News and Notes: Fall 2021

Cargill Launches University THRIVE Program

Minneapolis–based Cargill has announced the Cargill University THRIVE program, which will provide more equitable access for women and minority students in STEM, agriculture, and business fields, with the University of Minnesota as one of its initial sites.

The THRIVE program will offer scholarship funding, mentoring, and career coaching to students who are typically underrepresented in the fields in which Cargill operates. Cargill is a privately held corporation that has operations all over the world, primarily in the industries of food, agriculture and related technologies.

“To feed a growing world, we need diverse perspectives at the table that drive innovation. The Cargill University THRIVE program invests in the next generation of leaders. These are the students who will make the future of food and agriculture more diverse, equitable and inclusive, and who we hope will build long-term careers at Cargill and within the food and ag sector,” Myriam Beatove, Cargill’s chief human resources officer, said at the time of the announcement.

At the University of Minnesota, 10 students from the Carlson School, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and the College of Science and Engineering have been named to the first cohort of Cargill Scholars in the fall of 2021. In addition to the financial support, the students will have access to exclusive internship opportunities, coordinated cohort activities on and off-campus, and mentoring from University alumni working at Cargill.

Apple Pay and Google Pay Now Accepted for Donations

Giving back to the Carlson School is even easier now with new online options that speeds up the process. The University of Minnesota Foundation recently announced the addition of two new payment methods being accepted on the University’s online giving site. Users making a donation to the Carlson School on the online giving portal who have digital wallets enabled on their internet browser will see Apple Pay and Google Pay as options in addition to the option to use a credit card. Go to z.umn.edu/givetocarlson from your enabled device to check it out.

Northwestern Mutual Supports Barron’s Access for the Carlson School Community

Carlson School students, faculty, and staff now have complimentary access to Barron’s, the 100-year old leading financial portal and magazine. The partnership is supported by Northwestern Mutual, a longstanding partner with the Carlson School.

In addition to the timely business news content Barron’s offers, the Carlson community will benefit from insider access to analysis of global markets, trends in wealth management, and profiles of the world’s most respected business leaders. Students preparing themselves for careers in financial management, investing, and related areas can gain invaluable insights into understanding world markets and the investing strategies of professional traders.

The Northwestern Mutual and Barron’s partnership also provides students with experiential learning opportunities, including exclusive access to live webinars with business leaders, Q & A sessions with Barron’s editors and top-ranking Wall Street professionals, networking, and internship listings only available to insiders.

Carlson Proud at Twin Cities Pride

Members from the newly-launched Carlson Alumni Pride Network attended the Twin Cities Pride Festival in July in order to connect with fellow alumni and demonstrate the Carlson School as an inclusive and affirming community. Executive Board members KC Glaser, ’05 BSB, ’16 MBA, and Jon Schroeder, ’13 BSB, organized the booth at the festival and were excited to get the word out about the Carlson Alumni Pride network and to support local LGBTQ+ individuals and allies.

If you have any interest in joining this or another Carlson School affinity group, visit z.umn.edu/carlsonaffinity.

Talking Decision Fatigue with U.S. Bank’s Alumni Chapter

University alumni at U.S. Bank welcomed Kathleen Vohs, professor and chair of Marketing, to speak at a May virtual event. Professor Vohs presented her research on decision fatigue to 80 members of the U.S. Bank University of Minnesota Alumni Chapter, and the crowd was thrilled to hear about her noteworthy research.

Insight to Action: Better at Work

In May, Laurie Marsh, chief human resources officer at Ecolab, joined Theresa Glomb, professor, Department of Work and Organizations, for a conversation about how employees can best approach workplace challenges. Building on Glomb’s research, Marsh’s professional expertise, and personal stories from both, the two shared strategies and suggestions for making work meaningful and less challenging during this time. See upcoming speakers at z.umn.edu/insighttoaction.

1st Tuesday Returns with Hybrid Event Model

The premier monthly networking and speakers series for business professionals in the Twin Cities has gone hybrid.

Beginning in the fall of 2021, and as COVID-19 protocols allow, we plan to offer the 1st Tuesday Speaker Series with both in-person and virtual attendance options. At the on-campus event, attendees can attend a networking luncheon with alumni and members of the local business community as they hear from C-suite executives and other leaders in the traditional format.

1st Tuesday Speaker Series events had been held only virtually since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the increased participation and national reach of the series, a complimentary virtual option will continue to be available. Attendees will be able to listen to the presentations from Memorial Hall at the McNamara Alumni Center via Zoom.

Visit z.umn.edu/1stTuesday for more information.

Lessons in Leadership with the Cargill Alumni Chapter

Carlson School alumni working at Cargill gathered virtually in April for a Lessons in Leadership event with internal leadership, including Joe Ramaker, ’98 MBA, corporate vice president of finance for global animal nutrition. The alumni who attended valued the small group discussions about various leadership-related topics as well as the connections and conversations between colleagues.