The Culture of Create Your More

Helping students create distinct and valuable experiences is at the heart of the WSU College of Business’ Create Your Moreculture – and the college’s Engaged Learning Endowment will support those experiences.

As of March, WSU had raised $750,000, or 75% of the overall campaign goal of $1 million. “Our amazing alumni, friends and business partners have really stepped up to get us to this point,” says WSU Director of Development Debbie Block. “They see value in the opportunities this endowment supports and they are making it happen through their generosity.

“There’s been a culture shift in the College of Business,” Block continues, “and the energy is palpable. Students are creating their more by connecting their classroom experience with the real world of business, and the endowment will provide a sustainable resource to support those learning opportunities.”

This shift can be seen not only through dollar amounts, but through engagement as well. Alumni, friends and business partners of WSU are sharing their time, talent and experience both in the classroom and helping students make connections in the business world. The result is a robust learning environment infused with experiential learning opportunities around every corner. Just a few of the many examples that took place this year include:

Finance @ Noon:During this year-long series, students came together with real life industry experts who shared everything from employment opportunities in the financial services industry to steps students can take to build a business plan around their own ideas.

Mayo Clinic’s IT University:The Management Information Systems Association, with others from campus, visited Mayo Clinic to hear directly from their IT team and experience demonstrations of Mayo systems – such as databases used to handle DNA strand analysis and supercomputers used to conduct research analysis and experiment with augmented reality. On top of it all, students were given opportunities to hear from Mayo department heads on what interning and working at Mayo is really like.

Pi Sigma Alpha:WSU’s chapter of the national co-ed professional fraternity traveled to a regional conference to compete in the event’s Pro-Am Sell-A-Thon and Marketing Competition, and to take advantage of networking opportunities to secure summer internships and job offers upon graduation. The group walked away with five WSU students finishing as finalists (one taking second place) in the Sell-A-Thon, and a WSU team taking home the top prize in the Marketing Challenge.

The goal of the College of Business Engaged Learning Endowment is to support WSU students and faculty as they immerse themselves in relevant learning experiences. The Create Your Moreculture shift is all about providing these experiences for everystudent – experiences that will serve as true differentiators in WSU students’ burgeoning careers.

Want to get involved and help us reach our goal? Consider being a part of the Create Your More culture by making a gift and sharing your experience and expertise. Visit wsu.mn/business-endowment to learn more.