LMU Board of Trustees Member Gail Bernstein Establishes Industry Partners Fund
How do LMU College of Business Administration faculty provide the best classroom experience and top-quality education for their students? One way professors from the LMU CBA accomplish this is by working with industry partners to ensure that the most current business practices and trends are part of the curriculum.
A year ago, LMU Board of Trustees member Gail Bernstein established the Gail Bernstein Industry Partners Fund to bring industry leaders into the classroom for the M-School and entrepreneurship programs. She created this fund because she is a big believer in the two programs, having witnessed firsthand students’ creativity and the impressive results when faculty engage industry professionals. “I recognize how valuable it is to students to bring in experts who enhance LMU’s classroom teachings and connect the theoretical with the practical,” said Bernstein.
Dayle M. Smith, Ph.D., dean of the LMU College of Business Administration agrees. “The Gail Bernstein Industry Partners Fund has provided the CBA with the ability to enrich our classroom experience and create new curriculum that brings in current industry practices for our students,” Smith said. “It also allows the outside business world to see our students in action, which is why so many CBA students have been offered internships, full-time jobs or investments in their startup companies.”
"After completing several classes in the M-School, I feel I will hit the ground running in my professional career thanks to the knowledge and support of my professors and industry leaders,” said M-School student Daniel Oliden ’21. “It has been incredibly beneficial to have the insights of my professors in collaboration with industry leaders, because I have learned about the different aspects of marketing while also gaining exposure about how to apply that knowledge in today's industry."
Andrew Rohm, Ph.D., professor of marketing and M-School co-director, said, “Co-teaching in the M-School with our industry partners is enriching in so many ways: it keeps our curriculum current and dynamic; it enables our faculty to keep abreast of what’s new in marketing and advertising; and it helps develop graduates who are future proof and real-world ready.”
Bernstein, who earned a B.A. in Spanish with a minor in business from Marymount College at Loyola University said, “This donation is my way of giving back so much of what I received when I was in college.” Bernstein is an active alumna and a recently retired bank executive who currently serves on the CBA Dean’s Executive Council.
Bernstein’s challenge to all of us: “Please join me in expanding CBA’s industry partner program to other disciplines in the college. Let’s connect all of our majors to the next new thing by bringing the most current business practices and trends into the classroom.”
To support the CBA Dean’s Discretionary Fund or a fund that resonates with you, click here. If you would like more information about the college’s priorities, establishing an industry partner fund and to make a difference in the CBA, please contact Roberta Kuhlman, CBA senior director of development, at roberta.kuhlman@lmu.edu.