Alumni in the Classroom - High-profile graduates return to share their expertise

When Purdue alumnus and technology entrepreneur Kong Kat “KK” Wong (CS ’96) returned to Purdue’s West Lafayette campus to share his story for Purdue’s sesquicentennial in 2019, it was his first trip back to his alma mater in more than 20 years. Leap forward two years and he is now sharing his experiences with Krannert students as part of the school’s Alumni in the Classroom program.

“Speaking at the Giant Leaps series brought back a lot of the good memories I had at Purdue,” Wong says. “That was the beginning for me to be reconnected with faculty and students. It really gave me a chance to trace back where I started many years ago.”

Wong co-founded Xiaomi in 2010 and most recently served as vice president responsible for the development of Xiamo’s MiTalk and MiCloud business. Before founding Xiaomi, Wong worked as the principal development manager for Microsoft China for 13 years, where he oversaw product development for Microsoft’s business server.

Wong next spoke about his experiences for MGMT 44310 China, America, and Artificial Intelligence, an undergraduate class taught by Krannert lecturer Jonathan Ying, who was advised by Ananth Iyer, Susan Bulkeley Butler Chair in Operations Management, senior associate dean and head of the Department of Management, to invite alumni to his classroom.   

“KK gave a series of video ‘Fireside Chats’ on a variety of topics, including how to prepare for international careers, how Purdue students can connect across cultures to become friends, and why he works as hard as he does,” Ying says.

According to Ying, “If students actually put into practice KK’s advice, they will gain so much more from the academic and cross-cultural resources that Purdue has put into place to enhance learning in West Lafayette. For example, KK teaches students how to ask for help, break down barriers, and build trust. At the individual level, KK’s advice teaches us how to be citizen diplomats. At the societal level, it has the potential to transform our world into a better place.”

“Students today know where the opportunities are,” Wong says. “They know about the competition they have to face with graduates from other schools. In a sense, I can reengage with what a college student would be thinking nowadays, so that has very beneficial to me as a product developer. I have to understand what the younger generation cares about or needs to solve in their life. That is definitely an enriching experience for me.”

According to Ying, in OBHR 33000 Organizational Behavior and in MGMT 44310 China, America, and Artificial Intelligence, pre-written discussion questions placed on each course's website facilitated students’ preparation for class discussions. In Organizational Behavior, for example, Annie Corbin, director human resources at Danaher, commented on the relationship between job satisfaction and citizenship behavior, team diversity, and Black Lives Matter within her company.

“Annie Corbin’s advice for students with high aspirations fostered robust discussions where students could more easily recognize how organizational behavior theories are translated into HR policies within organizations,” he says. “She did a great job explaining why it is so important to understand OB from both the employee and managerial perspectives.”

In summer 2021, Ying also brought alumni and other professionals to the virtual classroom for his graduate-level online course MGMT 65480 Total Rewards, which examines the tangible and intangible aspects of an organization’s compensation in order to attract, motivate, and retain their human capital.

Alumni speakers included Deb Alexander (MSM ’84), former executive vice president of executive compensation and development at Delphi; Earl Major (MSOBHR ’90), vice president and head of human resources at Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana; Bridgette Morehouse (MSHRM ’94), former chief learning officer at Ford Motor Company and founder and CEO of LeadHuman; Scott Sandefur (BSM ’84, MSIR ’86), vice president of manufacturing workforce strategy at General Motors; and Liz Forman (MSHRM '90), former vice president of human resources, Froedtert Hospital, and former senior vice president of human resources, Fiserv.

Topics ranged from high potential employees, transparency in HR, why effective HR managers need to push back, executive compensation, pay-for-performance, organizational culture, and two-tier wage systems. “The speakers shared their valuable industry experience with us and provided key topical insights,” says MSHRM online graduate student Aarti Parva, who works in talent acquisition for Infosys. “That was particularly useful in correlating the theoretical fundamentals learned in the course with real-world practical applications.”

In a course evaluation, another student said the weekly forums with HR executives made it her favorite course. “While there were still assignments and reading, I found the ability to have discussions regarding the concepts much more helpful in learning the concepts,” the student said.

“Alumni enhanced students’ educational experience in a way that no textbook can,” Ying says. “Of course, what made this such an excellent learning experience for students was the alumni’s enthusiasm for sharing what they have learned from their careers. Week after week, it was pure joy to witness servant leadership in action.

“At the graduate course’s end, I was so impressed with our alumni’s devotion to Krannert. It was beyond anything I have witnessed. Online MSHRM students who are working adults recognized the value immediately. It was a great success.”

Other faculty participating in the Alumni in the Classroom program include Fabricio d’Almeida, a clinical assistant professor of finance, and Henry Williams, a clinical assistant professor of organizational behavior and human resources.

“I just don't want the students to go over textbooks and be able to reproduce, copy, and paste the answer,” d’Almeida says. “I want them to be able to understand how things apply in real life. And there is nothing better than bringing someone in who’s a professional in the field to talk about their daily work and what they do that corresponds with the course content.”

Williams became involved in the program in fall 2019 before the COVID pandemic hit, bringing in alumni speakers for a mentoring course. He brought in another batch virtually in 2020 and has several others lined up for the fall 2021 semester.

“I think it's beneficial to students to hear things from someone other than their professor,” he says. “I give them theory and some practical information based on my experience, but someone who is actively involved in the industry can give them a different perspective, a different language. And they can answer some questions for students that I may not immediately be able to.”

To learn more about the Alumni in the Classroom program and get involved, contact Amber Watkins, director of alumni relations, at anwatkin@purdue.edu  or 765-496-2618, or Jackie Knotts, associate director of alumni engagement, at jknotts@purdue.edu or 765-494-9604.

Written by Eric Nelson