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Sir Richard Branson and President Herbst on stage in the Sanford Field House.

Sir Richard Branson transformed a London record shop

into a 400-company multinational interest. Now he’s

tackling global warming, energy production, income

inequality, and world peace.

On Friday, April 13, 2012, Branson kicked off Colgate’s

Entrepreneur Weekend, appearing for the fifth annual

Kerschner Family Series Global Leaders at Colgate.

President Jeffrey Herbst asked the questions, Branson

provided the perspective, and students heard principles

that apply not only to corporate life, but also to the life of

the mind. Every day on campus, Passion for the Climb

provides resources to put those principles into action.

Q&AQ. Do you see as many possibilities for college graduates as there were before the financial crisis?A. I think there are just as many possibilities — if not more — as there were five years ago. The world needs entrepreneurs. Graduates need to think, “How can I make a difference in people’s lives, and what can I do that other people aren’t already doing well?” If they can achieve those things, then they have a business by default.

Q. What do you think can be done to address inequality around the world?A. Entrepreneurs can’t leave it to politicians to deal with the world’s social problems. I’m putting together a group of business leaders to try to get those people who run public companies to consider new rules — a set of other rules by which society can judge them: what kind of difference has a company made?

Q. How can you tell when an idea is unwise?A. Your brand is your reputation — it is your life. We won’t go into a business unless it will enhance the Virgin brand.

Q. What values do you look for in people who run your companies?A. I look for people who are wonderful with people. You need people who are great motivators, who also see the best in people, who lavish praise. Impose a bad leader on a company, you can destroy a company.

Turning thought into action

SPRING 2012

“Two major components of

event planning are organization

and communication and those

are both skills that I have

developed, not only at different

internship opportunities but

every day while at Colgate.”

Marvin Vilma ’14 founder of MVK Event Design.

Branson’s advice for entrepreneurs goes beyond the boardroom — right to the heart of the Colgate experience.

On the shoulders of giantsWith talk of fame, fortune, and outer space, sir richard

Branson can cause a flash of inspiration in almost anyone. But the colgate student

who doggedly toils outside the classroom to make a profit or make a difference

might be a born entrepreneur.

colgate is encouraging its business-minded students to apply their liberal

arts skills through the Thought Into Action institute (tia), a selective program

that gives undergraduates access to the business and life experience of some of the

colgate community’s most successful entrepreneurs, marketers, and financiers.

now in its third year, tia was co-founded by andy Greenfield ’74, p’12, chief

marketing officer, G-form; Wills hapworth ’07, president, darkhorse investors;

and Bob Gold ’80, p’15, president and ceo, ridgewood capital.

“there’s nothing more empowering for anyone than making something happen

on earth,” said Greenfield. “and once you have that experience, it is liberating, it is

empowering, and it is a hell of a buzz.”

tia members had a chance to sit down one-on-one with Branson before his

Global leaders appearance. during the Q&a session, they were able to ask him —

of the world’s most prolific idea men — what it takes to be a great entrepreneur.

“You want to learn to delegate quite early on,” he advised. “immerse yourself

in the business initially so you know everything about it, but make sure everything

can run without you.” that philosophy, according to Branson, allows a true

entrepreneur to concentrate on the big picture and move on to the next project.

projects were in plentiful supply on saturday of entrepreneur Weekend. twenty-

five students gathered in the hall of presidents to demonstrate concepts that ranged

from display panels that use multi-touch technology (demaine francis ’12), to a

mobile tracking system for the colgate cruiser (from Justin altus ’14).

elsewhere on campus, colgate’s entrepreneur club has also developed its

own slate of projects. proving that knowledge is both power and beauty, a trio of

members have teamed up with dr. mark mandel ’60 to create and market a new

line of hair care products.

Bharadwaj reddy ’12, abi conklin ’13, and Julia Won ’15 have been working on

new packaging and promotional videos for shampoos, conditioners, and styling gels

already available at the colgate bookstore and on the internet. all proceeds from the

nonprofit enterprise benefit f.a.c.e., the foundation for the advancement of college

education — a need-based scholarship program launched by dr. mandel to support

young leaders interested in pursuing a college degree.

