Syracuse University
Correspondence Portfolio
Wrt 307: Professional Writing
Professor Jeff Ward
Ethan Ruhalter
2/16/13
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Table of Contents
Introductory Bio……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Letter of Application…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Analysis of SU Writing Program………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Student Recommendation Letter……………………………………………………………………………………………..
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Student Recommendation Memo…………………………………………………………………………………………….
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Student Recommendation Email………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Client Analysis Memo……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
9-10
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Introductory Bio
Ethan Ruhalter currently is a senior at Syracuse
University where he is studying to become a CPA. Recently he
finished an internship program with AIG, where he worked with
the Investment Accounting group and was part of the rebirth of
AIG as they slowly rebuilt their corporate structure following
the bailout of 2008. His responsibilities included managing
municipal bonds and creating quarterly reports on his findings.
He is a driven hard working student and plans to become a
licensed CPA in 2 years. In his free time, Ethan can be found on
the basketball court running clinics for the local children.
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Application Letter
Ethan Ruhalter
215 Comstock Ave
Syracuse, New York 13210
January 27, 2013
Syracuse University Writing Program
WRT 307- Professional Writing
239 HB Crouse Hall
Syracuse, NY 13210
Dear Recruiter,
I am writing you today to apply for the open position in the Syracuse Writing Program. I have
had two previous experiences with two of your courses and I am eager to be a part of your Writing 307
program. I am currently an accounting major here at Syracuse University and previously completed two
summer internships programs with Great Oceans LLC and AIG, where I received my experience in
professional writing. Within these two fantastic companies, I had a variety of responsibilities. At AIG
specifically, I had to prepare many memos for the office sales team and several sales pitches. I also was
exposed to customer relations as I was constantly sending emails to customers in regards to their sales
and interests. Fortunately I had the pleasure of being promoted to head intern due to my
communication skills with upper management and was able to lead my team of interns in a successful
summer. At AIG, I was able to learn in a more formal corporate environment where I had to prepare
many public reports for the company. I believe it is because of these past experiences that I would be a
great fit to be part of Writing 307. I can share personal experiences as well as learn from others.
I had my first taste of the Syracuse Writing Program through my first writing course at Syracuse
University, where I started to understand your mission, “understanding and acquisition of multiple
literacies through teaching, research, and community involvement.” We were researching the goal of
The Near Westside Initiative of reviving downtown Syracuse. To this day, I still say that Writing 105 was
one of my favorite classes I’ve enrolled in at Syracuse. I personally believe this is a very smart way to
teach writing that is desirable by the current generation and I would like to be a part of this mission.
The following year I had the pleasure of being taught by one of your consultants for the writing
center, Stacy Wright. She boasted about the writing center and what an incredible service you provide;
she always suggested going to the Syracuse Writing center for help on all of her assignments. I later
personally found out she was right, the Writing Program has a great service. Her course was designed to
research how the advancements in technology affect education and society, which furthers my
understanding of your mission of understanding literacies through research and community
involvement.
I pride myself on the abilities to work collaboratively and communicate with upper level
management. I feel these traits would allow me to be a comfortable fit within your program. I hope to
have the pleasure to be part of your program and work together in the future.
With Kind Regards,
Ethan Ruhalter
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Analysis of SU Writing Program
Syracuse University
To: Wrt 307 Class Members
From: Ethan Ruhalter
Date: February 17, 2012
Subject: Analysis of the SU Writing Program
I have assessed the Syracuse University Writing Program and have established that the program is
geared toward understanding literacies through research and community involvement. They promote
highly excellence in writing and many forms of rhetoric. The writing program community stresses
creating a more equitable civil society.
Analysis:
The writing center is big on the idea of understanding communities and researching the public.
One aim of the program is to, “serve the local and global communities by co-creating, disseminating,
sharing, and applying knowledge.”Classes such as writing 105 and 205 are based essential on this idea.
The classes are geared toward taking one central idea in the beginning of the semester and researching
as well as continuously improving your assessment on the idea you chose. Writing 105 was focused on
improving downtown Syracuse and helping the Near Westside Initiative to achieve their goal of reviving
the area. This goes along with the idea of creating an equitable civil community. Writing 205 was
focused on researching the effects that technology has on education. As times goes on and new
technology and ideas of learning are being implemented, it is important to really understand the effects
it has on the community. Syracuse understands this and shares this knowledge to the community.
