IU Kelley School of Business on the IUPUI Campus Revamps Blog

INDIANAPOLIS – In late 2005, the IU Kelley School of Business Indianapolis created its own niche in the “blogosphere,” adding a weblog feature to its website that allowed visitors to follow the experiences of several students in its nationally-known business programs on the IUPUI campus. Today, the School announced a revamped blog, with a new name, new interactive features, and new bloggers – including Kelley Indianapolis Dean Roger Schmenner.

The Kelley BizBlog launched today (February 19), and can be found at http://www.kelley.iupui.edu/blog.

The tens of millions of blogs currently found on the Internet range from individual diaries to political forums and alternative news sources. In the business world, blogs have given consumers a new way to voice opinions, and companies are using blogs to engage investors and customers in a dialogue. The new Kelley blog, now dubbed the “Kelley BizBlog” aims to expand this online discussion and give students a better sense of the power of this growing medium.

In addition to student experiences, the Kelley BizBlog will now feature faculty bloggers, including Associate Dean Roger Schmenner and Ken Carow, Associate Professor of Finance and Chair of the Kelley Undergraduate Program. Schmenner is among the first Indiana University deans to become an active blogger, giving students and alumni another way to interact with the School administration.

“The blog is a great way to share my perspective with more students, and in turn hear their thoughts and concerns,” said Schmenner. “I’m excited to take advantage of this tool, and I’m encouraging the rest of the faculty to get involved, too.”

Bloggers will also include student advisors, staff from the Kelley Indianapolis Career Center and recent Kelley alumni.

To take full advantage of this expanded array of perspectives, the BizBlog will also now allow visitors to post comments, providing a true interactive forum.

In keeping with the embrace of student participation, the “Kelley BizBlog” name was the result of a contest inviting students to submit potential titles for the blog; the winning entry was shared by Casey Springer (who suggested “Kelley BizBlog”) and Jennifer VanMeter (who submitted simply “BizBlog”).

“The weblog and other online media are changing the way businesses and consumers talk to and about each other – we want our students to understand the new dynamics,” added Schmenner. “The blog is also a valuable tool to spark conversation here in our own community, and it will continue to evolve as we find new ways to be more interactive, open and relevant.”

The IU Kelley School of Business has been a leader in American business education for more than 80 years. With an enrollment of more than 4,800 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students, it is among the premier business schools in the country, with both the undergraduate and graduate programs ranked among the best in the United States. Kelley’s Indianapolis campus, based at IUPUI, is home to the school’s Evening MBA and Master of Professional Accountancy programs and a full-time undergraduate program.