Published September 26, 2023
MONROE, LA – The University of Louisiana Monroe will hold the 20th Anniversary edition of its premier lecture and seminar series, the College of Business
and Social Sciences Symposium, from October 2-5, 2023. The theme for 2023 is “Celebrating
Our Past, Creating the Future.” This year’s event will feature two keynote speakers,
a career fair, a cookout, the annual CBSS Brain Bowl, and a host of speaker sessions
covering a wide range of topics.
“The CBSS Symposium is and has been a recognized and respected signature event for
20 years,” said Dr. Michelle McEacharn, Dean of the College of Business and Social
Sciences. She continued, “There are too many stories of encouragement, connection,
networking, and development to mention. The evidence of its success over time is that
many of our current presenters are those who were in the audience years ago. This
shows the depth and breadth of impact this event has made in the lives of our students,
faculty, alumni, and community.”
The Kickoff Keynote will be on Tuesday, October 3 at 6:00 p.m. at the Clarke M. Williams
Innovation Campus, 100 CenturyLink Dr. in Monroe, featuring Cynthia Cooper. Cooper
was named one of Time Magazine’s “People of the Year” and is renowned for her courageous whistleblowing
actions during the WorldCom scandal. Her speech is entitled “Moving Forward with Passion
and Purpose.”
The annual CBSS Brain Bowl takes place on Wednesday, October 4. The Brain Bowl is
a CBSS-wide trivia competition with teams representing each School within the College.
Each team is made up of three students, one faculty member, and one professional. The
competition is open to CBSS students. Students may contact their school director for
more information.
The final keynote presentation of the week will be on Thursday, October 5 at 6:00
p.m. at Brown Auditorium, 4001 Desiard St., featuring Ben Hammersley. His speech is
entitled “Accelerating Strangeness.” Hammersley is a British journalist, technologist,
and futurist known for his insightful and forward-thinking commentary on the intersection
of technology and society. He is also credited with coining the term “podcast.”
“The ULM CBSS prides itself in preparing students for careers that don’t even exist
yet, and he will focus on the daunting reality of how rapidly things are evolving
and where they will fit in this everchanging world,” said Cathi Hemed, Director of
External Initiatives.
CBSS Symposium sessions are free and open to the public. The College of Business and
Social Sciences invites anyone who is interested to attend. Click the schedule link
below for times and details about each session.
CBSS Symposium Schedule
(selected events, full schedule linked below)
Monday, October 2
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - CBSS Career Readiness Workshop – Hemphill 221
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - CBSS Career Readiness Workshop – Strauss 148
Tuesday, October 3
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - CBSS Nonprofit Career Fair – The Hangar
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - High School Business Academy Press Conference – Library,
6th Floor Media Room
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Kickoff Keynote featuring Cynthia Cooper – “Moving Forward
with Passion and Purpose” - Clarke M. Williams Innovation Campus
Wednesday, October 4
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Drone Time: Navigating Past and Future Skies – The Quad
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - How War Transformed the Future: The Heroism of General Chennault
and The Flying Tigers – The Hangar
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - EEG Recordings: See What Your Mind Is Thinking– The Hangar
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - CBSS Brain Bowl Competition – The Hangar
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. - Emerging Issues in Risk and Insurance – The Hangar
Thursday, October 5
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. - CBSS Symposium Speaker Sessions – The Hangar Ballrooms A,
B, D
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - CBSS Student Cookout – The Hangar South Lawn
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Keynote Presentation featuring Ben Hammersley - “Accelerating
Strangeness” - Brown Auditorium
For a full list of events, click here.
