA Conference
• Negotiations Workshop with Lewicki
• Invited high level professionals to be our panelists and key note speaker for the annual conference. Attendance
almost tripled from last year.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
50 members - comprised of primarily MBA students, and the remainder being other women in graduate programs at
Fisher

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Dress for Success – 20 hrs, over $3,000 worth of clothes donated

Fisher Partner’s Club

HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
We had a wonderful opening social that included many of the new incoming partners and students. We also had several
little groups of partners that got together throughout the year in order to friendship with each other while the students
were studying/working on school projects.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
We currently have 18 people on our yahoo e-mailing list that consists of partners and students. Most of the partners all
work full-time and are mostly women.

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 Fisher Latino Graduate Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
With the help of the Office of Minority Student Services, the FLGA successfully sponsored 13 students to attend the
National Society of Hispanic MBAs in Atlanta, GA this past October. Of the students, there were 5 first-time attendees
and 2 MBLE students. Through their efforts, 4 students secured internships for this summer and 2 had final rounds of
full-time employment interviews. These testimonials show that the FLGA improves life at Fisher by providing
opportunities outside of campus activities that students can take advantage of. The successes of the conference were
discussed over an intimate dinner sponsored by the FLGA that members and family attended. In addition, The FLGA co-
programmed with the International Business Club to host a luncheon with Ruben E. Melendez, CEO of Glomark-
Governan. A native of Mexico City, Ruben was able to reach our
constituents through his story of self-made success made possible
by diversity acceptance and hard work.

NEW INITIATIVES
Co-programming with the International Business Club was a
successful new endeavor this year for the FLGA. Also, with
supplemental funding from the International Programs Office, FLGA
was able to accommodate all NSHMBA attendees without students
having to make any out of pocket expense. Lastly, FLGA has made
a partnership with the Columbus Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
in an effort to connect local Hispanic business leaders with the
Fisher College of Business.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
There were 15 active members for the 2008-2009 year. Of the 15,
2 were MBLE students and 1 MLHR student. The rest of the members were full-time MBA students, 3 from the class of
2010.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Members were encouraged to participate in Fisher Serves activities and mentor the undergraduate association Hispanic
Business Student Association (HBSA).

Indian MBA Association

HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Utsav 2009 was one of the most vivid and colorful events organized
at Fisher. There were more than 30 participants and 300 in
attendance. More than 120 guests enjoyed the Diwali dinner in
October 2008. There were two guest speaker sessions throughout
the year. Cricket Learn to Play, organized in partnership with the
Fisher Social Committee in May 2009, let the Fisher MBAs
experience the game of cricket, which is an integral part of the Indian
culture.

NEW INITIATIVES
We added the speaker series this year. We more than doubled the
participation for the Diwali dinner making it another biggest event
organized by the students.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
We have about 30 members most (if not all) of them with Indian origin.
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 International Business Club
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
We hosted five country presentation lunches including China, India, and Germany. We also had two speakers from local
businesses. Rueben E. Melendez, CEO of Glomark-Governan, gave a presentation about “Doing business in USA and
Mexico” and Chip Howard, Senior Managing Counsel of Honda, gave a presentation about “Working for a Japanese
company”.

NEW INITIATIVES
We have decided to allow undergrad students to join the club.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
22 members (11 second year MBA students, 9 first year MBA students, and 2 Working Professional MBA students).

OutInBusiness

HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

We held a few informational and planning meetings, sent four members to the national MBA conference for GLBT
students, and lured a top author for a speaking engagement next year. We had one final event at the end of May,
featuring several employees of Limited Brands speaking on diversity in the workplace.

NEW INITIATIVES
We have been finding ways to better reach out to the undergraduates (we serve undergrads and graduates in this group)
and other GLBT professional groups on campus.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
We have a mailing list of approximately 50 people, but probably only 25 people on the list are remotely active. The most
active members come from the graduate programs (MLHR, MBA, MAcc, etc.). Truly active members could be estimated
at around 12.

13
 Fisher Board Fellows
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
We received a record number of applications this year due to the recruiting efforts of Sally Heckman, VP of Fellow
Development. Received training from local community leaders such as Cindy Hilsheimer of SC Search Consultants and
Dr. Lisa Courtice, VP of Community Research and Grants Development at the Columbus Foundation. Welcomed new
partner boards A Kid Again, BalletMet and CAPA through the efforts of Aubrey Yuzva, Vice Chair and other fellows.
Hosted our annual flagship breakfast with keynote speaker Mr. Bill Ingram, CEO and President of White Castle System
and outgoing President of the Columbus Foundation.