The writing program understands the importance of rhetoric and expressing yourself correctly in
certain environments. Another aim of the program is to “provide an undergraduate curriculum that
teaches writing as a social practice, giving special attention to issues of diversity as they affect rhetorical
practice.” Classes such as writing 307 help students understand the use of rhetoric in the professional
world. After the undergraduate program many students choose to begin their careers. Understanding
exactly how to present and express yourself is the first step to beginning that career.
Conclusion:
Syracuse University is appealing to those who are interesting in understanding your community
and working as one. One of the specific ideas which separate Syracuse’s writing programs from other
programs is that the Syracuse program has a central core that is understanding the community you are
in academically, professionally and socially.
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Recommendation Letter
February 4, 2013
Mr. Michael James
James Accounting Firm
123 34th Street
New York, New York, 12210
Dear Project Manager,
I hope this message finds you doing well. I am writing you today to recommend Jennifer Ngo for
the student inclusion position. I was introduced to Jennifer about 3 years ago as a student graduating
Syracuse University and I must say I am very impressed in what she has accomplished in her professional
career. You had stressed you are looking for a candidate with a variety of business skills within the
business world and really urged a candidate with a background in accounting/finance. Jenifer has
worked in companies such as Ann Taylor, Bank of Americana and top 4 accounting firm, JP Morgan.
Most recently, Jennifer served as a Middle Office Analyst Intern of Global Fixed Income
Cash at JP Morgan. In this role, her responsibilities included reconciling accounts for advances in
mortgages. As a result, they gave her the responsibilities to assist in creating quarterly reports. It is
because of this experience most importantly that I feel Jennifer would be a good fit based on your
qualifications. As you know JP Morgan is a public company whose quarterly reports, created by Jennifer,
can be seen by anyone in the world, unlike private companies. I think Jennifer can provide a good
example of proper accounting professional writing skills which would expand our service which we lack.
Accounts within JP Morgan and other companies affiliated with JP Morgan read and use her work to
complete necessary tasks.
Jennifer had very similar responsibilities at her internship with Bank of America,
however her internship with Ann Taylor was directed toward sales a customer relations. Jenifer
developed the skill of communicating with clients, which again you stressed as being an important skill
to have. She actually exceeded the sales goals marked by her executives, which is major
accomplishment as an intern. These skills can help further our ability to really understand our clients’
needs.
Beyond her professional career Jennifer is well-rounded and active in all aspects of her life. She
is a member of Alpha Kappa Psi business Fraternity at Syracuse University where she holds the title of
Professional Chair. In this role, she led a committee of eight brothers to coordinate and organize
professional events for audiences of 50 guests featuring guest speakers, corporate recruiters and
professors. I have no doubt that she will help organize necessary meetings and collaborative group
work in order to get a task done.
Based on her skill set and experience I feel Jennifer would be the perfect fit for the student
inclusion position and a great fit for our corporate environment. Her ability to be analytical and effective
in a fast past environment is an asset that will allow her to succeed in this role. I personally would be
very excited to work with/for a person like Jennifer.
With Kind Regards,
Ethan Ruhalter
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Recommendation Memo
James Accounting Firm
To: All
From: Ethan Ruhalter
Date: February 2, 2013
Subject: Recommendation for Jennifer Ngo
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to you all on behalf of a very driven student, Jennifer Ngo, who I believe
would be a perfect candidate for our new student inclusion program. I have had the pleasure of
meeting Jennifer a few years ago at a recruiting fair at Syracuse University. She is a driven young
woman. Out of all the students I have recruited, Jennifer would be a perfect fit for both our corporate
culture and professional development. She is smart and a true team player. I believe with our guidance
Jennifer can grow and hold a bright future with our firm.
Previously, Jennifer held prior internships with JP Morgan, Ann Taylor and Bank of
America. From these internships she gained a diverse background in investment banking, sales and
operations. She also has proven skills utilizing Excel. Jennifer has the continuous desire to continue
learn and developing her skills. She now is eager to gain the exposure to the management/leadership
aspect to our industry and felt that our program was a match for her needs. You all expressed that a
potential candidate have the skill set of an entry level position, which you all will find Jennifer has.
In her free time, Jennifer is a member of a business fraternity called Alpha Kappa Psi,
where she is on a committee of eight brothers to set up events for the fraternity pertaining to guest
speakers, corporate recruiters and professors. She also is a member of the Chadwick Residence Team
where for the past two years where she volunteers to help women in need. She is a total package
candidate. Having her join the team would be a win/win for our firm to gain an excellent intern you
could truly mold and for Jennifer to continue to grow her professional portfolio.
