Following the Gong, a Podcast of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State - FTG 0029 – Developing Leadership Skills as a Scholar with Asset Manager Ari Rosenbaum '91

FTG 0029 – Developing Leadership Skills as a Scholar with Asset Manager Ari Rosenbaum '91

09/20/22 • 55 min

Following the Gong, a Podcast of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State

Overview:

Ari Rosenbaum ’91 Liberal Arts is a Principal and Director of Financial Advisors Services at O’Shaughnessy Asset Management. Ari shares his experiences adjusting to the rigors of college, the value he found in getting involved on campus – specifically through joining a fraternity – and how he uses his English degree in the financial services industry. He shares insight any Scholar can use on making the most of the Scholar experience to gain transferrable skills through campus involvement and leadership. He also explains his non-quantitative role in finance and insights from a lengthy business career that can be helpful to any Scholar. You can read Ari’s full bio and a more detailed breakdown of the episode topics below.

Guest Bio:

Ari Rosenbaum ’91 Liberal Arts is a Principal and Director of Financial Advisors Services at O’Shaughnessy Asset Management, a Registered Investment Advisor, in Stamford, Connecticut. O’Shaughnessy manages equity portfolios for institutional investors like pension plans and high net worth individuals through their financial advisors. Ari has worked in financial services for most of his career after brief roles in the fraternity consulting and advertising industries. He earned his BA in English with Honors from Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts in 1991. He served as Chapter President of the Sigma Phi Epsilon (“SigEp”) fraternity at University Park. Scholars can connect with him on LinkedIn.

Episode Specifics:

In this episode, Ari shares his insights on:

· Picking Penn State with the intent to transfer later, but then deciding to stay

· The benefits of picking a Liberals Arts major like English

· The positives of joining and leading a fraternity

· How an English thesis on Mark Twain is useful to a financial services professional or other careers

· Working for a national fraternity organization right out of college

· Getting into a finance career without a degree in finance

· The value of taking calculate risk in your career and in business

· Learning business and relational (“soft”) skills through campus involvement

· Developing your team leadership skills

· A hiring manager’s thoughts on additional skills for Scholars to invest in

· Developing non-work interests throughout life and as a parent

· The criticality of choosing a good life partner (if you choose one)

· Reflecting on the numerous decisions you make in a career

· Resilience in the face of setbacks

· The value of taking feedback, especially in a mentoring dynamic

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Schreyer Honors College Links:

Website

Instagram

Upcoming Events

Scholars – Need Assistance? Book an Appointment!

Alumni – Learn Why and How to Volunteer

Make a Gift to Benefit Schreyer Scholars

Join the Penn State Alumni Association

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Credits & Notes:

This show is hosted, produced, and edited by Sean Goheen ‘11 Lib (Schreyer).

The artwork was created by Tom Harrington, the College’s Web Developer.

The sound effect is “Chinese Gong,” accessed via SoundBible used under Creative Commons License.

The theme music is “Conquest” by Geovane Bruno, accessed via Pixabay and used under Creative Commons License.

Overview:

Guest Bio:

Episode Specifics:

In this episode, Ari shares his insights on:

· Picking Penn State with the intent to transfer later, but then deciding to stay

· The benefits of picking a Liberals Arts major like English

· The positives of joining and leading a fraternity

· How an English thesis on Mark Twain is useful to a financial services professional or other careers

· Working for a national fraternity organization right out of college

· Getting into a finance career without a degree in finance

· The value of taking calculate risk in your career and in business

· Learning business and relational (“soft”) skills through campus involvement

· Developing your team leadership skills

· A hiring manager’s thoughts on additional skills for Scholars to invest in

· Developing non-work interests throughout life and as a parent

· The criticality of choosing a good life partner (if you choose one)

· Reflecting on the numerous decisions you make in a career

· Resilience in the face of setbacks

· The value of taking feedback, especially in a mentoring dynamic

-----

Schreyer Honors College Links:

Website

Instagram

Upcoming Events

Scholars – Need Assistance? Book an Appointment!

Alumni – Learn Why and How to Volunteer

Make a Gift to Benefit Schreyer Scholars

Join the Penn State Alumni Association

-----

Credits & Notes:

This show is hosted, produced, and edited by Sean Goheen ‘11 Lib (Schreyer).

The artwork was created by Tom Harrington, the College’s Web Developer.

The sound effect is “Chinese Gong,” accessed via SoundBible used under Creative Commons License.

The theme music is “Conquest” by Geovane Bruno, accessed via Pixabay and used under Creative Commons License.

