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Last week, 108 high school students representing 48 different high schools from Oregon, Washington, Texas and Canada visited the Oregon State campus and the College of Business for the annual Young Entrepreneurs Business Week program for a week of hands-on learning experiences.

Program participants spent their week being exposed to a curriculum designed to teach students that business can be fun and exciting.  During the program, each student is placed in a student-led company comprised of 8-10 students. The YEBW organizers say that they take the students’ geography, educational background, age, and other factors into account to create intentionally diverse teams of students, which are then guided by real executives from the business community who share their knowledge and expertise with the students throughout the week.

Once the students are placed with their teams and mentors, they create management teams, develop a mission statement, invent a product, and conduct actual operation of their own business by competing in business simulations.  However, the instruction goes far beyond the business curriculum.  Designed to broaden the practical skill sets of each student, YEBW incorporates professional speakers and other interactive learning exercises such as mock interviews, a professional etiquette dinner, networking events and plenty of social activities along the way. The goal of the curriculum is to provide students with the financial literacy, business fundamentals and confidence that they need to be self-sufficient and successful, priming the pipeline for the next generation of business and community leaders.

West Linn High School Junior Nathan Bergstrom, whose grandfather and father are both OSU alumni, said that although the curriculum is demanding, it’s more than worthwhile.

“This week has been intense, but also a lot of fun,” said Bergstrom. “Coming in, I don’t know that we necessarily understood what all goes into owning a successful business. The amount of planning it takes just to get started is a little surprising, but it’s also really rewarding and gives you a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment,” he said.

Young Entrepreneurs Business Week’s mission is to “build the next generation of business leaders” and was created because of increasing concern that Oregon’s youth of all educational and economic backgrounds were coming out of high school with no practical business knowledge, thus hindering their ability to innovate, create and produce the kinds of goods and services key to every community’s growth and success.  The YEBW organization was born in 2006 when a small group of entrepreneurs decided to fill the gap by drawing together curriculum developers, business professionals, educators and successful youth-focused program leaders to launch their educational program.

Assistant Professor of Management Anthony Klotz, Ph.D. teaches undergraduate classes in Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management for the College of Business at Oregon State University. But this summer, Klotz is taking the learning far beyond the typical classroom boundaries.

Klotz and 10 business students are currently studying abroad in the U.K. The group arrived in London on Saturday, July 19, and classes began just two days after they arrived. The entire program runs for four weeks before the group returns in mid-August.

While in London, Klotz is instructing the students in a six-credit Cross Cultural Management class. Outside of the time spent in the classroom, the students are getting immersed in the culture of London through attending a number of cultural and business excursions. Meeting with American expatriates working in London, the students are getting to experience firsthand the challenges and opportunities of working and managing in a culture different than their own.

“We are very fortunate that of the ten students, five are native Oregonians and five are international students,” said Klotz. “This mix of students is really facilitating discussions inside and outside of the classroom concerning cultural differences and how to adapt to them,” he said.

Outside of their classroom instruction, the students are getting some in-depth experiential learning through receiving a special guest lecture from Oregon State alum Jennifer Ward (’95), Chief Talent Officer at Halma, PLC, touring the Meantime Brewery, and visiting the London offices of Experian to meet with Don Robert, chairman of the company and a member of the board of the Bank of England.

In addition to visiting a variety of businesses in London, the students will tour the Houses of Parliament, see a live performance of Julius Caesar at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, visit the British Museum and see the Rosetta Stone, go for a river cruise on the Thames, ride on the London Eye, go on a double-decker bus tour of city and tour the Tower of London. Klotz and the students are also taking day trips to visit other significant places in England outside of London such as Oxford, Brighton and Windsor Castle.

“We have a really special group of students here that have quickly formed a strong bond, even though they themselves are from very different cultures,” said Klotz. “Four students are from China, one is from Saudi Arabia, one is from Hawaii, and four are from Oregon. It makes it very easy to teach cross-cultural management with such an exceptional group of students from such diverse backgrounds,” he said.

While summertime in Bexell Hall typically means quieter days, that’s not always the case. That’s because hundreds of incoming first year and transfer students and their families take part in START, an extensive two-day  program with sessions offered June through September that is required for all incoming students at Oregon State.

