The senior class has been busy this past year: with classes, extra-curriculars and…consulting? That’s right! As a part of our School of Business curriculum, we have the opportunity to solve real business problems for real organizations through the BUS 400 Senior Capstone class. Bottom line: As a Pamplin School of Business Capstone student, you get a firsthand look at the kinds of issues real businesses deal with every day. Ready to see what it takes to be successful in the Capstone class?
DR. HOLLOWAY
Here’s what Dr. Holloway, BUS 400 professor, had to say about this year’s Capstone experience.
How did the Capstone program start?
It is a lot harder for me to do this than a sit down, listen to me talk, take some tests capstone. What happened in the first three years I was here and ran the capstone, the students learned a lot, I was happy, and they seemed to like the course. That said, we weren’t fulfilling the university mission, which is to try to get our students more involved in the community. It is about more than just educating the head.
I think we have an opportunity to make a much larger impact, and its going to be great learning for our students. They are going to be forced into professional situations before they ever leave campus; they are going to have a dramatic impact on the local community.
What impact does this program have on the organizations involved?
Every year, we give away over 2,000 hours of strategic consulting to local small businesses. Just because you can get a job, doesn’t mean you can be as successful as you could be. The #1 marketing tool for the School of Business is to get our students out in front of other businesses. We’re getting students meetings with business professionals, they get over their fear of doing something wrong, and they realize that these are just regular people too. When our students get into an employment situation, they are much better prepared, they are more relaxed and they can hit the ground running.
Some of the Capstone programs in other departments on campus allow their students more choice, but at the same time in terms of experiential learning, I can’t think of anything better that what we have.
JESSI DULEY
Here’s what Jessi Duley, owner of BurnCycle, had to say about her experience working with Capstone students.
Overall, what did you think of the experience?
It was great to have these college students tell me I needed to get organized before we grow. They really helped me dial into my organization. It was applicable, real, and tangible. I walked away with so much knowledge.
What benefit did the students gain from working with you?
For them, I think it was good to see the interworkings of a successful business. In a perfect world with a lot of time, classrooms can layout a theory: i.e. you move from point A to point B. Ours is not like that at all. It truly gave the students a unique perspective on how businesses are run.
Our culture is the driving force of our business and our culture is derived from our personalities. You can’t just read about that. Businesses are based around culture. [Working with the Capstone groups] were exactly what we needed!
ALEX CALVERT
Here’s what Alex Calvert, a 2014 grad and Capstone participant, had to say about the program.
What was the Capstone experience like for you?
The Capstone experience was truly the pivotal part of my experience at the Pamplin School of Business. As the culmination of four years of learning, my team and I were able to bring together our academic learning and apply it in a real world context. I entered the class with much anticipation, as I had already faced a similar learning experience in Entrepreneur Scholars the year prior, and was excited to have another experience, which truly made a difference outside of the classroom.
What benefit does the Capstone program provide for students?
The Capstone class is a great learning opportunity in many respects, the most notable learning how to effectively work with and consult for a real business. There are a great deal of activities which you don’t really think about in college but are crucial to managing client relations. It was a joy to collaborate with someone so passionate about their business, and to still have the chance to pop in and say hi when I’m in the area. Another really great element that I remember distinctly was seeing my team bring together the various components of their majors and what they’ve learned that other teammates hadn’t. It demonstrated the power of collaborating in a cross-functional team, and how together, we created something the likes of which could never have been accomplished alone.
What were the largest hurdles you had to overcome?
I would say the biggest hurdle was constantly looking for feedback from the client. We learned early on that touching base frequently with the scope of our work and making sure we were heading in the right direction of the client’s expectations was a necessity. Had we not constantly checked in and made sure that we were on the right track, we would have presented something not at all in line with what the client expected at the end of the class. Another crucial part was understanding early on what the strengths were of each group member. Rather than split the work five-ways, we worked in a smarter and more efficient manner by focusing on our abilities. One person in our group was an incredible writer, while another had perfected the art of marketing research. Truly working together, rather than in five corridors heading in the same direction, was our key to success.