How can a Dartmouth graduate balance the demands of a busy job and still have a meaningful personal life? This question is the focus of the third annual Work/Life Symposium, which will take place tomorrow at the Tuck School of Business.
This student-organized symposium features David Russo as the keynote speaker. Russo is a leader and pioneer in the field of human resource management, and currently serves as the executive vice president of BuildNet Inc., a company that provides supply chain synchronization solutions to the construction industry.
Previously, Russo spent more than 18 years with SAS Institute, the world's largest privately held software company. Julie Ennis Tuck '01, co-chair of event, said she hopes Russo will speak about ways in which a company can create a positive "employer of choice" environment.
"I hope the symposium will help people who want to have a life outside the workplace, people who want to run a marathon or do community service," commented Ennis.
The symposium will also feature 11 panel discussions on topics such as "Balancing a Financial Career," "The Consulting Life," "Flexible Work Arrangements," "Dual Career Families" and "Bringing All of You to the Workplace."
Many of the panelists invited to speak at the symposium were personally invited by Tuck students, and many are also Dartmouth alumni, "who are traditionally super about coming back to support this event," Ennis said.
The second half of the day will center on a moderated debate entitled "Do American Companies Cheat the Childless?" The debaters will be Elinor Burkett, author of "The Baby Boon: How Family Friendly America Cheats the Childless," and Nancy Rankin, from the National Parenting Association.
One of the main issues to be discussed is whether or not American companies have different expectations for employees with children than for those without.
This is an issue for Dartmouth graduates entering the work force, such as Ennis, who said she wondered whether employers would expect young employees to stay later and work harder to compensate for employees with families.
Kelly Johnson Jr. Tuck '01, another co-chair of the symposium, who at age 39 is the oldest student in the Tuck school, has a different perspective on the event. Johnson has a wife, three children and years of work experience.
"You might say I am eating my own cooking by being involved with this event because I know from experience how important these issues of work/life balance are," Johnson said in a blitz he sent to The Dartmouth.
Devin Hargrove Tuck '01, co-chair of the symposium programming committee, said he thought the event was important because "it gives Tuck students a chance to volunteer their time, to give something back to the students, something useful that will improve their lives."
"As an employee I definitely feel the challenge [of balancing life and work] - you're working with very high powered people, you're stressed all the time, and you've got to learn how to deal with it," Hargrove said.
This event has corporate sponsorship from many of the firms that hire heavily from the Tuck graduate pool, but Ennis wanted to stress that this symposium "is not a recruiting effort."
"The purpose [of the symposium] is to be a day of information sharing and discussion around work/life balance -- and not just for women or people with families," said Ennis.
As for the title of the symposium, Hargrove said "'Fitting the Pieces Together' means finding a way to combine the demanding pieces of your life into a cohesive whole."
About 200 people are expected to attend the symposium, which is sponsored by the Tuck Women in Business Club, the Consulting Club, the Finance Club and the Technology Club.
