Undergraduate Business Professional And Service Project

The philosophy of professional and service projects is simple: service is a vitally important component of career development. What this means practically is that opportunities are available through service that can allow one to achieve the following objectives:

• Use business skills and knowledge in practical results driven non-academic experiences. The business skills that one can gain through the curriculum can be extensively supplemented through service activities that allow one to use these skills to achieve meaningful and important results.
• Develop Leadership - Through service activities one can significantly enhance their leadership skills. Service projects allow one to develop a true understanding of the importance of leadership in groups and teams achieving their objectives. Service projects also offer the opportunity to students to become involved with other students and to develop their skills for leadership in these situations.
• Develop Professional Networks Service is a valuable way to enhance one’s professional network. Service activities allow one to gain access to leaders, managers, and key individuals in organization who are responsible for goals achievement and leadership. Service allows students to gain first hand experience and insight from these professionals and to add them to their own network of professional references.
• Community Involvement and Social Responsibility - Community involvement and social responsibility are now critical areas for the development of complete managers and leaders of organizations and society in the future. In most organizations this is now a critical activity for senior managers in their career development process. Service projects allow students to begin to understand the importance of these ideas at an early stage of their careers.

When Do I Need to Complete This Requirement?

Each student is required to complete the course 70-201 as a part of their degree requirements. Students who enter as freshman should plan to complete the requirement by the end of their 5th semester. Students who transfer into undergraduate business should plan to complete the requirement by the end of the 3rd semester after their transfer. There is no cut-off date for completion of this requirement other than prior to graduation. However students are encouraged to complete the requirement within the guideline times as it if difficult to complete it without sufficient prior planning.

What Activities Can I Use to Complete the Requirement?

University Lecture SeriesStudents may attend events in the university lecture series and receive credit towards the requirement of this course. In order to receive credit for their participation in these activities the students are required to provide an essay summarizing the most important points of the event and expressing their opinion regarding the substance of the lecture. The required essay should be a minimum of two full single spaced pages in length. The essay will be evaluated for grammar and content and will be awarded points on a 10, 8, 5 point basis. A total of 100 points is required to earn an “A” grade in the course.

Clubs and Organizations

Students who participate in clubs and organizations can receive credit towards the requirements of this course for their participation in the activities of these organizations. No assigned amount of credit is associated with these activities and they are evaluated on a case by case basis. In order to receive credit, you must provide an essay regarding the club or organization’s activities for which you are seeking credit. The required essay should be a minimum of two full single spaced pages in length. The essay should substantively address the student’s gains from participation in the activities of the club or organization in at least two of the objective areas for the service activity. The essay will be evaluated for grammar and content and will be awarded points according to the following objectives:

• Impact – did the student’s involvement significantly affect the accomplishment of goals?
• Length of Service – did the student’s involvement extend in time sufficient to address to long term goals of the organization?

Community Organization Projects

Community organizations often contact the department soliciting student involvement in their activities that may be used to meet the service requirement. These are shared with interested students as they develop in order to provide students with additional opportunities not associated with specific clubs or organizations.

Fraternities and SororitiesStudents may not receive any credit towards the requirements of this course for their participation in activities associated with fraternities and sororities.

How and when do I register for this Course? Students are only allowed to register for the course when a substantial (70%) of the course requirement has been completed. This means, for example 7-essays from the university lecture series that have been awarded 10 points each. In the case of participation in a club or organization, at least one full semester of involvement must have been completed. No points are assigned for club activities until completed essays describing the student’s involvement and the significance of their involvement to the achievement of goals of the organizations has been submitted. After completing the essay you may request an appointment to better understand how your involvement has been evaluated and the point total that has been assigned to it.

Student may be registered in the course until the last day of classes in a semester and may not be enrolled prior to the first day after the end of the drop-add period.

Project Organizations where you can get involved...

SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise)  - The purpose of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) is to help people achieve their dreams through free enterprise education. SIFE's aim is to provide college students with the best opportunity to make a difference while allowing students to develop lasting leadership, team and communication skills.

BOC (Business Opportunities Conference) - The Business Opportunities Conference (BOC) is a premier event for undergraduate business students. It is a career fair that is planned, executed and organized by students in order to gain experience applying their education directly to career development, promotion and event marketing.

AMA (American Marketing Associates)  - The American Marketing Associates (AMA) is the only organization that provides direct benefits to marketing professionals in both business and education and serves all levels of marketing practitioners, educators and students.

Student Life Service Programs - Student Life Service Programs include: orientation service projects, Mid-semester break trip (fall), the Thanksgiving service project, MLK service projects and dimension programs

Junior Achievement - Junior Achievement (JA) is a group of passionate people inspiring kids to learn the economics of life through free enterprise education. JA enables caring business professionals to share their experience with students to show them what it takes to be successful.

Career Center Programs - The Career Center provides career development opportunities for students such as career shadowing, a site visit program and a workshop on how to negotiate job offers.