Every Tuesday beginning at 7 a.m. for the past seven months, 20 students have been planning the Illinois State University College of Business’ 2023 Business Week to perfection.
Business Week, a College of Business tradition for the past 44 years, is a weeklong event which immerses students in professional development opportunities.
This year’s Business Week will take place February 20-24 and will feature keynote speakers, seminars focused on transitioning from college to corporate life, a professional development dinner, an equity, diversity, and inclusion workshop, and the College of Business Hall of Fame ceremony.
Though Business Week lasts for five days during the spring semester, the Business Week team has been planning since August. Business Week President Tori Poska first attended Business Week as a freshman. She then joined the planning team as a sophomore and has been involved ever since.
“I love everything that Business Week stands for and represents,” said Poska. “It’s made a huge impact on my life as well as lots of my friends. This is how I’ve found out about so many great opportunities inside of the College of Business—by networking with other students, staff, and faculty.”
Vice President of Professional Development Benji Prendergast first got involved with Business Week as a mentee through the Business Week Mentor Program his freshman year. As a sophomore, Prendergast became a mentor which prompted him to join the Business Week planning team.
“It’s just truly a rewarding thing to be a part of and to see all these professionals and students coming out and being part of our program and celebrating professional development,” said Prendergast. “In reality, you gain so much from just this one week and carry it on to your classes, lectures, jobs, and internships. The experiences just continue to grow and grow from this one week.”
Having taken advantage of the professional development opportunities that Business Week and the College of Business offer students, both Poska and Prendergast already have post-graduate jobs lined up: Poska in marketing for Ecolab and Prendergast in sales for Dell.
The Business Week team, which consists of an executive team and six committees, plans events outside of Business Week as well. Last fall, the team hosted a movie talk event which consisted of a showing of The Homestretch, a movie about homeless teens, followed by a discussion. The group also hosted a corporate social responsibility event in which gently used business professional clothing was collected for a clothing drive. This spring, the team is planning a March 1 Business Week Talks event with a speaker-oriented, Ted Talk format focused on corporate social responsibility.
Students interested in planning next year’s Business Week are invited to apply to join the 2023-24 Business Week team throughout the week. Non-business students are welcome to apply.
“Getting involved changed my whole college career and the whole course of it both personally and professionally,” Poska said. “My advice would be to attend and be engaged.”
Though sponsored by the College of Business, all students are welcome to attend Business Week. To learn more and to register for events, explore the Illinois State University College of Business 2023 Business Week pamphlet.
