Facing the Challenges of the Modern Marketplace

When they were visiting the California campus for Saturday’s presidential inauguration and Athletic Center dedication, two new friends of the College — one a successful financier, the other a prominent philanthropist — took time to meet with students, sharing their personal wisdom and professional experience. At a packed meeting in St. Cecilia Hall’s Dillon Seminar Room, Robert Agostinelli, founder of the Rhône Group private equity firm, and Steve Friess, who manages the Lynn and Foster Friess Family Foundation, shared their life stories, dating back to their childhood and college days.

For Mr. Agostinelli, this first visit to Thomas Aquinas College seemed providential. Growing up in Rochester, New York, he attended a high school that was also named for St. Thomas Aquinas, where he came under the tutelage of the great 20th century Catholic evangelist, the Most Rev. Fulton Sheen. Archbishop Sheen, of course, was also a friend of Thomas Aquinas College, having served as the keynote speaker at a major promotional dinner held 18 months before its 1971 opening. “He had a great influence on my life,” Mr. Agostinelli reflected. “I feel Sheen’s presence helped bring me here.”

The speakers also answered questions on a wide range of subjects, from the importance of fostering personal virtue to the challenges facing Christians in the world today. “You’re at a school that’s teaching you your sense of self and the dignity of man,” said Mr. Agostinelli. “If you want to make a difference and make sure you and your children are going to have a right to the pursuit of happiness — I promise you, based on what we’re seeing in the world today — you’re going to be in a fight. You’re going to be in a daily fight.”

“You’re a very fortunate crowd here, because you’ve got great professors and a virtuous environment. You’re to be admired for what you’re doing.” 

Young people of faith, Messrs. Agostinelli and Friess warned students, will face greater challenges in today’s marketplace than in the past, noting political pressures and social decay. “In my business — I’m a private equity person, I manage money for big corporations and big families,” said Mr. Agostinelli, “you have to deal with a lot of these evils.” Nonetheless, the two men exhorted students not to be afraid, encouraging them to use their education to help society regain its moral footing.

“Whatever you decide to do, do it with absolute conviction and focus,” said Mr. Agostinelli. Added Mr. Friess, “It’s on you. Become leaders and re-establish America’s moral authority.”

Their advice ranged from the practical — “Start a Roth IRA,” said Mr. Friess, “put in the maximum every year that you can” — to the inspiring: “Gratitude and humility are very, very vital to one’s existence,” Mr. Agostinelli observed. “You’re a very fortunate crowd here, because you’ve got great professors and a virtuous environment. You’re to be admired for what you’re doing.”

Although their initial remarks lasted only a few minutes, the longtime friends spoke for more than an hour and a half, as students stayed to ask questions. “We are very grateful to Robert and Steve for the generous way they shared their time and firsthand knowledge of the business and political world with our students,” said James Link, the College’s vice president for advancement. “What a gift for these undergrads to benefit from their insights, gleaned over a lifetime of living and working as successful Christian professionals in an increasingly secular world.”