To know COBE is to love COBE

COBEFall-Major-Fair-2328

Chrissy Edwards (right) talking with Ale Assadi about studying abroad with Radford University at the Fall Major Fair.

The pre-event fliers and social media posts read "Fall in love with COBE."

And to love COBE – that's the College of Business and Economics – Radford University students must first get to know COBE.

That was the idea behind the college's Experience Fair, said Shannon Porter, a COBE assistant advising coordinator, who helped organize the Nov. 5 event.

So, what would make students fall in love with COBE?

"There's so much you can do with a business degree," Porter said. "We want to get students to declare a business major and then encourage them to get more involved in their majors through clubs and organizations."

Porter was among several representatives staffing information tables and eagerly spreading the word about the college during the event, held in the COBE Building's multipurpose room.

Sponsored by the COBE Ambassadors, the experience fair was an opportunity for RU students to learn more about the college's five majors – accounting, economics, finance, management and marketing – as well as the MBA program, clubs and organizations, internships and study abroad opportunities, Porter explained.

Through the two-hour event, COBE Ambassadors from each major talked with interested students and provided insightful information about those majors.

"I want to help people who have an interest in business, but don't know the direction they want to go in," said COBE Ambassador Jordan Kelly, a senior economics major from Danville.

COBE-Fall-Major-Fair-2338

Heather Beegle and Heather Unkous (seated) talk with Kartik Vactela about different majors at the Fall Major Fair.

Heather Linkous, who serves as executive officer for the COBE Ambassadors, said the experience fair is perfect for students who have not yet selected a major and those students who have already declared a major within COBE and are looking to experience more.

"The event is beneficial for freshmen and sophomores and those who are undecided because it gives them a more clear idea of what COBE has to offer," said Linkous, a junior from Floyd double majoring in marketing and management. "This is an excellent way for us to give students more information about the COBE majors and help them decide which route they may want to go."

As for upperclassmen, Linkous said the event is "really good for them to learn about clubs and organizations and study abroad and internship opportunities. They can come here and see what's available."

One of those organizations was Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity open to men and women. Kiersten Patton, a sophomore management major from Loudon County, said the fraternity's goal is to "help students network and grow professionally."

Josh Eggleston, the co-president of COBE's Student Managed Investment Portfolio Organization (SMIPO), represented his organization at the fair while also recruiting new potential members by offering an opportunity for "real-world experience in financial analysis and portfolio management."

Eggleston, a senior economics major from Buena Vista, spoke of the value of the fair.

"This is a really great event to show what COBE has to offer and to show students why COBE is great," he said.

Nov 12, 2014