Bexell has been abuzz with activity lately as START gives students an introduction to life at OSU, leading them through their first advising appointments, signing up for their first classes, and sharing the information they’ll need to succeed once the school year arrives in the fall.

Among those visiting today were three incoming first-year students from out-of-state who – just after completing their registration for their fall classes – shared their thoughts about Oregon State and their experience with START.

Mackenzie Chiles from Boise, Idaho said that she chose Oregon State because of her overall impressions of OSU being “a great school and an awesome place to live.” While she’s not sure exactly what she wants to concentrate her studies on, she said that she chose the College of Business specifically because her business classes in high school were the only classes that she found consistently engaging. Despite not yet knowing what she plans to major in when she applies to pro school, Mackenzie is excited to explore some introductory classes from a variety of majors.

“I love how nice and genuine everyone in Corvallis has been, and I can’t wait to get to campus and start my college career,” said Chiles.

Oregon State first got on Hayden Bailey’s radar because of his passion for and love of baseball. The left-handed pitcher from Colusa, Calif. is even hoping to make the Beavers’ perennially-ranked baseball team as a walk-on.

“I’m really drawn to the College of Business because of how useful and versatile a business degree is,” said Bailey, who is planning on majoring in either marketing or management. “I’ve been really impressed with how helpful the staff of the college have been during START, and it’s been a great way to make connections and start meeting some of my future classmates” he said.

Taylor Collins, from Chino Hills, Calif. knows exactly what she wants to accomplish with a degree from Oregon State.

“I want to start my own company someday,” said Collins, who is interested in launching a business that specializes in either event planning or beauty products.

“My parents fell in love with Corvallis, and I’ve heard that the Entrepreneurship program here is really great. So Oregon State just made sense to all of us,” she said.

Collins said that while she was initially worried that registering for classes would be complicated and confusing, taking part in START made the process really simple.

“Going through START has definitely helped ease some of my concerns,” she said. “It’s been reassuring getting connected and familiar with campus and some of the available resources before starting my classes.”

Students and faculty in the College of Business have come to know Academic Adviser Jayne Andersen for her hard work, passion, and dedication to helping students fulfill their academic potential. In fact, Andersen was the recipient of the Outstanding Professional Faculty and Staff Service Award at the 2014 Celebration of Achievement.

Get to know a little more about Jayne through this Q and A.

What was your first job?

My first job out of college was as a Landscape Architect for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The best part of that job was doing research for the Great River Road program. We had to travel to many small towns in Minnesota that were on the Mississippi river.  This included starting at Lake Itasca which is the head of the Mississippi River.  I actually got to stand on both the east and west side of the river at the very same time because it’s only about a foot wide at that location.

What is the best part of your job?

I really enjoy my job as an academic adviser. Assisting students who are in college is very fulfilling and fun. The best part of my job is when I see students expanding their vision of what they can accomplish.  That’s an awesome thing to observe – just seeing the light bulb go off and their level of excitement and interest increase. That’s my favorite part.

In one to three words, how would you describe the College of Business?

Innovative, student-focused and progressive.

What is something about Oregon State University or the College of Business that you wish more people knew?

I’m not sure if students are aware of all the many different activities and opportunities that are available to them here at Oregon State and within the College of Business. I’d encourage students to get involved, ask questions, take advantage of the opportunities and resources that are available on campus.

What’s the one piece of advice that, if followed, would benefit students the most?

Seek out and get involved in activities while in school.  Be willing to step out of your comfort zone and try new things – explore and dream.

Do you have any “secret” talents or hobbies outside of work?

It’s not very secret, but I really enjoy the out of doors – running, hiking, biking etc.  Perhaps less well known is that in the past I was a quilter as well.

What was the first concert you ever attended?

Elton John at Purdue University

What was your favorite childhood movie?

I think Wizard of Oz – even though the tornado and monkeys scared me a little bit.

What do you watch when you just need to laugh? 

I’m more likely to just hang out with friends who I have fun with – friends that just make me laugh!

