It's a dream come true for juniors and seniors making the transition between college and the rest of their lives. Each year, just as they are setting their sights beyond Beloit, about 40 economics majors spend a day surrounded by a group of accomplished, supportive, and formidably talented alumni who want to help them start careers, make connections, and find the right graduate schools.

Photo by Jesse Hayes

Christine Fuchs'91 (left) discusses junior John Kato's résumé while Kristen Muranyi'06 looks on. Fuchs, a vice president and global industry analyst for Boston-based Wellington Management, was one of 75 to 80 alumni who participated in Econ Day.

The Annual Alumni Economics Reunion, held in Chicago and commonly known as "Econ Day," is designed to forge connections between well-placed economics alumni and students about to graduate. On this day each February, students have ample chances to seek career advice and counsel in a location with a large concentration of established alumni.

Built around a strong network of faculty and alumni, the event observed its 20th anniversary this year in style with a record turnout, a behind-the-scenes-tour of Chicago's United Center, a panel discussion featuring eight stellar economics alumni, and an announcement about a major new economics program in honor of the late Miller Upton, Beloit's sixth president (click here for more info).

For students, the capstone event of the day was a semi-structured session that offered one-on-one networking opportunities with Beloit alumni at the Gleacher Center, home of the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business.

"We give students the opportunity to network and to observe how networking is done," says Jeff Adams, Beloit's Allen-Bradley Professor of Economics and chair of the department. "We don't really teach students how to network, although we do give them some advice on approaching it properly," Adams says. "Basically they learn networking by doing it."

Econ Day begins early in the morning before the spring semester's mid-term break. Clad in suits or skirts, wingtips or heels, students board a 7 a.m. bus for Chicago with economics and management faculty members.

Photo by Jesse Hayes

Student and faculty assemble after a behind-the-scenes tour of Chicago's United Center. Greg Hanrahan'86 (not shown), who manages guest services and club seating for the Chicago Bulls, was their gracious host.

This year, 47 students made the trip, and the United Center was their first stop of the day. There, Greg Hanrahan'86 led them on an insider's tour of the facility, including a look at the Bulls' locker room, where Michael Jordan once suited up.

Hanrahan manages guest services for the Chicago Bulls, which means he leads sales, administration, and client services functions that relate to club seating and suites for the Bulls and Blackhawks, a major revenue stream for sports organizations. Hanrahan talked with students about sports marketing and offered advice about what it's like to work on the business side of sports.

Later, after arriving at the Gleacher Center, students, alumni, and faculty conversed informally over lunch, surrounded by the towering Chicago skyline. During a panel discussion that followed—held in honor of retiring Professor of Economics and Management Emil Kreider—alumni talked about the educational foundation they laid at Beloit, described the decisions that led them on their career paths, and offered useful "take-aways" for students, based on their career experiences.

"This is the time when your faith in a liberal arts education is being tested because you're facing competition with more specific skills," said Bob Atwell'80, president of Nicolet Bank, Green Bay, Wis., one of the eight panelists who advised students. After years in banking, Atwell started Nicolet from "a white sheet of paper" because he believed in the mission of community banks and felt strongly about where he wanted to live. He urged students to focus on the value of the critical thinking skills they've honed at Beloit and to concentrate on strengthening their "human virtues" like prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. He also reminded them of the importance of being a mentor themselves, when that time comes.

Another panelist, Eric Rumbaugh'86—a senior partner in the law firm Michael Best & Friedrich in Milwaukee, Wis.—stressed the importance of students choosing a career they will truly enjoy because "no amount of money is worth doing something that you don't like."

Carolyn Sullivan Heinrich'89, a professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin- Madison who is also working with the Brazilian government on an extensive project to alleviate poverty there, talked about her career path, which involved going straight to the University of Chicago from Beloit. She completed a Ph.D. degree in public policy and was mentored by Nobel laureate James Heckman. "Be open to possibilities," she advised students. "Appreciate the interdisciplinary foundation you received from Beloit."

In the late afternoon, the 20th annual Beloit Network convened on the sixth floor of the Gleacher Center, which consisted of 75 to 80 economics alumni either milling about the large room or meeting with students at tables that prominently displayed their names.

Photo by Jesse Hayes

Sara Hildreth'06 (top) meets with Nitin Rao'00 during the networking portion of Econ Day.

Booklets offered biographies on all alumni participants and outlined areas for which they could offer advice, allowing students to navigate the setting with purpose. The room literally buzzed with activity for 90 minutes.

Students could speak with alumni engaged in careers in banking, equity analysis, financial services, law, academia, start-up companies, pension management, non-profit organizations, the public sector, healthcare, and any number of other areas.

"What's interesting is that we have very few economists among our alumni," says Adams. "There are lots of ways students coming out of Beloit can enter the business or organizational world, so our alumni tend to be very diverse in terms of the types of professions they're in."

Whether students expect to be in the job or internship market or are just planning ahead, all were strongly encouraged to bring their résumés and discuss them with alumni. Anya Ekram'06, of Dhaka, Bangladesh, came to the event well-prepared, with a cover letter, résumé, and printed business cards. Many students had questions and discussion points prepared in advance. Questions of alumni ranged from what to look for in choosing the right graduate school program, to how discriminating they should be about taking entry-level sales jobs, to what their expectations should be about internships, and everything in between.

Sometimes, faculty members could be seen shepherding students from table to table, making the requisite introductions. "It was exciting to see that our professors are keeping an eye on our future for us," says Tess Gruenstein'06, of Anchorage, Alaska. Beyond seeing first-hand that faculty "are committed to hooking us up with their connections," she says Econ Day was a great bonding experience for majors to be together in a new context, especially during the retirement year of Prof. Kreider, a favorite among economics majors.

Photo by Jesse Hayes

Gideon Weinberger'99 (left) catches up with Professor of Economics Bob Elder.

Perhaps most impressive is that so many accomplished alumni take precious time away from their endeavors to participate in this event every year.

"It's the right thing to do," says Ralph Beck'77, who added that while he may not always be able to offer a student a job directly, he may know someone who knows someone who can. Beck spent most of his career in banking and is now co-founder and managing director of Balkan, Beck & Company, a firm that provides strategic and tactical advice to organizations.

"You've got to get out there," Gideon Weinberger'99 says of networking in general. Weinberger manages assets, mostly real estate, for Lexington Corporate Properties Trust and has held three positions post-Beloit, all of which he obtained through referrals.

Stopher Bartol'88 says he's always been amazed at the extent to which Beloit alumni are willing to help one another. Bartol helps run Legacy.com, Inc., a 60-person interactive media company.

"There is a sincere interest in helping other people reach their potential and do great things," Bartol says, "so the result is a cross-generational network of econ majors, at different stages of their various careers, who are willing and eager to offer assistance. Econ Day is one of the primary ways this network is maintained, because each year we have the opportunity to spend an afternoon together in Chicago, reminding us that the network exists and continues to evolve and get stronger. It's really great stuff."

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