Beyond this boost for financial aid, president Jeffrey herbst said he sees another

strong connection between entrepreneurship and the liberal arts. “our students

learn to think critically and understand disruption,” he said. “entrepreneurial

programs can help prepare them for a lifetime of creativity in whatever fields

they choose.”

•Brendan Karson ’13 (left) explains his EcoCampus business, during Entrepreneur Weekend, which he developed through TIA with alumni support. His goal is to distribute green office supplies to universities.

Ken Belanger Some people look at yeast and imagine warmbread. Colgate biology professor Ken Belangersees a way to study the development of cancercells in humans.

Every year, Belanger coordinates summerresearch programs and semester-long researchtutorials for undergraduates in his Olin Hall lab.For some time, his group was using yeast to look at the ways in which proteins enter a cell’s nucleus. The proteins were easy to track, and there was a substantial body of work on the topic. But that was a mixed blessing, saidBelanger. “We were running up against a lot of competition.”

So, Colgate did as Colgate does. Belanger and his students thought carefully about novel research areas they could investigate and found a related question that no one else was asking: How do proteins leave a nucleus? Belanger and his students designed a new series of yeast-based experiments to help them find the answer.

Any venture requires capital, whether you’retalking business or biology. Luckily, Belanger’s inquiry sparked the interest of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which awarded him an AREA grant — $325,282 that will finance the human and technological resources he will need in the months ahead.

It’s a tight market for foundation funds, butColgate consistently rises to the top. “Themost important thing is the idea,” said Belanger. But he also notes that grant providers are aware that Colgate has access to the latest equipment, purchased through the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends.

Students also do their part to raise Colgate’s profile. They appear at conferences and deliver papers, capturing the attention of funding panelists; then they go on to top-tier graduate schools and become strong voices in the biology research community.

Looking at the whole package — interesting,innovative questions asked by talented mindsin high-capacity laboratories — it’s easy to seewhy leading investors consider the university asolid position to have on the books.•

“Sidestep the competition”

Christina Amato Christina Amato joined Colgate as director of the Trudy Fitness Center in June 2011, stepping in on the ground floor of Colgate’s new, strategic approach to wellness education.

Of the eight commonly accepted facets of wellness (intellectual, emotional, occupational, multicultural, environmental, social, physical, and spiritual), Amato focuses on the physical. When she was hired, she was given a mandate to make fitness a way of life for 2,700 undergraduates. She was also asked to develop innovative programs for faculty and staff — initiatives that would help tame Colgate’s ever-increasing health care budget.

“I’m looking at fitness from a preventative- medicine perspective,” Amato said. “What is our society stricken with today, and how can I prevent that for future generations?”

It starts with public health and continues with public awareness. Colgate’s beautiful parent-funded fitness center helps; usage at the Trudy is up by 100 patrons per day com-pared with attendance at the university’s previous facility. Meanwhile, Amato is dog-gedly promoting a personal training program and her new ’Gate Fitness initiative that includes spinning classes, aerobics, and yoga.

Amato leads a number of classes herself. “I don’t think a picture or a flyer will draw people in,” she said. She follows every course and seminar with a survey and sometimes wanders the floor of the Trudy, striking up conversations with patrons to find out what they want from their fitness program.

By knowing her clients, Amato learns their goals and anticipates their needs. She can also advance her own agenda. “My job is to keep them exercising,” Amato said, “but switch their perspective from ‘I want to get skinny; I want to look good,’ to ‘I want to be healthy; I want to be well.’”•

“Connect with your customers”

Karen Alley ’12 Karen Alley ’12 was admitted to Colgate as an Alumni Memorial Scholar (AMS). That meant she could access $5,000 in AMS fellowship funds, provided through the generosity of Colgate graduates, to explore projects of her choosing.

“I find that I’m interested in so many things,” Alley said. “There are so many opportunities — that’s a lucky thing about being at Colgate.”

Part of Alley’s AMS funding supported her trip to New Zealand as an intern with an independent production company. Back in the South Pacific with Colgate’s Australia Study Group, Alley became obsessed with 260-million-year-old flow tubes cut into the sandstone cliffs along the Australian coast. After weeks of intense study with mentors from Colgate and the University of Wollongong, many of Alley’s scientific questions were answered, but she needed another instance of a similar formation to which she could compare and contrast her findings.

