ADDENDUM TO VITA - May 25, 2001

Mary Avery, Assistant Professor and Director of the Business Management Program

Courses Taught:

Business Management 413 Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (Sem 1)

Business Management 452 Senior Seminar in Business Management (Sem 2)

Adjunct Faculty/Courses Supervised:

Business Management 313 Corporation Finance (Sem 1) Joseph Wolfe

Business Management 311 Human Relations Management (Sem 1) Wayne LaMont

Business Management 308 Consumer and Corporate Behavior (Sem 2) Jayne Rufener Rausch

I have also been recruiting an Adjunct for the following course: Business Management 231 Accounting Fundamentals (Sem 1) Rebecca Lord

Number of Advisees:

First Year: 0 sophomore: 4 Juniors: 16 Senior: 16

Most business management majors must start using me as an advisor in their sophomore or junior year, because of the self-designed component of the major. No first year students were assigned to me for summer advising because of the large number of advisees that I have currently. There are 24 first year students who have expressed interest in the Business Management Program. So I think a rough estimate of the number of current business management students would be 72. The program is really growing in popularity, largely, I think, because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program. It is a good fit for Ripon College to have a program that combines practical skills with the good all around thinking and communication skills that all the disciplines contribute to the students.

During first semester, a number of other faculty from various disciplines came forward to assist me as advisors for the program. This is a wonderful enhancement to the program as it enables me to match interested students with a faculty member whose interests are most closely in congruence with theirs. Interested faculty includes mathematics, economics, fine arts, foreign language, leadership studies, politics and government, and the sciences.

Teaching: Business Management 308 (Consumer and Corporate Behavior) was added last year. I have been involved in identifying a new adjunct instructor, as it continues to be a popular course. I proposed two new courses this year, which were approved by the faculty in February. The first, Business Management 310 (Social Entrepreneurship) will deal with the line between for-profit and not-for-profit enterprise which has become increasingly blurred. Traditional non-profits such as art museums, schools, and community-based organizations must be well managed to effectively serve their constituencies. Further, their very survival can be dependent on effective fiscal management. Other non-profits have discovered that business-related subsidiaries can generate revenue for the organization as government resources have dwindled. Many of these organizations have become extremely creative about incorporating entrepreneurial strategies into their overall strategic plans. So this course will really focus on three things:

Ø A study of the world of philanthropy including history and current practices

Ø An introduction to the world of non-profit organizations (their purposes, opportunities and challenges)

Ø The application of business and entrepreneurial models to community problems and the needs of non-profit organizations.

The second, Business Management 315 (Introduction to Management) will make ours a more well rounded business program. There is no management theory course in the curriculum at the present time. This would also enable me to make the Senior Seminar more of a "true" Seminar. At present, I am trying to teach a full management text, in addition to the capstone seminar topics. Visioning and strategic planning are essential to all organizations. In a world so greatly impacted by e-commerce, global markets, and exploding technology, effective organizations must plan or perish. Examining the external environment, discovering the organization's unique attributes/challenges, and responding accordingly are key tasks of managers today. This course will cover strategic management theory, and make extensive use of case studies to help students to better understand the manager's job. Students who do not view management positions as a career option would also enjoy this course, since quality organizations should consult with all of their employees when planning for the future. Students can also use some of the knowledge gained in this course to plan for their own personal futures. In all of my teaching, I try to make it clear to students that being an effective businessperson and manager involves knowledge from nearly all disciplines. The Ripon person will be able to better respond to change than a graduate equipped only with the technical skills of business. This will help Ripon to become known as the college of choice for future entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, and other business leaders.

Business Management Minors: I also developed three "tracked" minors for the Business Management Program. They were also approved in February. The three minors are the "generic" minor (bus/econ), entrepreneurship, and social entrepreneurship. Student interest in the minors is already apparent, and they also seem to be of interest to prospective students. I am especially excited about the new minors, since I believe that they will help students to be able to pursue their "passions" in the liberal arts. By pursuing a minor in business, students (and parents) can feel that they are being exposed to business concepts, while still being free to broaden their background in the liberal arts.

Social Entrepreneurship I have been quite busy researching the concept of "Social Entrepreneurship." Since childhood, I have been fascinated with business, but also with society's need to help those who need it. I have become more and more interested in where those two worlds intersect. Pursuit of philanthropy by business and the owners of business is nothing new, and it is worth studying the history of philanthropy, and examining the "best practices" of today in order to encourage the next generation of capitalists to "give back" to the community.