“We saw tremendous growth from Bosky this year as they worked hard to develop their branding, marketing, and business strategy,” said McCauley. “The Austin Lab has the Weatherford Garage makerspace that provides students with access to state-of-the-art equipment such as 3d printers, CNC machines, and laser cutters, which helped enable Bosky to completely re-develop their product line. The Austin Lab also provided them with the space and equipment for furthering their product development by shifting their focus to customizable eyewear using our laser engraver,” he said.

After working in the Austin Lab, Bosky Optics soon expanded and gained some momentum, managing to sell their products in 30 different countries and expanding their product line to include bioplastic ski goggles as well as the renewable wood sunglasses. While their sales were respectable and still growing, Cruft and Miner decided  to take the next step by joining the OSU Advantage Accelerator.

“Bosky Optics is a great example of a student-run company that has all the ingredients to be successful; smart, ambitious founders with a great product and a good sense of what their customers want,” said John Turner, co-director of the OSUAA. “We enjoy working with Alex and Matt and look forward to contributing to their success. They have just started our 5-month program which will help them refine their business model, and grow Bosky Optics into a successful and sustainable business,” he said.

Through the OSUAA, companies have the opportunity to accelerate their success based on their individual needs. The goal of the OSUAA program is to assist in the development of new businesses through steady, controlled growth via individualized guidance to achieve greater, longer-lasting success.

“I originally had another career path carved out, but something just clicked my sophomore year,” said Cruft. “I decided I wanted to be my own boss and have more of a say in what I do for work. Joining the Austin Lab was a great way to get some structure and guide us in the right direction, and now that we’ve ‘graduated’ and moved on to the Advantage Accelerator, our approach to successfully launching and expanding our own company is getting really refined. Mark Lieberman and John Turner have been tremendously helpful giving us the direction we need, balancing constructive criticism and praise for the work we’ve done so far,” he said.

Cruft says that the Accelerator is helping Bosky Optics expand beyond being an exclusively online business. But before they can get there, the company needs to increase their customized manufacturing capacity. That’s why the company recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise enough capital to purchase their own laser engraver.

Miner ventured out across various online design forums to recruit artists to create new custom designs for the company. Miner was able to find 13 artists from five different continents to create new custom designs for Bosky’s sunglasses.

“We’re not trying to only sell wooden sunglasses,” said Miner. “It’s about selling art on eyewear, which really hasn’t been done like this before. These products are sustainable, but you should buy them for their style and performance, which is what truly makes them stand out,” he said.

For their Kickstarter campaign, Bosky is offering three exclusive models of sunglasses in a classic wayfarer design.  After picking the model of sunglasses, buyers then choose their favorite graphic to be engraved on the sunglasses.

Business Information Systems (BIS) and Accounting professor Byron Marshall has a simple message for his students each semester: “When you learn, we all win.”

Marshall certainly backs his motto up by helping to provide his students with in-depth, hands-on experiential learning opportunities throughout their academic careers.

“When students are willing to put forth the effort, then I’m always willing to spend some extra time with them to encourage them along the way,” said Marshall.

Marshall facilitates projects for his BIS students that serve identifiable, valuable organizational functions, and involve understanding and working with today’s most relevant and exciting technologies. Many of these projects stretch out across multiple terms, usually taking place over the course of an entire school year.

Take for example some of the projects completed by the Oregon State SIM (Students of Information Management) program. As the College of Business at Oregon State prepares to move into Austin Hall this fall, students Tyler Acevedo, Alex Rooke, Kyle Copeland and Jerome Scott discovered an opportunity to get some hands-on experience through the Austin Hall ETL (Extract Transform Load) project.

“A new building means new technology, and that’s where the idea for our project came from,” said Acevedo.

Some of the new technology in Austin Hall will allow College of Business students to reserve team rooms online and use their identification cards to unlock the team room doors once they arrive. Similar functions for faculty and staff are also planned. While the registration and lock management programs will be handled by commercial packages, lists of student names and ID card details need to be consolidated and loaded into the system hourly to support operation and security.

“Someone needed to pull the data together from various sources on campus, so we stepped up to build the collection and integration components,” said Acevedo.

There were some key challenges that the team needed to overcome. This is because in scheduling the meeting rooms in Austin Hall, there will be different levels of access for particular groups of cardholders. For example, only College of Business staff and students are to be able to reserve and access rooms. The system also needs to differentiate between staff, MBA students, tutors, and club officers. Each of these groups will have their own set of rules in regard to when they can reserve or access a room. Some designations are standard registration data, but other characteristics will be housed in the College of Business’ infrastructure.

