Main navigation | Main content
- Degrees and Programs
-
Faculty and Research
-
- Accounting
- Finance
- Information and Decision Sciences
- Marketing
- Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship
- Supply Chain and Operations
- Work and Organizations
-
- Carlson Global Institute
- Center for Human Resources & Labor Studies
- Center for Integrative Leadership
- Center for International Business Education & Research
- Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship
- Institute for Research in Marketing
- Juran Research Center
- Management Information Systems Research Center
- Medical Industry Leadership Institute
- Social Media and Business Analytics Collaborative
-
- Executive Education
- About Carlson School
- News and Events
January 2012
Featured News
A Glimpse into Today's Student Life at Carlson
by GOLD Board Communications Committee Member Craig Schmidt, '03
As a senior member of the GOLD Board, I often wonder how much student life has changed since I was at the Carlson School. I, like many of the active GOLD alumni, have been back to school for the mentorship program, recruiting events, etc. However, in the few years since GOLD alumni graduated, things have changed significantly.
I recall the good ol' days of hanging out at Bob's Pizza, Bobby Z's, and tailgating in parking lots prior to Gopher football games at the Metrodome. I also remember those dreaded nights in the basement of Wilson Library studying for exams and the experience of interviewing with multiple companies in the search of the perfect summer internship.
In an effort to compare how things were and what they are today, the GOLD Board Communications Committee compiled an interview and collected feedback from four current students: Clare Simmons '12, Vincent Phan '13, Vall Ajgaonkar '13, and Virginia Chan '13.
Enjoy the responses to the questions below as you gain a glimpse into the life of a Carlson School student in 2012:
Where do Carlson School students primarily hang out on the weekends?
- Football/basketball/hockey games
- The houses of Dinkytown and Como
- Dinkytown and Stadium Village eateries
Where do Carlson students typically study?
- Hanson Hall breakout rooms and Undergraduate Lounge
- Walter Library
- Coffee shops, like the Purple Onion
- Wilson Library
Why did you select Carlson? And what are the Carlson advantages?
I wanted to attend a Big 10 school that had a strong business program. And since the U is surrounded by such a strong business community and Carlson allows freshmen to be admitted to its program, I knew it was an ideal fit for my long-term goals.
The Carlson School has great recognition within the Twin Cities, I was guaranteed international experience, and the curriculum is outstanding!
Carlson felt like a great fit for many reasons, but the connections with the professional community was a huge selling point. Additionally, Carlson is a very tight-knit community, and the small-school feel within a large Big 10 atmosphere is a unique and exciting one.
I chose Carlson because it was close to home, in a big city, offered great scholarships and had strong ties to local companies.
When do you think the Gophers football team will make it back to a bowl game?
- Not before 2020
- Not sure, maybe a couple more years
- We have a football team?
- When pigs fly! Heck, when the Tower of Pisa stops leaning
Have you participated in the mentorship program? If so, have you found it helpful?
- Yes, and it has been great. I stay in touch with my mentor, and he is a great resource to help me figure out career paths and how to best prepare for the future.
- Yes, I have found it incredibly helpful!
- Yes and yes.
- Yes! Indeed it was really helpful. I was able to visit General Mills and job shadow for a day, which was a lot of fun.
How would you rate your Carlson experience to date?
- 10! The staff, administration, and faculty do an awesome job. They offer so many more services and resources than my peers at other business schools receive.
- 8, my experience has been incredibly rewarding, but I would like Carlson to gain increased recruiting momentum in consulting and investment banking.
- 10, I love Carlson. I love the people. It is a great school and I have gained so much! I'd like to see students be more accountable and driven to discover their own talents, focus more on developing individual interests, passions, and skills, and encourage entrepreneurial options.
- 9!
Thank you to our Carlson students who participated in this interview!
Carlson Events
3M Seminar: Lean Startups in High Tech - January 28
Industry practitioners, including Chris Smith, Managing Director, Coral Group, and Carlson School entrepreneurship instructors will lead a series of discussions.