So Alley took her research to the American Geophysical Union’s fall 2010 meeting. “I had lots of pictures — it’s the kind of thing that geologists get very excited about, because it’s so cool looking.” The images caught the eye of Professor Mike Smith from Sonoma State University, who had seen a similar phenomenon in Wyoming.

AMS funds ensured that Alley would see these additional formations during the summer of 2011. She drafted a proposal to secure her financing and pitched it to her faculty and staff advisers. Her excitement and determination were contagious. Now, there’s a stash of sandstone in Colgate’s Ho Science Center awaiting further analysis.

“Whenever I’ve expressed an interest in something, suddenly there have been three different directions pointed out to me where I could go, and people who are willing to help me go in that direction,” she said. “It’s true in science, in music — whatever I’ve been doing at Colgate.” •

“Find something that makes you sing” Kevin McNamara ’12

Last summer, Colgate hockey defenseman Kevin McNamara ’12 founded the nonprofit organization Goals for Good. He considered it an internship in self-employment and a way to thank the university community, which had invested so heavily in his team’s success.

McNamara’s concept was straightforward: for every goal scored by an ECAC men’s or women’s hockey team during the 2011–2012 season, fans would automatically donate dollars to local charities, selected by team captains. He could make it into a competition between the teams and rely on the league’s fighting spirit to drive up the earnings.

Colgate connections helped to make the concept a reality. Head Coach Don Vaughan and Athletics Director Dave Roach authorized the project. Staff in athletics communications gave him advice on how to promote his program in the media and talked up the program themselves.

On the tech side, a tip he received on Colgate’s LinkedIn network sent McNamara to Pink Dingo, a company founded by Scott Arneill ’02 that uses an innovative web platform to automate philanthropy. Arneill offered Pink Dingo’s services gratis — in exchange, Goals for Good would help test a new system upgrade.

Meanwhile, Colgate’s Catholic chaplain, Mark Shiner, connected McNamara with the mother of Vic Krivitski ’12, a classmate who passed away in August 2011 after a battle with cancer. The Krivitskis encouraged McNamara to direct Colgate’s Goals for Good earnings to the Brendan Borek High Tides Memorial Fund, which helped the Krivitski family during and after their son’s struggle.

To bring all 24 ECAC teams into the fold, McNamara relied on Facebook and old-fashioned cold calls. The end result was more than $20,000 raised for organizations around the Northeast by March 2012. Of the total, more than $15,000 came from Colgate fans, which won the competition.

McNamara plans to use his relationships to sustain the effort after graduation. “Being an optimistic person,” said McNamara, “I think, why can’t every sports team have a Goals for Good partner?” •

“Make a difference”

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40 for the Climb approaches the summitThe peak is in sight. Seven months after its launch in New York City, Colgate’s 40 for the Climb financial aid challenge has earned $36.2 million toward its $40 million goal. Nearly 100 alumni and friends stepped forward to pledge $20 million for scholarships, and they challenged the rest of the Colgate community to match their generosity before the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2012. This is the first step on the university’s path toward need-blind admission, and every dollar helps talented students along the way. For more information, visit colgateconnect.org/40fortheclimb.

Colgate inaugurates Dunlap coaching chairOn April 4, Colgate inaugurated the Fred ’50 and Marilyn Dunlap Endowed Chair for Football. Led by trustee and former offensive tackle Daniel Hurwitz ’86, and with support from 20 alumni and friends, the chair honors the legendary former football head coach who oversaw 77 victories during his tenure. As director of athletics, he supervised the construction of Sanford Field House. Read more at www.colgate.edu/dunlap.

Aveni receives Balmuth Teaching AwardTony Aveni, Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of astronomy and anthropology and Native American studies, received Colgate’s third annual Balmuth Teaching Award in recognition of his legendary skills as an educator. Award founder Mark Siegel ’73 marked the occasion by hosting a dinner in the Hall of Presidents for colleagues, friends, and alumni whose lives Aveni has touched. Read more at colgate.edu/AveniBalmuth.