However, the concept is more far-reaching than that. The new breed of entrepreneur, such as Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Pierre Omiydar (e-Bay), are trying to remake charity by applying business models and entrepreneurial expertise to philanthropic activities. They don't just want to give away money, they also want the organizations to develop the same kinds of strategic alliances and partnerships that have made these high-tech organizations successful in order to maximize their effectiveness. And finally, non-profit organizations are increasingly operating businesses themselves, in order to bring commerce back to inner cities and declining rural areas. It's about community based-economic development - a grass roots approach to community empowerment. It is jobs for people that need them, localized commerce that community members can control, and a return of wealth into communities abandoned by more traditional businesses.

It is my goal to advance this field of study into a sort of "sub-discipline" that will help the Ripon College Business Management Program to distinguish itself from more traditional business schools. While it may sound a bit idealistic, I think there are lots of people who would like to learn how to "make a buck while making a difference." I am looking forward to many linkages that will make Ripon stand out as the place to study social entrepreneurship. There are many on campus and in the broader community that are enthusiastic and have offered to help me. I am really fortunate to have this opportunity.

Finally, my Regional Coaching responsibilities with the national Denali Initiative have just begun. I have three Denali "Fellows" to assist. All are non-profit executives in the Milwaukee area who are developing business plans, which we hope will effect social change while bringing revenues to the organizations developing the plans. My three Fellows include the minister of an inner-city church, director of an Hispanic organization that is doing home weatherization for low-income residents, and the director of an urban youth corps program. I am really looking forward to bringing these experiences, and perhaps the contacts, into the classroom.

Linkages with Other Organizations This was our second year into an Articulation Agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This agreement allows Ripon students to pursue a Masters in Accounting at UWM, and sit for their CPA exam sooner than would otherwise be possible. It is a great enhancement to our program, and I believe that we are the only four-year Liberal Arts College to have such an agreement. More marketing of this program to students may be needed.

I am also working with the Education Department to develop a business education curricular emphasis. This requires a formal application to the Department of Public Instruction and I am working to understand the process better. Several meetings, including one with DPI are planned for this summer.

Scholarly/Artistic Activities: I suppose I am somewhat unusual on the faculty from the standpoint that many of my "scholarly" outside activities involve my business consulting practice, and the experiences that I bring to the classroom. A few samples of those include:

· Project consultant on approximately twenty-five business, strategic planning, and market research projects during the past year

· Developed strategic partnership with Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers and Wisconsin Bankers Association for benefit of new entrepreneurs

· Conducted feasibility analysis for four major employers in Sauk County interested in developing an employer sponsored child care center

· Facilitated corporate retreat for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Administration

· Conducted feasibility analysis for National Swiss American Center

· Community visioning for the Village of Random Lake

· Strategic Planning Consultant (volunteer) - Education Foundation of Ripon

· Presented Business Management Program to Ripon Rotary · Small Business Administration awards breakfast honoree

· Small Business Administration Financing Symposium - presenter of a workshop on cash flow management

· Leadership Ripon - presented entrepreneurship workshop

· Board Member and Membership Committee Chair - Wisconsin Economic Development Association

· Member - Revolving Loan Fund Committee, Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation · Partner - Wisconsin Dept. of Commerce/SBDC/WBA TEAM Network

· Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers - Business Advisory Council member

· Owner/operator - two independent businesses - Business Development Services, Inc. and Avery Farms, Inc.

· Regional Coach - Denali Initiative

· Brown Bag Presentation - "Entrepreneurship - It's Not Just for Bill Gates Anymore"

· Member -Institute of Management Consultants · Professional Certification - Certified Management Consultant (CMC)

· Severy Award

Conferences and Workshops Attended:

June, '00 - Small Business Administration awards breakfast and conference

July, '00 - Business World at Ripon College - workshop presenter on "Entrepreneurship"

February '00 - Governor's Diamond Awards - Honoring women in business

February '00 - Wisconsin Venture Capital Summit

April '00 - Women Triumphant - Wisconsin Women Entrepreneur's Annual Conference

May'00 - Denali Initiative Regional Coach training

Wisconsin Economic Development Association: Governor's Conference - 2/00 Fall Conference - 10/00 Spring Conference - 5/00

November 29,30 & December 1 - Wisconsin Economic Summit - participant

Attended all Communicating Plus workshops

Service To the College:

Ripon College K.I.D.S Program - volunteer and business advisor

Ripon College ACE Program - provide housing for minority students during ACE Scholarship

Interview Volunteer - two sessions

Career Day Panel Organizer

Attended Department Chairs' meetings

Met with Admissions staff to explain new features of the business management program

Participated in corporate donor cultivation lunch sponsored by Development Office

Substitute teaching for Consumer and Corporate Behavior class

Hosted Tom Caestecker at Commencement

I think an important service to the college that I provide is as a resource for students who wish to develop practical experiences leading to business careers. These students, as they explore opportunities for business experience and community service, also provide benefits to the businesses. Through contacts in the Ripon community, I have arranged student internships, independent studies, and various individual and small group "hands on" experiences with industry. Examples include: student market research for Ripon Main Street, Inc.; student group management assessment for Davis Manufacturing, Inc.; student business plans that assisted various local small businesses.

