For the
past two and a half years, students of the Harmon College of Business
Administration have learned about managing business and philanthropy through a
unique program offered at the University
of Central Missouri. The
participating students of the Integrative Business Experience program have
donated $20,397.90 and 1,378 hours of service to various charities in the
Warrensburg area since January 2003. This semester, two new groups are likely
to experience the higher grossing profit since the program was established.
This fall’s student companies, Get Your Lid On and Central Warmth, were
challenged to design and market a product over the course of a semester. The
students had seven weeks to compose a business plan that was presented to a
loan review board. Students obtained a business loan through First Community
Bank of up to $5,000 to manufacture their product. All profit from the
marketing of their product goes towards a charity of the students’ choice. Get
your Lid On sold out of the black UCM hats that sold for $15. Profits will go
to the Salvation Army of Johnson County to help renovate their disaster relief
trailer. Richard Deford, director of public relations and development for the
Salvation Army, was impressed with the hard work of the IBE students.
“We appreciate any help we can get.
After the March 12 tornadoes this year, we realized we were unprepared for a
large-scale disaster. A new trailer will help us mobilize quickly to assist
affected areas in Johnson
County,” said Deford. Get
Your Lid On approached the Salvation Army during the UCM Student Volunteer Fair
on Sept.13. Local non-profit organizations were invited to campus. Although
several student groups made proposals to the Salvation, the IBE students have
followed through with their pledge to help replace the trailer. “This is the
first major project we have undertaken in Johnson County.
The office is relatively new after being a service extension unit of St. Louis for the past 50
years. With the help of the IBE students, we are closer to getting a trailer
that will accommodate our needs, “said Deford. The IBE Program’s second
company, Central Warmth, also sold out of the stainless steel coffee tumblers
that it marketed for $15. The profits will go to Project Warmth, a local Kansas City charity that
provided blankets, warm clothing, and money for heat and utility bills to
homeless and unprivileged residents during the cold winter months. This year,
KCTV5 and “The Kansas City Star” are celebrating a 25 year partnership in the
Project Warmth effort.
Central Warmth was featured on
KCTV5 while participating in the Project
Warmth Clothing Drive on Nov.11 that collected
over 61 tons of clothing and blankets citywide. The students were able to
advertise their mugs and build awareness about the company on the air. The
students of Central Warmth contacted Diane Scott, community relations manager
for “The Kansas City Star,” in September and asked permission to use Project
Warmth as the company philanthropy. “I think it’s wonderful that there is a
program that teaches young people the importance of giving back to the
community, Since Project Warmth is an all-volunteer effort, all profits and
donations go to the residents of Kansas
City who need it the most. I’m sure the IBE students
realize that they are making a definite impact,” said Scott. The Integrative
Business Experience program was introduced to UCM in spring semester 2003 by
Larry Michaelsen, professor of management. It is comprised of four courses:
Principles of Management, Marketing Policy, Management Information Systems and
IBE Practicum. Under the instruction of Mary McCord, associate professor of
computer information systems, Larry Haase, chair of the Department of Marketing
and Legal Studies, and Michaelsen, students gain practical, hands-on experience
while simultaneously managing a start-up company and community service project.
Michaelsen
adopted the concept of the IBE program from Bucknell
University in Pennsylvania. Since then, he has established
IBE programs on several college campuses across the United States. He has also
introduced the program to the Bandung Institute of Technology, a university in Indonesia.
Michaelsen will travel to Australia
this summer to start the IBE program at The University Sydney.
“I transferred from Kansas State
to UCM because of the Integrative Business Experience program,” said Dane
Powers, president of Central Warmth. “Not many universities offer a program
like IBE. I like the program because it resembles a business internship in many
ways. The only difference is that you get to make all the decisions and learn
from your mistakes.”