Winnowski Conference Benefactor Gives Again

The School of Business has received a gift of $50,000 from the founder of an annual conference bearing his name.<_o3a_p>

Ted Winnowski '63 recently made the gift to expand The Ted R. Winnowski Conference in Business and further support student research. This gift is in addition to his initial endowment that provides an invaluable opportunity for faculty to offer scholarly mentoring for students outside the classroom, leading to lifelong professional connections.<_o3a_p>

The conference is co-chaired by Ashley Provencher, Ph.D, department chair and associate professor of economics, and Cheryl Buff, Ph.D., professor of marketing.<_o3a_p>

"The Winnowski Conference brings together students from across School of Business disciplines to share their research and celebrate their discoveries," said Provencher. "We are grateful for Ted Winnowski's generous support of this pinnacle event."<_o3a_p>

Buff added her gratitude to Winnowski "for his continued support of the School of Business' efforts to increase student participation in research and scholarly activity, and provide a wide-ranging audience for their work."<_o3a_p>

Provencher and Buff added that his encouragement to promote more student research at Siena led to the development of the new Societal Impact Fellows Program, which will support a team of students and faculty exploring a community related project, consistent with the goals of the School of Business.<_o3a_p>

This year's expanded conference will be held May 2 (to coincide with Academic Showcase) and will feature a keynote address, morning and afternoon sessions of presentations, a poster session, an internship panel and networking event, and an awards ceremony.

<_o3a_p>"The goal of the new format is to build student involvement, aligned with the wishes of our benefactor," said Provencher. <_o3a_p>

School of Business Dean Rashmi Assudani, Ph.D. said the conference provides an excellent opportunity for School of Business undergraduate and graduate students to engage with research. <_o3a_p>

"On behalf of the School of Business, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Mr. Winnowski for his trust, generosity and continued support," said Assudani. "His additional gift provides an opportunity for School of Business students to focus, explore and solve problems that matter to the communities they live in. As Societal Impact Fellows, the interdisciplinary student teams will conduct research projects around some of society's most pressing economic, social, human, and environmental challenges. I would also like to thank our faculty, Dr. Cheryl Buff and Dr. Ashley Provencher, for their dedication and enthusiasm towards this high impact practice."<_o3a_p>

Angela Everett '25 helped organize last year's conference and is looking forward to this year's enhanced event.<_o3a_p>

"Getting the opportunity to organize the conference, I've gotten to see firsthand how presenting your work to a group of peers can impact a student's life," she said. "The work they present is meaningful, well executed, and hours go into each presentation every year." <_o3a_p>

Maeve Canty MBA '25 presented "The Impact that Social Media has on Consumers' Buying Habits" at last year's conference and plans to submit another paper this year.<_o3a_p>

"The Winnowski Conference is an important opportunity for Siena students," said Canty, "because it allows students to share their hard work with others in the College community. I have enjoyed collaborating with peers interested in the same field, as well as learning about various research topics."<_o3a_p>