Former Student Enriches University

For Ken Janke, MBA ’85, it was the decision to attend Oakland University for graduate school, and the teachings of special instructor Frank Cardimen, that he credits with preparing him for an extraordinary career that crescendoed with his appointment to deputy chief financial officer, executive vice president of Aflac Incorporated.

In appreciation for the education he received and to strengthen the university’s ability to continue to build and provide educational excellence for future students, Ken and his wife Kim presented OU with a gift to renovate the School of Business Administration building, which includes a naming gift agreement for the Ken and Kim Janke Auditorium within Elliott Hall.

The couple also presented a gift that honored Ken’s favorite instructor, Frank Cardimen, with the special recognition of naming room 242 in Elliott Hall as the Frank Cardimen Executive Education Room.

“Frank didn’t teach me what to think, he taught me how to think,” explained Janke. “Frank’s class, which was our capstone, was really a strategy class. I didn’t connect the dots until later in life on what an impact it had on me because a lot of what I really thought about and worked on with other executives at Aflac was thinking through the strategy of that company.”

Janke remembers his instructor as incredibly relatable and thought-provoking, someone who knew how to get him to think things through differently. “At that time, I was 27 years old and I was working at my dad’s company and I thought I knew what I wanted in life. With the help of Frank, I realized I didn’t know nearly what I thought I did. He prompted me to think and learn. It was a really good experience. He’s an incredible person,” said Janke.

One month following graduation in 1985, Janke left Michigan and moved to Columbus, Georgia to begin his career with Aflac. He didn’t set foot on campus again until almost a quarter century later when he was asked to give a commencement speech. Impressed with the growth of the university – shortly before retiring – Janke accepted a position on the Oakland University School of Business Administration’s Board of Visitors. He flies in for board meetings four times a year at his personal expense. “I’m on five different boards, but the one that’s most important to me is the board of visitors at the business school,” said Janke.

He and his wife also engaged with the university when they traveled with Cardimen on a trip the instructor led to Italy through the OU Dean’s Travel College. Janke, who travels frequently, describes the trip as a wonderful learning experience and is looking forward to accompanying his friend on a future expedition.

"Frank didn’t teach me what to think, he taught me how to think.”

It was during a trip Janke and his wife were taking to New York to see their daughter that Cardimen learned of the honor his former student had planned.

“We were at the Atlanta airport, getting ready to board and I was really excited to tell him, so I called him up. We only had about three to four minutes to chat, but I wanted to tell him personally,” said Janke.

“It came so unexpectedly and I’m just humbled by the whole thing,” said Cardimen, who explained he was so stunned upon hearing the news, he couldn’t remember if he thanked Janke during the brief conversation.

“Later on I sent him an email telling him I finally got off the floor from our conservation and had to thank him and Kim. I never expected anything like this, it was never in my thought process, ever. It’s so satisfying to feel like you made a difference, that’s what it’s all about,” said Cardimen.

“The strong relationship with Ken is like he’s one of the family. It’s not so much a teacher-student relationship as it is a collegial relationship that is really powerful.”

A dedicated educator, Cardimen has been bringing real world national and international business experience into his classrooms for 44 years. At 83, he has no plans to retire. He makes it a point to stay relevant and up to date on emerging global business trends.

“I think there is such a satisfaction for teachers to see the light switch go off in their students and I’ve had such great success in seeing that for so many years,” said Cardimen.

Within Oakland University’s School of Business Administration he has taught mostly in the strategic management area and also served as OU’s interim vice president of economic development. In 1987 he created the university’s first business ethics class and also co-taught in The Honors College on the topic of capitalism, profits and ethics. In 1999 he developed an MBA international management course that required travel to Europe and China. “If you are going to deal with other countries, you need to understand their culture,” said Cardimen.

Possessing a wealth of business experience, he has worked in the automotive and chemical industry in a multitude of positions including project engineering, strategic planning, controller, plant accountant, credit manager and marketing. His assignments have taken him to many international destinations where he conducted business on a global scale. Feeling the draw from the entrepreneurial world, Cardimen ran a successful business for nine years. He also worked for the FBI in Washington, D.C.

Janke said he benefited from Cardimen’s teachings on international business when he found himself working for Aflac, which had about 80% of its business in Japan. “Doing business in another country isn’t something I anticipated when I was going to school at OU, but it turned out to be a big part of my career,” said Janke.

“I’m one of thousands whose life has been impacted by Frank. We’re everywhere.”