February 19, 2003 — U.S. Senator Bob Bennett of Utah will speak about “corporate accountability and public trust” at the annual Distinguished Lecture Series Banquet sponsored by the University of Utah Garn Institute of Finance. The event takes place this Thursday evening, February 20, 2003 in the Grand America Hotel Ballroom. The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner following at 7:30 p.m.
The Garn Institute of Finance was established in the David Eccles School of Business when Senator E. J. “Jake” Garn was Chairman of the Banking and Finance Committee in the United States Senate. The Institute fosters the development of cutting?edge research in the financial services industry, supports financial education through the Garn Internship Program, and honors top professors in the finance department with the Garn Faculty Scholar Award.
This year’s banquet is unique, because for the first time it is part of the Business & Economic Summit, co-sponsored by Senator Bennett and the David Eccles School of Business. The Summit continues on Friday, February 21 at the Grand America Hotel. David Neeleman, chief executive officer of JetBlue Airways, will keynote the Summit’s lunch session. The Summit is designed to benefit entrepreneurs and business executives featuring speakers and presenters who will share valuable advice on financing, growing, and managing a small business in the current economy.
Dean Jack Brittain of the U’s David Eccles School of Business is excited about this new partnership. “It is a pleasure for the Garn Institute of Finance at the University of Utah to be associated with Senator Bennett’s Business and Economic Summit in 2003. The Garn Distinguished Lecture Series has been an important event for the Institute for six years, offering members of the business community in Utah the opportunity to hear from leaders in the financial world.”
Past speakers of the series include Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank, Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Financial Markets and currently Mayor of New York City, Phillip J. Purcell III, Chairman of Morgan Stanley, Robert Pozen, Vice Chairman, Fidelity Investments, David Glenn, Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and James Harmon, President and Chairman, Export?Import Bank of the United States. “Our event this year will continue in this proud tradition,” said Brittain.
In addition to the Garn Institute Banquet and the speech by Neeleman, the conference will feature a regional and national economic forecast by Mark Knold, senior economist at the Utah Department of Workforce Services, and Senator Bennett, chairman of the Joint Economic Committee. Breakout sessions will focus on financing a small business, using technology in business, expanding markets through online auctions, selling to government and educational institutions, and managing the cost of employee benefits. Following lunch, a panel of congressional staff and Bush administration officials will look at financial services industry issues currently before the Congress.
The Garn Institute Banquet and the Business & Economic Summit will be held in Salt Lake City’s Grand America Hotel, 555 South Main Street. To register or for more information visit www.summit.utah.edu.