BUIES CREEK – There was an energy within Campbell Business School last week felt by students and faculty alike. The spark behind the energy was 17 teams from the BADM 200 (Philosophy of Business) course participating in “Demo Day,” the culminating event to a semester-long project where student teams tackled issues such as:
- Recycling on campus
- Energy consumption
- Water consumption
- Abdominal pain in children
- Creative spaces in educational institutions
- Physical fitness on campus
- Active learning techniques on campus
“The displays exhibited some creative ideas for solving existing problems,” said Campbell Business Assistant Professor of Economics Dr. Mark Steckbeck. “The students presenting them did a great job showing their entrepreneurial side and the great materials they’ve learned in class.”
“I enjoyed working with the students throughout the semester, witnessing their growth as they pushed themselves to develop, research, and coordinate their final products,” said course student mentor Tia Moore. “I also think that the exhibition day, where they spoke with professors and other mentors, helped in developing communication and presentation skills.”
“What an amazing cluster of proud and cheerful young entrepreneurs,” said Campbell Business Associate Dean for Eternal Relations Dr. Shahriar Mostashari. “I left the student exhibition hall with not one but several favorite projects. Kudos to all for their creativity and choice of timely and relevant Campus focused projects.”
“I liked watching the teams of students present the project they have had to work on all semester,” said course student mentor Rachel Wheeler. “This gave each student an opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and develop skills they will use after graduation.”
Campbell Business instructor and entrepreneurship coordinator Scott Kelly, who serves as the business school faculty member at HQ Raleigh led the course throughout the semester.
“Our students begin taking business courses when they first step on campus, and we have four years to mold their minds and craft their creativity,” said Kelly. “Most of the students that participated in the projects were sophomores who begin this course after completing the first business course where they completed another team project to launch a food truck. I look forward to meeting these students in a few years and seeing how these projects shaped their careers.”
“The world expects our students to enter the workforce ready to solve unstructured problems and work in teams,” said Campbell Business Dean Dr. Kevin O’Mara. “These projects not only allowed students to develop creative and critical thinking skills, but it also helped them understand team dynamics and the value of a strong, interwoven, and focused team. This is not their only team experience as all Campbell Business students work on the food truck project in their first year, this entrepreneurship project in their second year, and a Six Sigma project with an actual company in their third year. They should be well versed in teamwork prior to their internship experience, which will enable them to better contribute during the internship.”
The end goal of the BADM 200 projects was to serve as a catalyst in changing student behavior with regard to curiosity and innovation. The four-year Campbell Business curriculum is designed to prepare students to tackle problems and seize opportunities when they enter the working world.