From Coxswain to Partner - Steering a Course Shaped by Benedictine Values

Greg Schlaefer - Class of 1995

Greg is a successful auditor in the Minneapolis office of Ernst & Young, LLP. Greg spent a several years in E & Y's Milwaukee office before transferring to the Minneapolis office. He now leads the CSB/SJU recruiting efforts for E &Y, bringing him back to campus several times a year. Greg's highly rewarding career just got even better: effective July 1st, 2007, Greg is now a partner. He has also been named the partner liaison for E & Y's Internship and Summer Leadership programs in Minneapolis.

Greg loves his career in public accounting. He's faced each day with new and unique opportunities: Clients facing new challenges; new staff requiring direction and coaching; experienced partners who teach Greg new facets of the business. He finds that the career is all about building knowledge to serve clients and other professionals in the firm.

He also loves spending time with his wonderful family, pictured here at Christmas time.

Greg's Days at SJU

Greg's work in coaching others began at SJU where for two years he was the resident assistant on a freshman dorm floor. As an RA, Greg witnessed the impact of the values learned by students as they become an integral part of the CSB/SJU community. Those same values remain a critical part of Greg's personal and professional life today.

He learned critical skills of encouraging others to do there best, of all places, in a boat. Greg was asked to become the coxswain for a CSB first year student crew. At 6'2" tall, Greg makes an unusual coxswain. Greg calls being part of a rowing crew the ultimate in team sports. The team would meet at the shores of Lake Sag at 6 a.m. for long, focused practices, honing their coordination and timing. For a tough upcoming sprint race in Minneapolis, Greg graciously offered to step down as coxswain in favor of a more petite candidate. The women would have none of it. So, with Greg calling out the cadence, the team placed third in a race against large rivals, such as the University of Minnesota and other large universities. Greg and the board of the crew club also managed to raise enough funds over Greg's four years at SJU to fund the purchase of a new crew boat and dock.

Impact of Benedictine Values

Greg's finds that each visit to CSB/SJU 'refreshes his spirit.' The school's reputation in accounting was one aspect that drew him here. But, another important element was the Benedictine values and the sense of community these schools offer. Greg believes college is where you have a wonderful opportunity to shape your core values - and where you truly learn how to think. Greg found that SJU did an excellent job in supporting Greg as he indeed learned how to think. 

Advice to Current Students

Based on all that Greg learned here and thus far in his career, Greg has the following thoughts to share with current students:

• Listen to your professors. The faculty at CSB/SJU are excellent and bring a great deal of real-life experience to the classroom.
• Don't get too caught up in the details. Remember that you are trying to understand the basics of accounting theory and build a foundation.
• Finally, try something new. I believe I learned as much from my pottery and piano classes as I did in my accounting classes