In a soft market, leave it to MBA students to innovate

Kelley MBA students John Ren and MuChen Gu, both citizens of the People’s Republic of China, came up with an idea to support their fellow countrymen who have aspirations to return to China for post-MBA jobs. The two said the Kelley MBA program is largely unknown to key China employers. So Ren and Gu helped organize an employer reception last month with the assistance of the Graduate Career Services staff.

The Kelley School was the first U.S. business school to hold such an employer event, according to the 34 Shanghai company representatives at the reception. The Chinese business executives heard presentations by Dick McCracken, Kelley School GCS director, and Terrill Cosgray, director of the MBA program, and networked with Kelley students, who paid their own travel expenses to Shanghai.

Eunice Donovan, GCS associate director for international student development, managed the entire process to its successful conclusion, when students were afforded immediate job interviews. GCS will host the third annual Bay Area Employer Reception in San Francisco in May.