Chaifetz School Curriculum Prepares Alumna Kelsie Cozart for Job at Bayer Crop Science
A degree from the Chaifetz School of Business expands students' opportunities, regardless of what undergraduate major they choose. Kelsie (Eckert) Cozart (CSB May '18), who majored in international business and French, secured a full-time position in June 2018 as a global planning analyst at Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in life sciences and agriculture.
Bayer has three divisions: pharmaceuticals, consumer health and crop science. Crop science, the division in which Cozart works, develops agricultural and environmental solutions that benefit both farmers and consumers by maximizing farm yields, securing harvests from disease and keeping the environment healthy.
"My degree in international business and French is not specific to the field I chose to enter, but I was able to successfully pursue an opportunity that interested me thanks to the value of my degree from SLU," Cozart said.
The Chaifetz School's Impact
Cozart is a product supply rotational program associate at Bayer's headquarters in St. Louis. This rotational program consists of three, eight-month rotations across product supply (supply chain). She is in the second rotation working as a global vegetable planning analyst.
Cozart said she relies on specific business strategies from her undergraduate business courses in her position at Bayer as she further strengthens her skills.
"My business education is the foundation on which I can build knowledge and expertise in my industry," Cozart said. "By far, my international business classes have been the most valuable takeaway from the Chaifetz School curriculum that I've implemented."
Earning a B.S. in international business from the Chaifetz School also helped equip Cozart with the skills necessary to work for an enterprise as wide-reaching as Bayer.
"I am on a global team headquartered in St. Louis while most of my colleagues are located across the world," Cozart said. "Understanding how to collaborate with team members from different cultures and do business on a global scale is a skill I learned through my courses that I use every day."
Outside the classroom, Cozart said the career resources available at SLU helped her both find the opportunity at Bayer and position herself as a competitive candidate.
The Valerie A. Davisson Career Resources Center located in the Chaifetz School of Business helps students develop the skills to network with potential employers and prepare for important interviews. The Chaifetz School also houses the Boeing Institute of International Business which provides students international business resources and access to global immersion trips.
Cozart's Campus Involvement
The Chaifetz School is devoted to supporting students in achieving their professional goals through a well-rounded education, an abundance of resources and business-specific organizations.
Cozart said those experiences, including club leadership and study abroad, differentiated her from other candidates. As a student, she was heavily involved in extracurricular activities offered by the Chaifetz School, including the Delta Sigma Pi international business fraternity, the service leadership and freshman in business programs, and studying abroad in France.
"My degree [in international business] from SLU led to my current job by providing a high quality education that is recognized by employers," Cozart said. "My courses, professors and other involvement with the Chaifetz School of Business have prepared me for life after college by giving me the skill set to succeed in a fast-paced and innovative corporate environment. Even as I am still at the start of my career, I have the confidence and ability to make valuable contributions to my team and deliver impactful results because of my experience at SLU."