Perdue School Students Witness History at Disney Meeting

SALISBURY, MD---Students from Salisbury University’s Franklin P. Perdue School of Business witnessed an historic moment not only in the business world, but in Walt Disney World as well, at the Walt Disney Co. stockholders’ annual board meeting this month in Philadelphia. Dr. Michael Garner and Professor Joseph Quinn of the Accounting Department accompanied four students to the meeting, hoping to give them an insight into the inner workings of business. However, by day’s end, SU became part of the story. When the six-hour meeting ended with a 43.4 percent no-confidence vote for Disney CEO Michael Eisner, SU’s presence caught the attention of Fox News Channel correspondent Neil Cavuto. Quinn was scheduled to appear in an interview with Cavuto to give his take on the Disney vote. Many analysts, including Quinn, said the vote sent a message to business leaders across the country about what shareholders expected from their companies. However, a live broadcast of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards’ announcement that he was withdrawing from the race cut into the channel’s reporting time on the Disney story, forcing the network to cut its interview with Quinn. However, the accounting professor did bring his analytical views on the situation back to Salisbury, where appeared on WBOC’s Delmarva Report with SU student Sarah Gibson that evening. Students Victoria Claros and Walter Arias presented their views on WMDT’s morning and evening newscasts the next day. For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.