Syracuse University

Dulye Leadership Experience prepares SU students to triumph in tough job market

Rob Enslin
(315) 443-3403

What does it take to compete and win in the toughest job market in decades? The Dulye Leadership Experience offers professional techniques, knowledge and networks to help 12 Syracuse University juniors and seniors successfully make the leap from college graduate to new hire.

This groundbreaking personal development program, now in its third year, began with an idea by alumna Linda M. Dulye to combat the uncertainty of many upperclassman about their career future. Explains Dulye, an internationally recognized expert in change management and employee engagement, “I wanted to provide a roadmap for personal and professional development that would help students realize the applicability of their skills, experience and knowledge in today’s workplace. Many students narrow their job pursuits due to nature of their major. The goal of the Dulye Leadership Experience is to broaden their view, as well as their confidence in carving a career path.”

Dulye founded the program in 2008 with the support of Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences. The third annual Dulye Leadership Experience: Readying for the Reality of the Workplace, will be held March 26-28, 2010. Twelve students from diverse majors will be selected. A full scholarship covers all expenses, including travel, lodging, meals, supplies and the program.

At the heart of the program is one-on-one instruction, networking and discussions with actual corporate executives and business owners in successful, practical techniques for landing a job, carving a career and getting ahead in today’s workplace. Session topics include:

• Leadership Fundamentals for Any Level
• How to Carve a Successful Career Path
• Communicating for Success on the Job
• Understanding the Bottom Line of Business Financials
• The Value of a Mentor and How to Find One
• Head-Turning Resumes and Cover Letters
• Acing a Job Interview
• Business Thinking for the Nonprofit World
• Personal Finance: Techniques for Growing a Nest Egg
• 1 Year Later: On-the-Job Learnings from New Hires
• The Entrepreneurial Spirit: What it Takes to Start Your Own Business

“The Dulye Leadership Experience will help students grasp the realities of the workplace and will help them navigate the cultural, operational and political dynamics of the business world,” says Dulye, a sought-after public speaker and former communications leader for General Electric and Allied Signal.

The impact of the program has been powerful for past participants. Says Liz Feree, a senior public relations major who took part in the 2009 program, “This experience provided the confidence, comfort and reassurance to succeed professionally. It gave me the knowledge and insight to enter the workforce and proceed confidently. I feel so well prepared to take on any career!”

Adds fellow senior Greg Klotz, a marketing and advertising dual major who also participated in last year’s Dulye Leadership Experience, “The program gives an opportunity to network with business leaders who provide useful tips on topics ranging from resume writing and interviewing, to standing out in an organization.” Klotz notes that the program helped prepare him for a summer internship and a post-graduation job offer from a leading global financial company.

Interested juniors and seniors can access an online Dulye Leadership Experience application at http://thecollege.syr.edu/dulye. Selection is based on community, volunteer and work experience, as well as academic performance. The application deadline is Dec. 31.

Dulye is president and founder of Dulye & Co., an internationally recognized change management consultancy specializing in disciplined, process improvement practices that drive business performance and a Spectator-Free Workplace™ at world-class companies like Lockheed Martin, Tyco, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bobcat and Rolls Royce. Dulye founded the company in 1998 with a firm belief in keeping things practical and purposeful—a commitment that has achieved benchmarked programs in leadership communications, manager development and accountability, and employee involvement, plus numerous industry awards.

Dulye ’77 is part of a rich family legacy at SU. The Carrier Dome Press Box is named in honor of her journalist father, Raymond J. Dulye ’31, while her brother, Raymond Jr., is a graduate of the class of ’71. Linda is on the faculty of The College of Arts and Sciences’ Winston Fisher Seminar “Business and Liberal Arts” and serves as an adviser to the Syracuse University Athletic Department and Athletic Director Daryl Gross. She has been an SU football season ticket holder for several decades, taking over a family tradition that extends to the 1940s. “I take great pride in my Orange roots,” says the Warwick, N.Y., resident, who is an active philanthropist and supporter of various local, state and national animal rescue causes.

For more information about the Dulye Leadership Experience, contact Lisa Balogh at (315) 443-2212.

More information about Dulye and her company is available http://www.dulye.com.