Executives offer advice to OSU students at 9th annual Spears School CEO Day
Thursday, April 7, 2011
CEO Day was first held in 2003 to allow students to interact with successful business
people, discover challenges and issues CEOs face, understand how CEOs charter their
career paths, and discover characteristics they seek in employees. This year’s event
included a forum entitled “Strengthening Your Competitiveness in the Twenty-First
Century” and featured Paul Cornell, president and deputy CEO of SpiritBank; Jerry
King, founder and chairman of King Aerospace Inc.; and Tucker Link, chairman of Knightsbridge
Investments Ltd.
“It was a really enjoyable experience,” Cornell said. “It’s great exposure for students to actually hear from people in the workforce who have been in their shoes and are now in the business sector.”
At the forum, all three executives spoke to students about skills they wish they had learned in school or gave advice learned from their experiences in the business world.
“Be prepared for what’s coming,” Link said. “Whatever you’re discipline is now, you’ll likely have many different career opportunities in the future. Enjoy what you’re doing, get a good education, and get ready for the ride. Times are different today than they were when I was at OSU. The world is much smaller now, but students have the same fears and apprehensions as we did when we were graduating. Just be prepared.”
But even with all the preparation school can offer, students may still be surprised
where life takes them, King said. Above all, students should be passionate, he said.
“My message to the students is about passion,” King said. “I actually didn’t have
any aspirations to become an executive; I just wanted to get a good job and feed myself.
But by working hard and persevering, I was led to the path to become an executive.
To get here, you need those life values, those skills to go along with classroom work.
Life is about passion, commitment, tenacity and perseverance. These things will help
differentiate you from the average student.”
For more information about the Spears School CEO Day, call 405-744-5064 or visit spears.okstate.edu.