Previous Episode

FTG 0028 – Behind the Lens with Documentary Filmmaker Megan Ruffe '13

Overview:

Megan Ruffe ’13 Earth and Mineral Sciences and the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York, where she is a co-producer at Florentine Films, Ken Burns’s documentary company. She has worked on numerous projects that have been featured from the New York Times to PBS to Netflix. She earned her degrees in Geography with Honors and Film. Megan shares her insights on being a “multipassionate” student and how being a Scholar allowed her to combine passions and gain experiences in filmmaking. She also shares a lot of behind-the-scenes insight on how films are made that any Scholar who enjoys movies and TV can appreciate. You can read Megan’s bio and a more detailed breakdown of the episode topics below.

Guest Bio:

Megan Ruffe ’13 EMS, Com is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. She co-producer at Florentine Films, Ken Burns’s documentary company. She has worked on several major series for PBS, including The Vietnam War (2017), College Behind Bars (2019), Hemingway (2021), and Benjamin Franklin (2022). She is currently working on a forthcoming series on the American Revolution. Megan has also been working with a small team to develop UNUM, a new digital project that uses Florentine’s library of work to bring historical context to current events. She also independently directs and produces short documentaries. Megan graduated summa cum laude from Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences earning a BS in Geography with Honors and the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications earning a BA in film. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on CBS Sunday Morning.

Episode Specifics:

In this episode, Megan shares her insights on:

· Choosing the Honors College as a “multipassionate” student

· Working with academic advisers to find the best major for you

· Insight on the geography major

· Seeking out practical experience on campus and in State College

· Thoughts on the Semester at Sea at program

· Thesis thoughts: learning project management while not over-pressuring yourself

· Interning aftergraduation and leveraging that into a fulltime role

· A crash course on the different roles in documentary filmmaking and serving in those different roles

· Making creative and narrative choices in the storytelling process

· The importance of editing in filmmaking and building your own style

· How to get your foot in the door in filmmaking

· The content equation and making the most of your content

· Skills Scholars should develop if they want to pursue careers in filmmaking or similar & resources available to Scholars to help you build them

· Pursuing careers in filmmaking without moving to Los Angeles and Southern California

· Designing films and mini-series for long-form television & streaming

· Advice for hobbyists, small business owners, and personal record keeping

· Learning from mentors and distinguishing hindsight from living the journey

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Schreyer Honors College Links:

Website

Instagram

Upcoming Events

Scholars – Need Assistance? Book an Appointment!

Alumni – Learn Why and How to Volunteer

Make a Gift to Benefit Schreyer Scholars

Join the Penn State Alumni Association

-----

Credits & Notes:

This show is hosted, produced, and edited by Sean Goheen ‘11 Lib (Schreyer).

The artwork was created by Tom Harrington, the College’s Web Developer.

The sound effect is “Chinese Gong,” accessed via SoundBible used under Creative Commons License.

The theme music is “Conquest” by Geovane Bruno, accessed via Pixabay and used under Creative Commons License.

Next Episode

FTG 0030 – Professional Podcasting with Content Creator Jenna Spinelle '08

Overview:

Jenna Spinelle (she/her) ’08 Communications is a writer, podcaster, and speaker in higher education. She hosts and produces the Democracy Works podcast and the narrative series When the People Decide, both productions of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. Jenna hops over from her host chair to the interview chair on Following the Gongfor this episode to discuss the current media landscape – on campus and at large – working in podcasting and content creation, and other topics like the value of continued participation in music. You can read Jenna’s full bio and a breakdown of the episode topics below.

Guest Bio:

Jenna Spinelle (she/her) ’08 Communications is a writer, podcaster, and speaker in higher education. She hosts and produces the Democracy Works podcast and the narrative series When the People Decide, both productions of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. She teaches courses on freelancing and the creator economy at Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, from which she earned her BA in Journalism with Honors in 2008. She also finds time to freelance for various firms and publications. She previously worked in marketing and public relations positions at Penn State and in traditional newspaper settings. Her writing has appeared in outlets including Bello Collective, Inside Higher Ed, and Current. You can find her on Twitter @JennaSpinelle or visit her website at jennaspinelle.com.

Episode Specifics:

In this episode, Jenna shares her insights on:

· Choosing Penn State over “big city” schools for its academic reputation and being close to home

· Aspects of journalism that can help you identify it as a field for you

· Making the most of Penn State’s student media culture – even if you are not a journalism major or in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications

· Joining the College as a current Penn State student

· The evolving media landscape of the mid-2000s through to 2022

· Getting into professional podcasting without previous on-air experiences

· Translating dense topics for listeners on the Democracy Workspodcast

· Creating a narrative-based podcast – like Serial – in When the People Decide

· The different types of podcasts and Jenna’s (and Sean’s) inspirations

· The how of podcasting, and advice on building up your skills to be a content creator

· The value in freelancing and pursuing side-hustles

· Continuing playing a musical instrument through college and into post-college life

· Pushing yourself out of your professional comfort zone and initial discipline

· Thoughts on mentorship

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