NEW INITIATIVES
The new executive committee was determined by a democratic, anonymous election involving 1st years only, where
interviews were performed and executive committee composition was determined by outgoing 2nd years in the past.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
32 members comprised of 16 2nd year MBA students, 15 1st year MBA’s, and 1 Working Professional student.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Fisher Board Fellows have performed over 1,000 hours of community service through attending board meetings,
completing consulting projects for each of their boards and attending training.

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND SPONSORSHIPS

Gift of sponsorship received from Emerson. At least one board fellow, Kimani Phifer, was offered a permanent position
as a voting member of his board, Central Community House.

Net Impact
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• Hosted 11 speakers
• Successfully supported the Center for Entrepreneurship to host the Poverty Summit
• Organized site visits to companies
• Developed project opportunities for members with corporate customers

NEW INITIATIVES
Formed a new leadership structure based on developing the strategic priorities first and then developed the leadership
team. This led to placing the most motivated people in the right positions.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
82 members, 36 graduate and 46 undergraduate

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Organized Poverty Summit – All members included almost 100 hours of community work

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 FisherServes
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
There are three large events held annually by FisherServes as well as ongoing volunteer events throughout the year. In the fall, the
organization kicks off the school year with the Annual Community Service Day which was held on Friday, October 3rd 2008. This past
year, FisherServes created opportunities for volunteers to contribute over 2,000 hours of community service at various organizations
throughout Columbus including the Columbus Zoo, COSI, and Junior Achievement. FisherServes has raised over $30,000 in 2009.

Also in the fall, the 3rd Annual Fisher College of Business Charity Golf Classic was held on Friday, October 10th 2008 at the New
Albany Country Club in New Albany, OH. The event raised over $5,000 to benefit Fore Hope, a nonprofit organization in Columbus
working to help those with disabilities rehabilitate through the medium of golf. The 6th Annual Fisher 5K Race/Walk was held in the
spring at the Ohio State campus in Columbus, OH and is the organization’s largest event each year. This year’s Fisher 5K registered
over 600 runners and raised $21,500 for the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and
enabling all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. Those numbers represent over a
25% increase in registrations and a 43% increase in contribution amount over the 2008 Fisher 5K. FisherServes achieved this growth
through a more focused approach to marketing, innovative incentive programs to encourage registration growth including a facebook
incentive group, and a new focus on independent which led to over $2,000 in independent contributions.

In addition to these two annual events, FisherServes also conducts ongoing volunteer opportunities in areas of general volunteering at
local establishments in the Columbus area including blood drives for the American Red Cross and various fundraisers such as the
“Beat Michigan” bake sale. They also encouraged volunteer participation through offering incentives for individuals and student
organizations to become more active in service projects through the implementation of the first Volunteer Rewards program.

NEW INITIATIVES
FisherServes pursued a Volunteer Rewards program to reward students who contributed to service throughout the year. We also
adopted innovative approaches toward the Fisher 5K including encouraging independent fundraising which led to over $2,000 in
contributions, bagel day and social networking incentives, and a restructuring of the organization to create more functional roles for
the Fisher 5K Committee.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
FisherServes grew from 6 members to 20 members.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
In total, FisherServes contributed the following (approximately):
• Fisher Golf Classic: 200 hours of service, $5,700 raised to
benefit Fore Hope
• Beat Michigan Bake Sale: 20 hours of service, $330 raised to
benefit Treats for Troops
• American Red Cross Blood Drives: 40 hours of service, over
100 productive samples of blood
• Community Service Day: 900 Hours of service
• Fisher 5K: 500+ Volunteer Hours (approx)
• $21,500 raised for the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus
• Over $150 in canned food donations during “Beat Michigan”
canned food drive, benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of
Columbus
• Approximately 200 planning hours

Total:
Approximately 1,900 total hours of service
Approximately $28,000 raised

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND SPONSORSHIPS

Student Organization of the Month: May 2009
Sponsorships for Fisher Golf Classic: Nationwide – Lead Sponsor. Crowe Horwath, Scott’s, Limited
Sponsorships for Fisher 5K: Nationwide – Lead sponsor, Scott’s, Tansky Toyota, The Source, FGSA

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 Fisher Golf Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
The Fisher MBA Golf Association held a training session at the OSU driving range, sent out periodic messaging
regarding casual play on Fridays, hosted the First Annual Fisher Ryder Cup Tournament, and hosted the Annual Fisher
Scramble on May 29th at Mentel Memorial Golf Course.

