On the banks of Reedy River Falls, business and education become one in a meeting of the minds and a blurring of the lines between the business community and higher education. Clemson at the Falls’ (CATF) intention to become a business hub for educational innovation in Greenville is evidenced by its portfolio of programs and resources specifically designed to spur economic development and engagement between students, industry executives and community leaders.
The synergy between Clemson and downtown Greenville is just one of the reasons Richard Kornacki chose to advance his undergraduate degree in supply chain and information systems with an MBA from CATF. “It makes sense to have a university focused on teaching future business leaders in an area like downtown Greenville. The location gives students an active ‘lab’ to work in throughout the program. Students have access to a wealth of small and large companies with which they can partner on projects and forge long-term relationships.”
Clemson’s entire MBA program is now offered at CATF, where it is fulfilling its niche as a driver for both workforce and economic development in the Upstate. Claude Lilly, Dean of the College of Business and Behavioral Science, says the program, in addition to Greenville’s other amenities, will further motivate companies to locate in the city. “The only logical step was for Clemson to build a major presence in downtown Greenville,” says Lilly. “CATF is diligently working to help recruit new businesses to Greenville. Having a strong educational component in downtown, as well as an accessible talent pool of highly trained and highly motivated graduates, will be attractive to industries considering the area.”
Associate Dean and Director of the Clemson MBA program and Spiro Institute, Gregory Pickett, says, “CATF’s downtown location exemplifies our commitment to the business community while also adding value to our educational programs. Everyone benefits – students, businesses, the Grenville community and Clemson University.”
Currently the University’s MBA enrollment consists of approximately 300 students, of which two-thirds are part-time professionals. The student population represents many U.S. states, with a demographic breakdown of 23% international students and 30% women.
CATF’s MBA program offers both full-time and part-time students avenues to build deeper expertise in emphasis areas most closely suited to their career goals, including health services, services science, marketing analysis, supply chain, information management and real estate. Lilly notes that a new MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is expected to receive final approval from the South Carolina Higher Education (SCHE) board, and a Masters in Accountancy will be added to the roster this fall.
Pickett says the MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation will be a full-time, highly immersive curriculum designed to help students develop the tools to launch their own business. “The Clemson University MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is a new kind of MBA degree. We offer our students the opportunity to bring their ingenious ideas to the marketplace, while providing the foundational MBA skill set to help them grow as future corporate leaders. This dual learning outcome ensures that our students are prepared to become leaders in the new innovation economy.”
The new program will include access to a support network designed to foster interaction between students and leaders in the local business community. An Entrepreneurial Resource Network comprised of 75 mentors gives students access to real-life lessons learned from seasoned entrepreneurs in the community through collaborative sessions such as Network Mondays. The Venture Fridays program includes a monthly off-campus visit to local corporations such as the BMW Performance Driving School and the NEXT Innovation Center, as well as entrepreneurial activities such as international symposiums and elevator pitch competitions. The MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation culminates in a three-week Investor Road Show where students can pitch their business plans in an effort to earn seed funding from “angel investors” to fund their new business ventures.
Current MBA students are excited to be a part of the program that affords them unlimited possibilities in gaining education and experience through a host of outlets in the community. Pickett says CATF’s First Friday program, which draws up to 125 attendees the first Friday of each month, is a prime example of how business leaders and MBA students can come together to network and foster a collaborative environment. He adds that CATF plans to host an upcoming seminar series in the spring 2012 semester featuring renowned speakers who are some of the most well known supply chain experts in the U.S. The series also will be open to the community.
“Having classes at the CATF location enables us to interact with many business leaders and much of our coursework engages us in working on realistic simulations that allow us to use what we’ve learned in the classroom. A monthly seminar series really hones in on how to advance our careers while many students are offered great internship opportunities through the businesses that surround our campus,” says Pete Riyad, a second-year MBA student. “I haven’t graduated yet, but I’ve already made a ton of important relationships with business leaders in the Greenville area.”
Leigh Ann Frick, vice president of clinical services at Heritage Healthcare who recently graduated with an MBA in health services, says CATF has given her new theories and concepts to apply to her current position, as well as a better overall insight into the inner workings of the business. “It was important to me to have a classroom experience in lieu of online-based education because I wanted to meet, know and learn in person. Having the entire MBA program at CATF allows working professionals to interact with full-time students. There is always something to learn from everyone, and I enjoyed the networking opportunities. Downtown just fosters networking!” she says.
Lindsey Duncan, who is currently pursuing her MBA in healthcare, agrees that having access to Greenville business leaders allows for a more comprehensive educational experience. “Classes at CATF are pulled from outside experience and not just straight from the book. We have had many important business leaders come and speak, providing us invaluable opportunities to openly ask questions to help us land that next job.”
