Pictured is the Bronconess wine set.

Leading the way

The Center for Principled Leadership and Business Strategy is founded on the premise that the path to purpose and profit is in creating genuine value for others.

Making this a reality in business requires leadership and strategic thinking to maximize benefits across stakeholders. Leadership and business strategy students cultivate their skills through immersive opportunities. In this program, there are no textbooks, no exams, and real-life business issues are part of everyday learning. Recent projects include launching a purpose-driven wine brand and a deep dive into artificial intelligence. The center is funded by generous donors who make these opportunities possible. The $6.5 million investment in the center is one of the most significant gifts in the college’s history. 

A future in finance

  • Pictured is Eddie Warr

    Eddie Warr's journey

    "I know there are going to be stumbles and falls, but if I can be proactive about the things I want to learn, it will come back tenfold."

    Eddie Warr had just started a new full-time position as a wealth management assistant at Greenleaf Trust, while taking 15 credits toward his finance degree at Western Michigan University and raising his 4-year-old daughter, Cecilia.

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Perspective: Molly Millerwise Meiners

  • Pictured is Molly Meiners

    From Capitol Hill to capital investment

    Crashing on the floor of her sister’s apartment as she completed two internships in Washington, D.C.—that was the beginning of Molly Millerwise Meiners’ career. Her goal: to work on Capitol Hill. Soon after graduation, she became press assistant and then deputy press secretary for the House Republican Conference and later served as the press secretary for the Ways and Means Committee.

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Faculty Impact

  • Pictured is Dr. Laurel Ofstein

    Women entrepreneurs use grit and resilience

    Dr. Laurel Ofstein’s research details how women entrepreneurs persevere despite challenges and what strategies lead to long-term success for women business owners.

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  • Pictured is Dr. KC Chen

    Dr. KC Chen earns second prestigious Fulbright award

    This project will allow me to share my research, teaching and curriculum design experience in analytics and project management, which will help build expertise at the host institution.

    With his award, Chen will complete a project at Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland that aims to exchange research experiences and establish partnerships.

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  • Pictured is Dr. Ola Smith

    A safe space for all students

    For me, NABA is critical to promoting accountancy and finance to a new generation of African American students and to retaining talented students in our discipline.

    In an effort to build supportive communities focused on professional and personal success, Dr. Ola Smith, chair of the Department of Accountancy, helped students reestablish the WMU National Association of Black Accountants chapter.

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  • Pictured is Dr. Ann Veeck and Dr. Xie Hu

    WMU researchers study food consumption behavior during pandemic

    This study may shed light on the psychological motivations for food consumption during an epidemic and what coping strategies best allow consumers to adapt to new conditions in a crisis.

    Dr. Ann Veeck, professor and acting chair in the Department of Marketing, and Dr. Hu Xie, assistant professor of marketing, conducted a survey in China from Feb. 15 to Feb. 23, as the COVID-19 virus was rapidly spreading in several regions.

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Perspective: Frederick Paul II

  • Pictured is Frederick Paul.

    Stepping up for Detroit

    When I saw dozens of sneakers spread across my bedroom floor, I suddenly had an idea.

    Necessity is the mother of invention. Frederick Paul II knows this all too well. His senior year at WMU found him needing cash to meet his financial commitments. Today, his business, Fahrenheit 313, is where sneakerheads go to get the hottest kicks.

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Pictured is the a Haworth College of Business alumni group.

Celebrating Alumni and Friends

In the Spotlight

  • Holly Harmon: HR impact in action

    Holly Harmon has had one goal since transferring to the Haworth College of Business: to positively impact as many people and communities as possible. As a human resource management major, she believes that starts with helping businesses invest in their most critical resources—their employees.

    Read all seven spotlights

Perspective: Paulina Costa Zyskowski

  • Pictured is Paulina Costa.

    Leveraging opportunities

    The best opportunities are the ones that we create for ourselves.

    That’s the mantra that has guided Paulina Costa Zyskowski, senior account manager at Kalsec Inc., in her professional life.

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Pictured are ventilators at General Motors.

COVID-19 and the Haworth College of Business

Responding to the pandemic provides the opportunity to support each other. Here we highlight how faculty, staff, students and alumni are answering the inherent challenges the crisis brings through empathy, expertise and innovation.

Business Buzz