NEW INITIATIVES
• Training sessions at a driving range.
• Weekly emails to inform members of opportunities to golf with other members on weekends.
• Hosted the first ever Ryder Cup Tournament between the first-years and the second-years. This tournament
includes a cup that is to be engraved every year with the winning class’ name.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
The initial list gathered at the organization fair had approximately 70 members. All event details were sent exclusively to
them, besides the Fisher Scramble which was sent to both MBA classes.

Fisher Graduate Poker Association

HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Throughout the year, we had seven different poker tournaments. Each one was attended by at least a dozen students.
The students came from all the Fisher graduate programs.

NEW INITIATIVES
To encourage more students to participate, we changed the format from paying up front at the beginning of the year to
paying and awarding prizes for each tournament separately.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
During the year, we had around 40 different individuals from the various Fisher programs attend one of our tournaments.

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 MBA Sports Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
We helped coordinate the formation of several intramural teams per quarter. We also set up pick-up games of football
and basketball and established a running group. We attended several events including our annual trip to the Duke MBA
games where our team placed 4th out of 16 teams.

NEW INITIATIVES
We started participating more with the Sports and Law Entertainment Association at the Moritz College of Law. We
attended their Sports Law Forum where speakers included a Senior Vice President of ESPN and General Counsel for
the Cincinnati Reds. We also attended the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Law Night where we had the opportunity to hear from
the General Manager and Assistant General Manager of the Blue Jackets.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
There are about 70 members on the
distribution list, but anyone can participate.
The members are mostly full-time MBA
students.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
As a part of the Duke Games we donated
$1,000 to the Special Olympics of North
Carolina. The games raised a total of
$110,000.

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND

SPONSORSHIPS
The Fisher men’s basketball team won the
Grad/Faculty league.

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 Fisher Graduate Students Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
I really think that we moved FGSA in a positive direction with the event-by-event funding allocation. Further, our quarterly
initiatives were well received by the student body and our toy drive was incredibly successful.

NEW INITIATIVES
We moved the funding allocation process from a one time event to a case by case basis which forces students to plan
ahead and prevents organizations from sitting on funds that could be used by other organizations. We also planned
quarterly student initiatives that served to better the overall experience at Fisher.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
Technically, everyone in Gerlach is a member, but those of us who met regularly were 5 second year MBA students and
5 first year MBA students. We had 4 males and 6 females and a diverse group overall.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
We held a toy drive which raised over 100 toys for a local organization that helps families give their children gifts when
they are unable to afford them. We also raised $250 via the Candy Cane sale and $65 via the Valentine’s day sale (all
proceeds went to a local shelter).

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND SPONSORSHIPS

The main sponsorships we received were GPO funds (which everyone receives), support from Karen Wruck with the
sponsoring of events, and funding from the Fisher Office of External Relations under Jim Miller.

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 MAcc Association
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
The MAcc Association hosted/participated in a number of events in the 2008-2009 year including:
• Dump and Run-participated in the garage sale hosted by the university
• Trick or Treat Canned Food Drive- donated over 400 lbs of non-perishable goods to the Mid Ohio Food Bank
• Voluntary Income Tax Assistance- donated over 1,000 man hours to assisting Columbus residents with income
taxes
• CPA sessions-held three sessions open to the Fisher College explaining the contents of the CPA and different ways
to study for the exam
• Thanksgiving Dinner- hosted a dinner for MAcc students staying in town over the break
• Tacky Sweater (Christmas) party- organized a holiday party to give all MAcc students a chance to socialize
• Attended a Cleveland Cavaliers game

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
The MAcc association is comprised of all 92 members in the MAcc program.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
• Dump and Run- Members donated their time in the annual Dump and Run garage sale hosted by the Ohio State
University
• Trick or Treat Canned Food Drive- Several students dropped off brown bags in the Grandview area neighborhood to
collect canned food items for the Mid Ohio Food Bank on Halloween. We donated close to 400 lbs of non-perishable
food items to the food bank
• VITA- the MAcc Associated recruited over 80 people to participate in the annual voluntary income tax assistance
program, up from around 40 last year. We even outsourced members to the law school VITA site. Although
statistics for the current year are not available yet, our site normally has the lowest error rate and the highest refund
dollar amount in the city of Columbus. Our volunteers donated over 1,000 hours to filling out tax returns for the low-
income citizens of Columbus.

Working Professional MBA Council

HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• Developed ongoing career education and networking workshops for Working Professional MBA’s.
• Increased Working Professional participation in extracurricular events substantially by offering a mix of educational
and recreational activities.
• Expanded contacts within Fisher College and the Columbus business community to support growth of the WP
Student Council.

NEW INITIATIVES
End-of-the-quarter Working Professional social event – an event to build camaraderie and community amongst WP
students.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
Membership is automatic for all WP students.

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