Real World Learning
During my tenure as the Associate Dean of the School of Business at St. Lawrence College I wanted to take my knowledge and experience working in Student Affairs and Services and apply those student success strategies to the delivery of business education. My overall philosophy was to “engage students for the purpose of employment.” I knew from my 15+years as a student affairs and services professional that an engaged student was a successful student. I also knew from my prior work experience in a college that students were focused on a good employment outcome from their studies.
Approach to Business Education
My approach was to make a commitment to offering numerous opportunities for students to engage with real clients in practical settings, to develop essential employability skills, and to build close relationships with faculty, staff, other students, and members of the community.
We recognized that employers seek individuals with strong interpersonal, communication, resilience, and conflict management skills, in addition to technical abilities. To meet these demands, we integrated experiential learning and career readiness throughout the business programs.
Experiential Learning Highlights:
"Get Your Horns On" Orientation: First-year business students participate in a 48-hour challenge to sell Viking helmets (the college mascot) to raise funds for student initiatives. This student-led campaign provides an early opportunity to develop practical skills and contribute to the college community. This initiative raised over $2500 per year with all funds going back to student activities.
Exposure to the Business World: SLC students engage with the broader business landscape through activities such as organizing live simulcasts and attending in person the World Business Forum from NYC.
Professional Development: Students participate in workshops focused on etiquette, Toastmasters training, and have opportunities to interact with industry professionals throughout their program of study..
Real-World Projects: A key component of the SLC experience is the opportunity for students to work with real community clients. This allows them to gain practical experience, take calculated risks, and develop resilience, with the support of faculty who act as mentors and coaches.
Career Preparation: Graduating students can utilize the Workplace Big Five Psychometric Assessment, a tool used by Fortune 500 companies, to identify optimal work environments and articulate their strengths and weaknesses.
Performance Management and Feedback: Students would meet 1:1 with program faculty in the middle of each semester to discuss non-academic performance and career goal setting.
Recognition: The School implemented many recognition activities such as semesterly letters recognizing academic achievement and the annual Next Best awards. Many programs created specific awards to recognize student contributions to the learning environment and work with industry partners such as the Greg Awards.
Competitions: The school supported and encouraged active participation in regional, provincial and national business competitions covering a wide variety of business disciplines such as marketing, advertising, accounting, Human Resources, entrepreneurship, and sales.
Academic Pathways: SLC offers pathways for students to pursue business degrees at the college or through partnerships with other educational institutions. This also included advanced recognition of McDonald’s management training into the Business Diploma program.
Other competition successes include:
Western Canadian Business Competition: SLC team achieved Best Senior Team Performance Overall and won individual Gold Medals.
Ontario Colleges' Marketing Competition (OCMC): SLC students won the winner's cup ten times in 15 years.
National Vanier College BDC Case Challenge: SLC winners from OCMC went on to win first place four times in 10 years.
ENACTUS: two finalists and ten top 16 teams in Canada over the last 18 years, plus numerous individual and project specific awards.
In 2016 the School of Business activities generated over 60% of all College new stories.
College valedictorian selected from the School of Business in 9 of 10 years of my tenure.
Preparing Students for the Future
I was committed to providing a wide range of student activities to prepare them for a competitive and rapidly changing job market. The activities and programs emphasized the importance of adaptability and versatility in preparing students for their future careers.
