Prospective Champlain College business students heard first-hand how entrepreneurship and high-tech know-how can make a difference at a cutting-edge company like Burton Snowboards.

Kelly Sheridan, director of E-Business for the Burlington-based international snowboard company, was the keynote speaker at a daylong Business & Entrepreneurship Open House at Champlain College on Dec. 12.

Sheridan shared with students, families and Champlain Division of Business faculty her experience and role in the growth of Burton Snowboards from a small entrepreneurial company into a global institution.

The focus of the day was on showing high school seniors how Champlain College's Division of Business curriculum is preparing its graduates for the changing business marketplace. "Champlain College's entrepreneurial and experiential business education has been helping students surpass the highest levels of achievement in areas of accounting, business, international business, marketing and more," explained Ian Mortimer, Champlain's Director of Admissions.

Sheridan, who earned her MS in Information Technology from Champlain College in 2009, has worked at Burton Snowboards since 1994, working her way up through various steps in the Information Technology department until she became Director of IT in 2007.  She offered students a strong message of "if you want something, you need to go get it," in describing her impressive rise through the company. 
Burton is also a strong supporter of student internships for Champlain College students, with opportunities ranging from marketing to public relations to working on the accounting and business side of selling snowboards. Although originally slated to stay for just her noontime presentation, Sheridan ended up spending the entire day on campus, talking with prospective students and their families about the Champlain experience.

Other events included a tour of the Business School facilities and the S.D. Ireland Center for Global Business and Technology, the Bring Your Own Business (BYOBiz) program, an entrepreneurs' forum featuring current Champlain students who are building their business while still in school, and a business networking reception to meet Champlain alumni and students.  

A special panel discussion for parents on the "Return on Investment" outlined why a college education is still one of the best investments you can make in your child's future and potential earning power over their lifetime.

 A private, residential college chartered in 1878, Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, has a long tradition of educating professionals for leadership roles by providing a high-quality, professionally-focused education. Champlain's distinctive educational approach embodies the notion that true learning only occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain was named a "Top-Up-and-Coming School" by U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges 2010. To learn more about Champlain College, www.champlain.edu.