Students and faculty at the Andrews University School of Business are passionate about helping small businesses in southwest Michigan.
Students and faculty at the Andrews University School of Business are passionate about helping small businesses in southwest Michigan.
Partnering with Adventist Health System Midwest and Cornerstone Alliance, an economic development group that represents some 700 small businesses in southwest Michigan, the Student Solutions Consultants program at the university was developed to match a student intern to a specific project within a local business.
“We collectively have spent a year working together to develop an internship model that actually produces results for the student and the sponsoring organization,” says Dr. Ann Gibson, dean of the School of Business at Andrews University. “Our purpose was to create an approach and infrastructure for an intern program that differentiates us, provides real-world experience, and offers value to local businesses.”
Gibson explains that Andrews University is in a relatively small community, and the small businesses there don’t have time or staff to conduct a regular internship program. “We tried to think of creative ways to assist in the local business community and be more of a partner in a way that is meaningful for them,” she says. “They have a need we can fill. ... We’re looking for a relationship, not just a one-time thing.”
She says that businesses Andrews hasn’t even contacted are calling asking for interns. “The local business reaction has been incredibly positive,” Gibson adds. “Businesses are asking for more interns than we have [available].”
“What makes this program different than other intern programs is that the School of Business worked directly with the business community and we collectively developed a series of functional modules that have potential solutions defined for the small to medium-sized business,” says Jeff Noel, president of Cornerstone Alliance, which listed linking the diverse Andrews University student population to the overall community as one of its goals for 2004. “The intent is to define solutions that businesses need and to assure that the students, based on faculty assessment, can perform those tasks.”
Deb Terry, president of Skillblender, LLC, a company that helps people become more effective in their career search, worked with the School of Business to match students’ skills to the needs of two local businesses: The Council for World Class Communities (CWCC) and the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra.
Erin Olson and Erika Piekarek, both senior marketing majors, started working with the Symphony in late February to develop a comprehensive marketing plan for their 2004-2005 season.
“I think internships are a very important part of the experience,” says Olson. “Over my five years in the school of business, I’ve heard a lot of people say that they wish something like this was available.”
Though Piekarek was excited about this learning opportunity to help in her career, she was also aware of her faith as an influence. “My faith has always prompted me to get involved in my community in ways that I could let my faith show through the work that I do and the type of worker that I am,” says Piekarek. “I am always aware that the type of person that I am and the work that I do reflect on my faith and in this case my university. I feel that you cannot be an effective witness if you are not first a responsible worker.”
Ernie Sadau, a member of the Business Advisory Council for the School of Business and CEO for Adventist Health System Midwest based in Hinsdale, Illinois, is excited about what this program can do for students’ perceptions of the “real world.”
“The School of Business is going to see this program grow and the community will benefit from it,” he says. “I believe all universities should implement a program like this.”
Cornerstone Alliance provided one-third of the funding for the program pilot, and plans to assist in program development with a targeted participation of 20 students by 2005. The School of Business is currently planning the summer Student Solutions Consultants program with local businesses, and plans to offer this program throughout each school year.
