February 12, 2019
2016 COB Alumni Gives Back with Time, Talent and Treasure
Brittany Coleman
Brittany Coleman is an associate technical training consultant at SAS. She’s been with the analytics company since 2016, the same year she received her BSBA with a concentration in MIS from the College of Business.
Recently, Coleman has taken to heart three ways alumni can give back to the College of Business: time, talent and treasure.
On Jan. 25, 2019, Coleman, along with COB alumna Kathy Kiraly of SAS, conducted a base programming boot camp for 35 COB faculty, staff and students. She gave of her time and talent to help camp attendees enhance their professional qualifications.
Regarding treasure, Coleman also recently gave a $1,000 scholarship to the MIS department.
“Scholarships helped me while in school because they gave me the chance to be more financially independent, as well as keep the number of loans I had to take out to a minimum,” explained Coleman. “With (my) tuition and fees mostly covered through the COB and other scholarships, I could focus my money on books and supplies.”
Coleman added that receiving a scholarship also provided encouragement and drive. As she puts it, “if someone cared enough about my education to donate their money, I consistently wanted to prove that they made the right decision.”
“I wanted to make sure that future students in the management information systems department are just as encouraged and recognized.”
Coleman’s generosity to the COB and MIS department can be traced back to her experiences while here at ECU.
From left to right, Brittany Coleman, Kathy Kiraly and Elaine Seeman
“There were so many opportunities that I was given to really enhance my professionalism and network,” said Coleman. “I really enjoyed the networking dinners, employer classroom visits and the business leadership classes. With the MIS department, I really valued (my involvement in the student chapter of the) Association of Information Technology Professionals. That is how I got my first experience with SAS through a visit to the company. The faculty is also great and supportive. Dr. Reed, in particular, was a big influence on my career journey.”
“We are so grateful for alums like Brittany,” said Dr. Elaine Seeman, chair of COB’s MIS department. “Brittany was a wonderful student and now is a terrific contributor in so many ways.”
For future COB alumna, Coleman encourages others to do what she’s done for the college.
“Giving back is a really great feeling when you know that you are helping someone else achieve their dreams and lessening the burden of someone who may think it’s unattainable because of finances,” said Coleman. “As a recent grad, we know the struggles of going college; not just financially, but mentally and emotionally, too. It’s more than just money given…it’s a sign that someone understands and (there’s) encouragement to keep pushing.”
In March 2019, Coleman will give more of her time to the College of Business.
She committed to being a speaker at the College’s annual Business Leadership Conference, where she will talk about her experience in transitioning from student to successful professional.
ECU’s College of Business is located in Greenville, North Carolina and currently has more than 28,000 alumni throughout the United States. It’s one of the largest colleges of business in North Carolina.
More than 30 COB faculty, students and staff participated in the SAS base programming boot camp, which was recently held in the College of Business and facilitated by COB alumna Brittany Coleman and Kathy Kiraly.