Corporate Partner Dinner
This fall, a unique blend of faculty, high-achieving college of business students and representatives of companies from across the state and region filled the Business Building atrium for the second annual Corporate Partner Recognition Dinner.
In total, 48 companies were recognized at the event for the impact they have made on the College of Business through direct financial support for programs, research and scholarships.
“We started this program in 2018 as a way to formally recognize and thank all of the great companies we have built relationships with over the years,” said Kevin Gwinner, Edgerley family dean of the College of Business. “A critical aspect of our strategic plan is to build our corporate partnerships to a higher level and degree of intimacy. Our hope with this initiative is to increase both the quantity and quality of interactions that faculty and students have with the business community to create mutual value.”
Building mutually beneficial relationships with the college’s partners has been key to the initiative in its early stages, which has seen the program facilitate access to high-quality internship and full-time position opportunities. This allows corporate partners an opportunity to recruit from a pool of bright, talented young professionals, while allowing students to explore exciting opportunities as they begin their careers.
Engaging closely with corporate partners also helps to improve the quality of education in College of Business classrooms.
“By integrating business community partners into the educational experience through guest lectures, co-teaching, and company-sponsored student projects, our curriculum is able to evolve with the needs of the business world,” Gwinner said. “Each of our academic departments has been tasked over the last year with enhancing our existing relationships, and targeting new companies to build new relationships with.”
That effort to bring more companies into the fold has paid off, with the program growing from 39 companies in 2018-19, to 48 in 2019-20. As the program continues to develop, the college hopes to create even stronger connections between faculty and industry professionals. Collaborations with expert faculty on business problems, consulting, faculty internships and research projects are all win-win propositions that create value for both organizations.
“Our goal is to create value for our corporate partners by providing opportunities to enhance visibility among our students, faculty and alumni,” said Kurt Roberts, executive director of the college’s Career Development office. “This event allows us to thank those partners for all of the ways they impact our college.”
Learn more about how your company can get involved in the corporate partner program.
2019-20 College of Business Corporate Partners
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