More...
February 1st Tuesday - February 7
Ken Paulus, President and CEO, Allina Health Systems, is the featured speaker.
More...
U of M Job & Internship Fair - February 23
Nearly 200 organizations will be recruiting for hundreds of jobs and internships.
More...
Emerging Markets Symposium - February 24
Business leaders, academics, and MBA students will discuss doing business effectively in emerging markets.
More...
GOLD on the Move
Aaron Holmen, '03 BSB Finance and Accounting
Aaron's first job upon graduation from the Carlson School was at KPMG in Minneapolis in the audit practice where he spent five years, including a stretch of time where he worked overseas in Ireland. With new career goals in mind, he transitioned out of public accounting to work as a controller for Schlumberger in the oil field service market. He spent three years working in Denver and is currently based in Anchorage, Alaska.
In his spare time, he enjoys downhill mountain biking, surfing, and ski mountaineering. In June he and his wife (a fellow Carlson School alum) climbed and skied Mt. Rainier.
Greg Cibuzar, '02 BSB Finance and Accounting
Upon graduating from the Carlson School, Greg began his career at Deloitte as a staff auditor in the Minneapolis office. In 2004 he left Deloitte and relocated to San Francisco to take a job opportunity with Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), a global restructuring and professional services firm. He began his career at A&M in the restructuring group, but has since transitioned into transaction services, focusing on financial and accounting due diligence for private equity and corporate acquirers, primarily in the software space.
He is currently a senior director at A&M, and resides with his wife and son in San Francisco. Outside of work you can find him pursuing snowboarding, distance running, or fiction writing.
Rebecca Bergner '04 BSB Finance and Communication Studies
Fresh out of the Carlson School, Rebecca began her career at Deloitte Consulting in strategy and operations consulting. While at Deloitte, she was working on a functional team, technical team, and training team for a workforce management system implementation project. She found that she had a passion for training and development, and moved on to work for Target Corporation in organization effectiveness, a part of human resources that supports training functions. She is also currently pursuing an HRIR degree at the Carlson School.
This past summer she took a trip to Australia to volunteer for a youth leadership development program for high school students, and had the opportunity to also travel the country.
Robert Riehm '04 BSB Accounting
Robert worked as an auditor at Deloitte and Touche for his first job out of the Carlson School. After spending five years in auditing, he joined UnitedHealth Group as a regulatory reporting manager. Two years later, he transitioned to an accounting manager role at OptimumHealth in its corporate finance and accounting group located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. OptimumHealth is a segment of UnitedHealth Group that serves physical, emotional, and financial needs of both organizations and individuals. In his new role, Robert has the opportunity to get closer to the services business of UnitedHealth Group.
In September of 2011, he married Jenny Riehm. His extracurricular interests include triathlons and 10K fundraisers, and he hopes to participate in his first marathon in 2012.
Volunteer
Student-Alumni Career Network on LinkedIn
Volunteering for the Carlson School can now be as simple as connecting through the Carlson School LinkedIn Subgroup, the Student-Alumni Career Network, to share your career experiences with current students.
By joining this Carlson School exclusive subgroup, we encourage alumni to connect with students and one another through this channel by posting employment/internship opportunities, tips on securing a job, tips on moving to new regions, questions on going back to school, questions on securing a job, etc.
Submit your request to join today by visiting linkd.in/CareerNetwork.
U of M News
Football Program Makes Academic Strides During Fall Semester
The Minnesota football program posted a 3.01 grade point average for the 2011 fall semester and 68 Gophers tallied a GPA of 3.0 or better.
More...
More U sports news can be found at gophersports.com.
Parker String Quartet to Play at Ted Mann
The Grammy Award-winning Parker String Quartet will perform at the Ted Mann Concert Hall Wednesday, February 8, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
More...
More U events are found on the U's event calendar.