I served the College as a volunteer member for the Ripon College K.I.D.S Program. This involved working with Douglas Hyde (honorary degree recipient and CEO of Oshkosh 'b Gosh) to set up a pilot project on campus. Essentially K.I.D.S is a consortium of manufacturers, retailers, and wholesalers of children's clothing and other items. The companies donate surplus items to K.I.D.S national program, and these in turn are distributed to local charities. Two business management students wrote a business plan that essentially calls for Ripon to act as a conduit for the items. Not only does this project have a great social good, but it also provides great hands-on operational and management experience for business students.

I also participate in the Career Day and Scholarship Competitions.

A large part of my time during second semester is spent with prospective students and their families. I meet with about 50 each year.

I regularly donate time, and goods and services to student groups raising funds for various causes.

To the Community:

Treasurer - Education Foundation of Ripon

Green Lake County 4-H - Horse Project Leader

Ripon Noon Kiwanis

Auditor - Ripon Women's Club

League of Women Voters

South Woods Park Association

Ripon Chamber of Commerce - Tourism Committee

Ripon Main Street - Business Development Committee

Salvation Army bell ringer

General Information/Background I have been a Certified Management Consultant since 1993, and have been consulting with businesses, government and community-based organizations for over 15 years. I am the founder and current President of Business Development Services, Inc. of Ripon. BDS provides business planning and market research services for businesses and communities. I also was a founder of Commercial Credit Consultants, Inc., a consulting practice that specializes in small business loan packaging, structuring, and lender consultation. Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corporation acquired CCC, INC. in 1996, and I continue to serve on the board. Sale of this consulting practice enabled me to spend more of my time at Ripon.

Prior to founding the consulting practices, I spent six years as Executive Director of a non-profit community action agency in western Wisconsin. This organization was and continues to be involved in job training, entrepreneurship services, education, and other community services designed to empower area residents. It was during this time that my interest and expertise in "social entrepreneurship" evolved.

Prior to that, I spent nine years in commercial banking in the Milwaukee area. I have helped to develop several statewide economic development programs including the WBA TEAM Network, the Women's Business Initiative Corporation, and Wisconsin Community Capital. All of these programs work with small businesses that have significant barriers to success. I have been involved in the Ripon Main Street program since 1987, and served two years as President.

My current board memberships include the Wisconsin Economic Development Association, the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center Business Advisory Council, the Wisconsin Institute for Entrepreneurship, Commercial Credit Consultants, Ripon Noon Kiwanis Club, and the Education Foundation of Ripon.

I was honored by the Small Business Administration as the recipient of the 1991 Women in Business Advocate of the Year.

I have a Masters in Business Administration from UW-Whitewater with an emphasis in Management.

With my family, I also own and operate a horse farm. I have three children (two still at home), and a husband, Tom, who is also active in the various businesses.

SELF EVALUATION I am greatly honored to be on the faculty at Ripon College. This was a very stimulating year for me, as I deepened my level of commitment to the College. As a part-time faculty member, I had the opportunity to bring experiences from my "other" life in business to the classroom. While I don't ever want to lose touch with the private sector (the students benefit from those experiences and contacts) I have found myself trying to focus more on my college teaching, advising, and service. I hope that the new business management minors will be very popular at the College. If there are more students that feel free to pursue their first passions in the liberal arts, I will feel as if I have accomplished something. I am also very excited about teaching the new courses, particularly Social Entrepreneurship. I hope the students find them interesting and useful. In all candor, I must say I was surprised to receive a Severy award this year. I have wondered since I started at Ripon whether the faculty would accept me, since I come to academia late in my career, and do not posses the same credentials as the typical faculty member at Ripon. Receiving the Severy helped me to put aside some of my doubts about being able to contribute something at Ripon. I would like to continue to develop my teaching skills. I know that I can do a better job, especially as I hope to be able to attend one or more teaching related workshops, either during breaks this year, or next summer. My highest priority this summer is getting more "free" of my consulting responsibilities, so that I can devote sufficient time to the College in the fall. I would also like to assist the college in the development area. I think the Business Management Program is in a very unique position in its history, and should be able to attract outside funding. I look forward to working with administrators to accomplish this. I take my student evaluations very seriously. Based upon them I am making the following changes to my classes: · Trusting students more to do assigned readings and lecturing less · Providing more opportunities for small group projects · Using more "checkpoints" for large student projects to assure that students are on track · Using a business simulation in Senior Seminar · Continuing to use guest lecturers, but limiting their time in some cases · Using more technology, especially the Internet.