So how did the students do it? A Powershell Batch File uses SFTP (secure file transfer protocol) to retrieve text files, creates backup copies, and kicks off a stored procedure. The stored procedure ingests, cleans, and integrates the data, then updates a staging table configured to match specs from the commercial data systems. This data is then pulled into the Scheduling Management System (SMS) and the Event Management System (EMS) to help in the scheduling and planning for rooms.

Each student on the team had a different role, with everyone bringing different strengths to the project. It’s all part of the value of the learning experience, according to Marshall.

“Not only do the students get to use the tools and technologies they’ll encounter in the workplace after graduating, but they’re also learning how to work as a member of a team,” said Marshall. “The Austin Hall project likely saved the college tens of thousand dollars, but that’s a trivial amount compared to the value for the students.”

Marshall also says that students often cite these projects as helping them land their first jobs or their first promotions at work. “The Career Success Center does a great job connecting the students with employers, and our job as faculty is to give the students the skills to make them worth hiring,” said Marshall.

The students on the team said that the key takeaways for them were learning project management skills, discovering the extent to which managing security and privacy issues requires deliberate thought and effort, how complicated it can be bringing together data from disparate sources, and how power tools like batch files and database procedures can work together to create a reliable workflow.

“There’s no better opportunity for students than to get real-world experience using the same tools and technologies that are being utilized by today’s top organizations,” said Marshall. “Students who complete these projects gain an incremental advantage when entering the job market because of their hands-on experience with coding, data management and working with the same software they’ll encounter in the workplace. All other things being equal, it takes an employer about 10 seconds to decide who they’re going to hire if one applicant has experience and another doesn’t,” he said.

Malcolm LeMay has been an integral part of the Dean’s Office at the College of Business for 11 years now. Prior to joining Oregon State and the College of Business, Malcolm — who was recently named as a 2014 Newcomb Fellow — completed a twenty year career as an aviator in the Marine Corps. Get to know Malcolm a little bit more through our Q and A with him below!

Please give us a brief overview of your responsibilities as the Director of Operations.

I really enjoy my job as Director of Operations for the College of Business and the breadth of activities I support.  I am involved in the long-range and strategic planning for the college as well as the day-to-day operations.  I supervise the Information Services and Faculty Services groups and have responsibility for facilities management, space planning and project management for a variety of projects.  I also support the college’s accreditation requirements.  This position fits well with my 20 years of operational experience in the Marine Corps.

What was the first job you ever had?

In high school I trimmed Christmas trees at the Monroe Tree Farm during the summer and then harvested and helped prepare them for shipping for the holiday season.

What is the best part of your current job?

I enjoy working for Dean Kleinsorge and with the great people at the college.  I am fortunate to work with a lot of students and have enjoyed mentoring many of them as they prepare for life after Oregon State.

What is something about Oregon State University or the College of Business that you wish more people knew?

The people at Oregon State and the College of Business are very good at their mission and very humble in the way they go about accomplishing it.  I believe the college is student-focused and the faculty and staff work hard to provide a challenging and rewarding experience for students.

For you, what is the most exciting part of moving into Austin Hall? 

Working in a modern building with a wonderful design, air conditioning and brand new furniture is tough to beat.  It is fun to see the excitement of alums, donors and faculty/staff who have waited a long time for a new facility.

What do you think will be the impact of having Austin Hall be the new home of the College of Business?

Austin Hall will be transformative for the college in the way it supports student learning with two dozen team rooms, advising spaces, tutoring spaces and wonderful public spaces in the Marketplace, Digital Commons and Agora.  Bexell Hall has served the college well since 1922 but doesn’t provide the eye-popping look and feel that Austin Hall will provide to potential students and faculty being recruited to the college.

What’s the one piece of advice that, if followed, would benefit Oregon State students the most?

Seize opportunities to learn outside the classroom through volunteering, student clubs, athletic teams, internships and career-related jobs.  Those experiences will prove to be most valuable and memorable.

Do you have any “secret” talents or hobbies outside of work?

