This week’s interviews!

We are excited to have talked to numerous Management & Entrepreneurship students, alumni and members of the Advisory Board about how they are navigating COVID-19.

Kali shares what she has learned from her 4 years and urges students to get involved and connected because “Haslam [faculty] are here to help you. They want to …give you all the opportunities that they possibly can.” Something else that she shared, advice from her mother that she found helpful during her college years, is that “Something is only a failure if you fail to learn from it.”

Kali Holt's interview with Assistant Professor of Practice Kurt Jacobs.

What is one lesson you have learned since the shift to a virtual classroom?

I have learned how to give proper feedback to my instructors. Feedback from students to instructors is important, and with classes changed to online, it changed how students give feedback. I have learned how to appropriately use ZOOM to get my instructor's attention and all the many ways to contact them through Canvas. In my experience, instructors have been very receptive to it and always welcome feedback from their students.

More of McLane's interview.
 

How are you connecting with friends and family remotely?

I try to text my friends daily to see what is going on in their lives and to check up on them. We also have been using Netflix party so that we can simultaneously watch movies together.

More of Mallory's interview.

How has the Haslam faculty helped you adjust to this "new normal"?

The faculty have been amazing during the transition, for me, I find that it's harder to grasp concepts in an online classroom setting and all of my faculty have setup extended office hours that I have made sure to utilize!

More of Thomas's interview.

Allie, a 2015 graduate, went to the super bowl with Dr. Debbie Mackey. Her family produce business has really ramped up delivering in Ohio. Memorable quote: My family business is a 4th generation family wholesale business in Cleveland, Ohio. When the “stay at home” orders hit we knew we had to pivot our business model, losing 75% of our sales. We are offering 3 days of pick up groceries and the positive response has been overwhelming. We also donate any product that will soon expire and cannot be sold.

Allie Sirna interview with Distinguished Lecturer Debbie Mackey

Amy is an HR Manager at Ft. Sanders Regional. She was a 2018 grad from our Master’s program. Memorable quote: I took the SHRM-CP prep course and passed my exam and was then promoted to HR manager at Ft. Sanders hospital. Originally, I was focused on compensation, but the experience far outweighs the compensation and it comes later.

Amy Lasater interview with Distinguished Lecturer Debbie Mackey
 

Morgan is a 2018 graduate of the Haslam College of Business. Memorable quote: I graduated and moved 10 hours from home. I soon learned I love developing people and teams. I was promoted and moved back to Nashville, responsible for a 70 million dollar territory with 13 reps that I develop and manage. This has allowed me to come back to UT and talk to classes and recruit. Be open minded and join student organizations and explore more than one area.

Morgan Kennedy interview with Disdinguished Lecturer Debbie Mackey

Josh Scull is an HR Manager with CBS Sports Interactive. Memorable quote: Graduating in 2009 was a challenging time of uncertainty. Being involved in SHRM gave me the opportunity for an internship at ORNL and quickly turned to full-time. ORNL paid for me to go to National SHRM and obtain my masters.

Josh Schull interview with Distinguished Lecturer Debbie Mackey
 

Advisory Board Spotlight

In this interview with Professor John Hoffman, you can get the inside scoop on what a former General thinks about Covid-19 and how it could be the greatest entrepreneurial opportunity in decades to make substantial and lasting positive changes.

Gregory S. Martin interview with Professor John Hoffman
 

Advisory Board Spotlight

“The core values of my business are integrity, reliability, and optimism… I am an eternal optimistic. … This time will have a beginning, a middle and an end and there will be opportunities … to invest and take advantage of new areas of business”

Dewayne Scott Interview with Professor Anne Smith
 

Advisory Board Spotlight

Jake Livesay, PhD in Physics, talks about his career and getting out on the very difficult 2007 job market. His advice to students is, “The sky is always falling, take what job you can get, knuckle down, and look for opportunities when they arrive.”

Jake Livesay interview with Professor Jackie Jacobs

Advisory Board Spotlight

From his long career, Mark stated that “Remember the day you retire, nobody will care about the rank or position you held, but they will remember how you treated people…I wish I had learned earlier in my career but thankful that I learned the importance of this at some point!”

Mark Atkeson interview with Professor Anne Smith