Jack Welch, retired General Electric (GE) chief executive officer and best-selling author, will visit DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business to answer questions from faculty and students and talk about his new book, “Winning,” Oct. 6. The free, public event begins at 4 p.m. on the concourse level of the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., and will be followed by a 5 p.m. book signing.

Welch retired from GE in 2001 after a 40-year career, including a 20-year tenure as its chairman and CEO. He is credited with transforming the company from a bureaucratic behemoth to a dynamic and revered industry powerhouse. Under his leadership, GE’s market value grew to $400 billion from $13 billion. In the process, Welch’s management innovations made him one of the most influential CEOs of his era. He was chosen as “Manager of the Century” by Fortune Magazine in 2000, “Most Admired CEO” of the past 20 years by Chief Executive magazine readers in 2005 and the “World’s Greatest Leader Today” in a 2005 Fast Company magazine survey.

Since retirement, Welch has written two books: “JACK: Straight From The Gut,” a #1 New York Times and international best-selling autobiography, and “Winning (2005, HarperCollins),” a guide to business success that offers his insights on leadership, competition and career management for today’s business managers.

“Jack Welch’s experiences provide practical, real-life lessons on how to succeed as a manager in today’s fast-paced, global business world,” said Arthur Kraft, dean of the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. “We look forward to providing a forum for him to discuss his ideas with students, faculty and the public.”

Welch currently is the head of Jack Welch, LLC, where he serves as an advisor to a small group of Fortune 500 business CEOs and speaks to business people and students around the world. A native of Salem, Mass., he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and his master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois.

For more information about this event, call the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at 312/362-8810.

DePaul’s College of Commerce encompasses the university’s undergraduate business program, with more than 4,000 students, and the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, which enrolls nearly 2,000 students. The college offers respected, practical and flexible programs of business study. Its part-time MBA program has been ranked among the top 10 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s graduate school rankings for more than a decade.