Public Relations | Press Releases

Campers Will Get Down to 'Business' This Summer

C.W. Post and Commerce Bank's "Camp Business" Gives High School Students
a Chance to Compete in the Business World

April 5, 2005 -- Brookville, NY -- What will it take to be the next Donald Trump? Long Island high school students will get a primer in successful entrepreneurship and learn how to increase their business acumen as they attend "Camp Business: The Learning Journey," a free, exclusive, two-week hands-on business camp sponsored by Commerce Bank and the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. Classes will be held at the new College of Management Center for Learning at the C.W. Post Campus in Brookville.

The Camp Business summer program is designed to provide high school students the opportunity to increase their understanding of modern business practices beyond what is conventionally taught in the classroom. There will be a special focus on entrepreneurship during the camp, but a variety of management topics will also be covered including problem solving, the utilization of technology, as well as leadership and team building in the workplace. The curriculum is designed to spark creativity, develop decision making and leadership skills and demonstrate that business can be fun and engaging.

After a competitive application process, 50 highly motivated high school sophomores and juniors who are interested in studying business at the university level will be invited to participate in the free program, which will be held weekdays Aug. 15 – Aug. 25, 2005. C.W. Post will be offering $1,000 scholarships to any student who successfully completes Camp Business and enrolls as a full-time undergraduate. Any student who completes the Camp Business program will also be given an opportunity to interview for a position at Commerce Bank

Students will attend various college-level courses and workshops developed and taught by professors from the AACSB-accredited College of Management at C.W. Post and executives at Commerce University.

Curriculum highlights include:

Introduction to Entrepreneurship: Students are given the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of a panel of entrepreneurs from Long Island.

Get Outside Your Box: Students will explore their own creativity in an attempt to find ways to overcome conceptual blocks and will learn to tackle projects differently than their future business world competitors.

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun: A feared barbarian, but a good leader, students will analyze his leadershipphilosophy and how it applies to today's environment.

The Hero Drill: Students will roll up their sleeves and create a sandwich and market it to a specific demographic group.

Finance: Students will become financially savvy by learning about the bond and stock markets and how to manage money.

After coursework is complete, the teens will be challenged to demonstrate their business abilities and skills by competing in a business presentation contest, which will be judged by a panel of executives. The winning teammates will each receive a laptop computer from Commerce Bank. After graduation, students have the opportunity to participate in a Stock Market Challenge game complete with financial awards for the winners.

"So many businesses on Long Island are small businesses," said Dr. David Jalajas, Associate Professor of Management at C.W. Post and team leader for the program. "It's likely that these students will work for a small business at some point in their careers, or own their own small business so this program will give them a significant advantage."

To get students accustomed to interacting on a professional level, they will be taking courses in the College of Management's new $1 million Center for Learning. The center, which is on the third floor of the B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library of the C.W. Post Campus, features sophisticated audio-visual equipment, a boardroom with a conference table and a financial markets center with Wall Street feeds. Meeting rooms, study rooms and a lounge round out the center, which is modeled after a real-life corporate setting.

"Commerce Bank is thrilled to provide our outstanding Camp Business program with C.W. Post to the Long Island community," said Chris Giamo, senior vice president of Commerce Bank. "The camp is a rare chance for tomorrow's business leaders to learn practical, valuable skills that will give them a competitive edge in the business world."

For nearly five years, Commerce Bank's successful Camp Business program has provided high school students in the metro Philadelphia area with unique business opportunities. This is the first time the camp will be offered on Long Island. Camp Business alumni laud the program. "Camp Business will help you see yourself in a totally different way," said Tiesha Christian of Upper Darby High School in Pennsylvania. "This program will give you the ability to do things you thought you may never do." Mark Caltabiano of La Salle College High School in Pennsylvania agrees. "Camp Business was one of the most educationally rewarding experiences in my life…there was never a time when I was not learning and having fun."

The C.W. Post College of Management is accredited by the elite AACSB International and offers the Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with majors in finance, international business, marketing, management and management information systems. The college also offers an acclaimed 36-to-48 credit Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree; a one-year Accelerated International M.B.A., and a dual J.D./M.B.A. degree offered in conjunction with Touro Law Center. The College of Management is also home to the School of Professional Accountancy, which offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in accountancy and taxation, and the School of Public Service, which awards degrees in criminal justice, health care administration, public administration and social work.

Commerce Bank, "America's Most Convenient Bank," is a leading retailer of financial services with more than 320 convenient stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. In 2005, the bank plans to open 55-plus new locations and create 1,800 new career opportunities throughout its markets. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., Commerce Bancorp (NYSE: CBH) has more than $30 billion in assets and, in 2004, achieved a deposit increase of 34% and earnings per share growth of 26%. For more information about Commerce, please visit the company's interactive financial resource center at commerceonline.com.

The deadline for applying to C.W. Post/Commerce Bank's Camp Business is April 8. For more information and an application, contact Jefferson Sanchez at (516) 299-3017 or visit www.liu.edu/campbusiness.