Former CEO to Teach Leadership Course

Alyn Essman, retired chairman and CEO of CPI, has signed on to teach "CEO-ship: Leadership from the Corner Office" this spring semester at the School of Business & Technology's home campus in Webster Groves. The three-credit-hour elective course is intended for graduate students who have a significant background in finance.

"This is a remarkable opportunity for our students," says Dean Benjamin Akande. "It will give them exposure to the rigors and challenges of leadership from the perspective of a highly successful CEO."

Essman served as CEO at CPI from 1973 to 2001, when he retired. Under his leadership, CPI operated Sears Portrait Studios in more than 1,000 Sears stores and owned a chain of over 150 wall decor stores called Prints Plus.

Akande says that more CEO-taught courses are in the works for the future. "The use of CEOs as instructors is consistent with the University's mission of providing real-world knowledge for our students," Akande says. "This is just the beginning for us."

The course, BUSN 5680, will begin in the Spring II semester, which runs from March 17 to May 5. For further information on class time and location, contact Nancy Wilson in the Business Department at (314) 968-7021.