Tetley Lecture Series

in Spring 2008

In 1990, the Coles College of Business committed to the development of a lecture series that would attract some of the nation's great leaders to the Kennesaw State University campus to interact with students, faculty and business executives. A great motivator was to provide a more casual forum for undergraduate and graduate students to interact with some of the great role models from business and industry. The Lecture Series also introduced the University to opinion leaders, many of whom had never before visited the campus. 

Thanks to a generous endowment created by Tetley, Inc., the Lecture Series has attracted more than sixty leaders from the private and public sectors. Each Tetley speaker delivers a thirty to forty-five minute address, followed by a question and answer session. Most lectures are held in Room 151 of the Burruss Building, the Coles College state-of-the-art facility. Depending on the time of day, lectures are generally preceded or followed by a luncheon or reception which includes a more intimate collection of faculty, students, and invited guests.

Over the years, Tetley speakers have adopted various themes for their lectures. For example:

Frank Belatti focused on turnaround strategies;

Arthur Blank examined the trauma of downsizing and starting a new venture;

Ronald Bruno looked at the dynamics of a family held business;

Tom Cousins shared insights from a family held business;

Jerry Dempsey talked about refocusing a 100 year old enterprise;

Donald Hess concentrated on customer service and competitive positioning;

Irwin Lowenstein examined managing throught a leveraged buyout;

Mary Madden looked at starting a niche technology-based venture;

Harry Maziar commented on the importance of sales and marketing;

Peter Spirer talked about the history of the tufted carpet industry;

Carolyn Stradley shared her vision of the "Great American Dream";

Erwin Zaban talked about family mergers and acquistions.

Topics varied dramatically and some speakers employed videos, slides, overheads, handouts or samples. All brought a passion to the Series that has made them distinguished leaders.