Campus Connection

A food truck delivery arrives at a business. The truck driver and business client had agreed that the client would pay cash on delivery. But when the driver arrives, there is no cash. What should the business owner do? UWL Alumna Jenna Schmidtknecht, of Reinhart Food Service, brought up the scenario during a guest presentation this spring semester in Diana Tempski’s FIN 485 class —Problems & Cases in Finance. Students overwhelmingly concluded they’d give the driver the benefit of the doubt — at least the first time. “This allows students to see what happens in the real world,” says Tempski regarding the visit. “You can’t teach someone a day in the life of someone with a career in finance from a textbook.” Tempski, a lecturer in UWL’s Finance Department, also relates her own career experiences in classes. She brings ten years of experience in corporate finance to her UWL position. She moved up the ladder in Ashley Furniture’s Corporate Credit Department, ending as a senior credit analyst. She was responsible for assessing risk and making decisions that could potentially cost the company tens of thousands of dollars. Tempski says case studies challenge students to think through challenging scenarios they will likely encounter in their own career futures — analyzing financial risk and balancing that with the importance of customer service and relationship building.

Giving back

When alumna Amy DuPont met with UWL faculty in California, she thought they were going to ask for a donation. They did – but not the kind she expected. DuPont was asked to donate her time by coming back to campus and speaking with students who had similar ambitions to her career – a TV journalist. “To talk to students who want to do what you do, it’s fun,” said the 2001 graduate. “I want to help, I believe in the La Crosse Experience.”