Bankers Day exposes students to the broad array of possibilities for their major track.

For freshmen in Intro to Business (BUS 100), Bankers Day is the culmination of the spring semester. In many ways, it’s designed to be a beginning.

The annual event is a rite of passage for business students at La Salle as the course builds toward a final group presentation of a venture that students have devised, planned, and then pitched to alumni “Shark Tank”-style.

As an introduction to their studies, Bankers Day exposes students to the broad array of possibilities for their major track. It provides a taste of professional experience and offers options for a possible passion.

“The BUS 100 course is an exemplar of interdisciplinary business education,” Michael Moll, interim dean of the School of Business, said. “It encompasses a number of disciplines, including marketing, finance, accounting, management, entrepreneurship, operations—it’s every piece that falls under the overarching umbrella of business. It’s the perfect setup for the rest of the students’ college careers.”

Bankers Day celebrated its 22nd installment in the spring of 2024. Teams collaborate to pitch an original product or business. Classwork guides them through eight distinct aspects, and students present about the various steps to peers as the semester proceeds.

In April, they put all the pieces together to meet alumni and other members of the business community—the Bankers—who offer feedback and expertise.

Sometimes, that leads to business deals or groups that turn their project into reality. Often, it fosters connections that students will return to down the line for internships, mentorship, or job opportunities. Always, it shows students what the world of business looks like, the kinds of questions that potential funders or employers will ask, and the standards that are expected.

“The idea really is to integrate all of the different business functions in the course,” Kristin Wentzel, Ph.D., chair of the Accounting Department, said. “Most of our students come in, and even if they declare a major, they’re not really sure if that’s the major they want. Through this one course, they can see all of the different pieces of running a business.”

Bankers Day asks a lot from students. It forces them to learn how to work in teams, to delegate, and to strengthen interpersonal communication. The process of putting on business attire and networking are rare for freshmen, and it introduces them to resources such as the Career Center and Career Closet early on. The work broadens their understanding of what a business degree can do, focusing their studies for their next three years as they look for internships, co-op placements, or post-graduate positions.

For the School of Business, Bankers Day engages alumni, drawing them back to campus and keeping them involved and connected with the next generation of students. It also plants the seed for current students to reciprocate by serving as future Bankers.

The project is an immersive, uniting experience between students and alumni, a curricular tentpole that many look back on as formative in their undergraduate studies.

“The biggest feedback we hear from some of the alumni is, ’I don’t know if I could have done this at their age,’” Wentzel said. “It’s pretty impressive. I think it’s a confidence builder. I tell all the students on the first day that you’re going to look back at this, and you’re going to be so impressed that you did all of this in your first year.”

—Matthew De George