I greatly enjoy golf and hiking and I recently took up rowing with the Corvallis Rowing Club and have really enjoyed the rowing practices as well as competing in a few regional Masters rowing events.

Is there anything else that you want to tell our readers?

We are in the final stretch of preparing for Austin Hall and look forward to the day that the general public can visit us in our new building!

At Oregon State, July means the arrival of hot, sunny days and the transition to a new fiscal year. As we begin the 2014-15 academic year, we thought we’d show you some of the highlights from 2013-14. Check out the below photos of some of our favorite and most memorable moments from the past year.

Maria Jimenez just graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Business Management, officially joining the ranks of our impressive alumni network. Jimenez is quite impressive herself, having worked incredibly hard to complete her degree while also engaging in extracurricular activities like the Dean’s Student Leadership Circle and supporting her family by working long hours on the weekends.

We’re so proud of and impressed by Maria that we featured her on our blog last November. Now that she’s graduated, we wanted to catch up with Maria on her post-graduation plans. Read her answers below and join us in congratulating Maria on a job incredibly well done!

Now that you’ve completed your undergrad, what are your post-graduation plans?

I’ll be working with Intel Corp. as an intern for 6 months, and am hoping to land a full-time job at the end of my internship.

Did you complete any internships while attending OSU? 

I did not complete an internship because of time constraints.  I’m a mother of four and worked 20 hours a week during the weekends, all while enrolled full-time in classes at OSU. There was really no time in between for me to do an internship,  but I did get a lot of experience while working at my current job.  I was able to connect my work experience with the classes I was taking. Theories and concepts made more sense, and the subjects we were studying became more interesting. I started my internship with Intel Corp. in mid-June and my first assignment is to become a program analyst, then later to become a program manager.  I’m very happy to be given this opportunity, and am very grateful and excited to work at Intel.  I’ve built all this momentum during my undergrad, and now it’s time for me to shine and bring value to the organization while taking care of my family and enjoying life.

What advice would you give current and future College of Business students about how to be successful in their program and in seeking a job?

I would tell students not to waste their precious time and to use it wisely towards their professional development, as well as networking with other students and professionals. It’s vital to see an adviser on a consistent basis to help guide students appropriately. Getting involved with the university overall and participating in extracurricular activities is highly beneficial. Not only that, but being involved in student organizations will enhance their abilities and will be great experience to add to their résumés.  Also, taking advantage of all the resources that are available to students that will help them get a job and connect with employers, such as attending career fairs, utilizing resources at the Career Success Center, and talking to and developing a relationship with advisers and professors.

How did the the services at the Career Success Center help you prepare to enter the job market? 

I used Beaver Job Net regularly and took advantage of all the workshops they offered.  I attended the résumé and cover letter workshop, mock interviews and info sessions, and they all greatly helped me prepare for job interviews. The workshops are very beneficial because they go deep into the details of all the important things that employers look for in a résumé, as well as how an interview is conducted.  I learned how to compose myself during an interview, how to professionally dress, and even how to shake hands.  The first career fair that I attended, I only observed how others were presenting themselves to employers, because I did not know what to do.  However, after attending the workshops, I was able to learn more details on how to approach potential employers.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I would like to have the power to make a difference and transform people in any way, shape or form, like using a magic wand and… poof… transformation is done!

How would you have used your superpower of transformation while getting your degree? 

If I had the ability to use it while getting my degree, I would transform people’s brain capacities to make them similar to today’s computing technology in a blink of an eye. I could give them or myself the ability to learn more than what we are currently capable of; such as being able to speak, read and write in multiple languages, the ability to learn and master various disciplines at once, etc. Ultimately, it could expand the brain’s power to an unthinkable level.

What is your favorite thing about Corvallis? 

I don’t have one particular favorite thing. I just like everything; the atmosphere, downtown, the parks, the riverside, and of course: Oregon State!

What’s your favorite thing about OSU’s campus? 

I like the brick buildings all over campus. I just love it!  And the library is like home to me. I know almost every corner of it.

If you knew you were leaving Corvallis for good, where would you go for your last meal here? What would you order? 

I would dine at Southside Station at Arnold. I’m not sure what I would order, but something grilled. But for sure I would get a caramel latte at Java II and walk outside the library for one last time.