“The program has already made a significant difference in my career,” says Kornacki. “There is tremendous benefit in being able to apply what you’ve learned immediately in your job. Having business knowledge in a variety of fields helps me to better make decisions that ultimately benefit the entire company.”
Lilly notes that while it is difficult to track MBA graduates’ job progress (as many are already employed upon entering the program), he points out that many full-time students are successfully paired with internships in their area of interest.
Such internship opportunities and networking events at CATF are critical in forming bonds between students and area businesses that often lead to full-time employment positions. Duncan says that she has secured an internship position at Village Hospital on Pelham Road. John Moore, executive vice president of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, notes that the launch of NEXT’s internship program last year provided a successful partnership between the Clemson MBA program and the high-impact growth companies of NEXT.
MBA student Rachel Broadbent says, “Our inboxes are inundated daily with internship positions, possible job options, meet-and-greets with alumni, and leadership opportunities, all in the Greenville area. No one can feel hopeless or helpless about their future career success with so many options and possibilities to consider.”
“In today’s economy, qualified, educated, entrepreneurial talent is the most precious resource,” says Moore. “CATF students are able to take their business acumen and knowledge to a new level by putting their education into action while Greenville companies can source talent locally. CATF is helping Greenville retain, attract, refine and leverage bright young minds that will lead us into the future.”
The University’s Professional Advancement and Continuing Education (PACE) program, the Small Business Development Center and the Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership are also located at CATF, with opportunities for local companies and business leaders to fully utilize Clemson’s educational resources.
The Small Business Development Center offers a variety of confidential services, capital sources, marketing, financial benchmarking and management training courses designed to meet the needs and aid the growth of existing small businesses and start-ups in the Upstate. PACE is a catalyst for bringing the University into the workplace via executive education and development through customized training programs.
“PACE further extends our educational reach into the community by facilitating workforce development through leadership development programs and a variety of resources geared t
oward molding the business leaders of tomorrow,” says Pickett. PACE offers training to a variety of industries, including the manufacturing and service sectors, in a number of disciplines like sales, engineering and lean transformation. Lilly says the CATF Leadership Summit, created as part of PACE, focuses on the five pillars of leadership – integrity, objectivity, creativity, courage and passion – and has proven successful in enhancing and advancing the leadership skills of executives in many of Greenville’s largest organizations, including Michelin, BMW, Hubbell Lighting and BB&T. Also offered is the Dean’s Leadership Certificate Program, open to full-time students and working professionals, which centers on training students in soft skills. Michelin North America will be offering a pilot program through their Career Services program this spring.
The resources of the Spiro Institute help existing companies and entrepreneurs interject entrepreneurial insight into their business practices. Pickett notes that in the midst of such an innovative community as Greenville, there has been tremendous interest in the program. LaunchPad, the institute’s business ideas competition, critiques new business concepts in an effort to help individuals form new companies. The competition is divided into two sections – full-time Clemson graduate and undergraduate students and all South Carolina residents – with $20,000 of award monies presented to top-place finishers.
The Spiro Institute’s Sustainable Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) program is an eight-session accelerator course designed to assist entrepreneurs in developing an understanding of business by drawing on the expertise of local business leaders. The goal of the program is to significantly increase the growth trajectory for these entrepreneurs by providing them with the information needed to grow at a rapid pace.
In addition to partnering with the local business community, CATF is also active in advancing relationships with local non-profits and service organizations – and students are quickly taking to this initiative. In a volunteer partnership between MBA students and the Triune Mercy Center, a nondenominational mission church that ministers to the homeless, Clemson students created a computer lab and developed training seminars for the purpose of teaching individuals basic computer skills, internet usage and program knowledge in an effort to augment the job-hunting and career skills of the participants.
Broadbent says that she and fellow CATF students want to give back to a downtown area that has been such a critical component in their higher education. “Pete [Riyad] and I are two vice-presidents in the MBA Student Association as well as senators in the Graduate Student Government, committee members in PULSE and volunteers for Hands On Greenville. The Greenville community is giving students so much – fertile ground, job opportunities, endless options for starting a new business. A service project isn’t much, but it is one way CATF students can give back to Greenville,” says Broadbent. “CATF is a phenomenal engine for downtown economic development and an invaluable community partner,” says Moore. “Greenville is restless and feels the drive to continually increase performance.
CATF is the perfect match because it continues to push the boundaries in accordance with the demand for business expertise. Clemson is dedicated to making our community successful. We couldn’t have ordered a greater piece of infrastructure to move Greenville to the next level.”