Based on the personality and professional profile you have all created for this role, I feel
Jennifer is the ideal candidate to take on this opportunity. I hope you will join me in providing approval
of her acceptance into our program.
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Recommendation E-mail
Dear Frank,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on my candidate. I understand your concerns, but I
want to ensure you that I have worked very closely with Jennifer and know that she can handle the tasks
of this role.
As previously mentioned, both you and Jennifer share your educational background from the
Whitman School of Business at Syracuse University. She is a go getter. During her time at school she has
actively pursued internships to gain direct experience to apply her knowledge in a professional setting.
In addition, like you, she was also a student of Professor Fay who you always talk highly of. I would
advise you reach out to him seek a second opinion on my recommendation.
Additionally, in our previous conversation you expressed the importance of finding a
driven student who will be a team player and who will be active in the role. Jennifer certainly cares
about her future and is eager to learn and continue to grow her skills. She has proven her ability to
multi-task and succeed in fast paced environments. Jennifer is a scholar student who shows excellence
in time management and project management, both which are key responsibilities of this program
through her ability to hold active work and hold leadership roles with both the Chadwick Residence
Team and Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity while she attends school full time. Lastly, as an alumni of Syracuse
University, you are familiar with graduation policy’s which states that each student must complete one
internship prior to graduation. I would like to reiterate that Jennifer has exceeded that number and
completed 4 internships. She still continues to pursue professional development programs, like ours.
I am very adamant that Jennifer be selected for the position we are trying to fill. I am
positive that she would exceed your expectations. Thank you for your consideration.
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Client Memo
WRT 307: Professional Writing Group
Group Memorandum
To: John Venditto
From: Ethan Ruhalter
Date: 02/10/2012
Subject: Analysis of potential positive effects Wal-Mart could bring
There has been a huge uproar in our town about the rumors of a proposed plan to build
a Wal-Mart in the Town of Oyster Bay. You have stated on the local news and town meetings that your
team is proposing the start of a project that would place a Wal-Mart in our area. You would be making
the right decision to allow this project to be built as the pros outweigh the cons. As you know, there are
several towns within the town of Oyster Bay that have become increasingly wealthy over the past
decade, including Plainview, Jericho, and Syosset, and there are a few towns that haven’t been able to
keep up with this trend such as Farmingdale and Hicksville specifically. You should place the new WalMart in either of those two towns.
Property Values:
You have stressed on the news that you are worried about small businesses failing and even
property values declining, but I am writing you today to inform you that there are many benefits in the
end that would be appealing to allow the project to be built. First off, according to TIME Business and
Money, quite the opposite happened. It was found that homes located within a mile of the megastore
increased in value between 1%-3%. These values increased right around the time the store was being
constructed. This would help increase the values of Farmingdale homes and increasing the value of
family’s assets.
Farmingdale Location Benefits:
It would be wise to build the Wal-Mart location in a slow growing town such as Farmingdale,
which according to CNN Money and Business, has an average family income of $60,000, unlike the rest
of the areas surrounding it which have an average family income of about $100,000. This would make
Farmingdale more of a destination attracting many consumers. This would help bring business to the
stores that don’t compete with Wal-Mart and in effect increase town wealth. CNN Money also said that
consumers come to Wal-Mart ready to spend. When they can’t find what they are looking for in the
store then they can try and purchase what they are looking for in the other local stores or even spend
more money on dinner at a local restaurant in Farmingdale after they shop. By building a Wal-Mart and
clearing out space, you can also build more bars, which being a local 21 year old would like to see more
of. Nightlife lacks in our community and I feel this is a great opportunity to create one and generate
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Client Memo
another business segment. The Main Event Bar is always packed at night as many residents congregate
there most weekends. There needs to be another option.
You are right in the fact that small businesses would close. It is virtually impossible to compete
with a store like Wal-Mart and mom-and-pop businesses would indeed close, however this would allow
other businesses that don’t compete with Wal-Mart to thrive. Our communities don’t need many of
these stores and restaurants would be a better fit as well as luxury stores. You can conclude that for
those towns that have higher earning income families, have every right to be pushing luxury. You can
give the people what they want by giving the opportunity for luxury stores to be built with the new open
store spaces after other stores close. Being a resident of Plainview, I have noticed that stores in our
strip malls are changing all the time and not many survive. Our community is ready to take the jump
from Middle America to Wealthy America.
Recommendation
Please consider my thoughts as I believe building a Wal-Mart is a great idea. I am very excited
to hear your final verdict and plan to be contacting you again. If need be, I would be honored to come in
and present to your team.
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