Student is Source of Pride for Executive Education

Executive Education strives to provide not only world-class professional development programs for executives, but also priceless job experience for our student workers. We are proud that one of our former student workers, Kennon Largent, was featured in a student profile for the Walton College website. The story, written by Abby Hartz, is posted below.

A Sam M. Walton College of Business senior, Kennon Largent’s interest in financial markets at the age of 17 set him on the path to pursue a degree in Financial Management and Investments.

“When I was 17, I started to develop a strong curiosity for financial markets,” Largent said. “Everything from the mechanisms that drive them to the unlimited learning opportunities that are inherent within these markets.”

Largent said his dad sparked his interest in financial markets by explaining the financial world to him with great enthusiasm. “I had always wanted to find something that I was truly passionate about and do that for the rest of my life. I can honestly say that money was not the element that lured me towards finance. I simply found my passion.”

Largent was an intern at the Arkansas World Trade Center (ARWTC) in the Spring 2009 semester. He said the ARWTC seeks to promote trade between Arkansas companies and international companies. “Basically, I performed a lot of research and analytical assignments for Arkansas companies,” Largent said. “I assisted several companies that were interested in expanding their businesses internationally, both on the export and the import side. Since I lived in Brazil for a while and have a good understanding of that area, my primary focus at the ARWTC was on Latin America trade development.

“I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience working at ARWTC,” Largent said. “It was an amazing opportunity to work with and learn from people who really know what they are talking about in terms of the international business environment.”

Largent said while working at the ARWTC he was exposed to a range of business situations that forced him to improve upon his professionalism, analytical abilities, cultural awareness and networking skills.

“The thing I love most about the Walton College is its diversity,” Largent said. “From its students to its faculty, we are surrounded by a mix of cultures and ethnicities. This diversity helps to bring a multitude of different perspectives and insights into the classroom.”

Largent said another important aspect of the Walton College is being surrounded by people who share your same interests and who genuinely have a desire to learn. “This makes it so much easier to develop the skills we need to succeed in the real world,” Largent said.

Largent’s experience working at the Center for Management and Executive Education contributed to his professional development. He said this job gave him the opportunity to interact with everyone from CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies and foreign diplomats to the service workers who maintained the buildings and classrooms. “I learned so much about the service industry and how rewarding it can be to serve others,” Largent said.

Kevin Rose, assistant director of Executive Education, said of Largent: “Kennon is one of the most exceptional students I’ve come to know. Not only does he exhibit a professional demeanor when working with university faculty and staff, he is an exceptional representative of the University of Arkansas to external constituents. Kennon demonstrates a positive attitude at all times and welcomes any challenge that will allow him to learn, grow and steer others in a meaningful way. With his commitment to personal and professional excellence, I have no doubt that Kennon will accomplish great things.”

Largent said he initially plans to get his MBA after graduation and ultimately he said he would love to be an International Portfolio Manager. “I would like to be in a position that allowed me to interact with many different types of people and clients of different cultures on a daily basis.”

Theres and Kevin's Excellent Adventure

Theres Stiefer and Kevin Rose, director and assistant director of Executive Education, respectively, had the opportunity to spend three days visiting with business leaders throughout the state of Arkansas.

The purpose of the trip was to determine and discuss the role of Executive Education and to see how our center might better serve Arkansas in the area of professional development. Upon returning to Fayetteville, Theres and Kevin hoped to have successfully completed the following.

• Determine the evolving needs for executive education and leadership development programs


• Illicit ideas for new initiatives and improvements to existing programs


• Increase awareness of our services among the companies visited.

We also discussed our upcoming programs, including Disney Keys to Business Excellence, Emerging Leaders Program, and Supervisory Leadership Series, among others.