2009-11-04
Several Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) students from the University of Rio Grande presented a new community resource guide and discussed the university’s internship program during a special event on Oct. 8.
The event, held in Bob Evans Farms Hall on the Rio Grande campus, was mainly for students in the Master of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship program, but also included students in the bachelor’s degree program who are studying business at the university.
Students in the MBA program recently completed new community resource guide, which will be available for all area residents to use. The resource guide includes information on businesses and organizations from Gallia County and the surrounding region.
During the fall semester, the MBA students contacted and interviewed representatives from 90 small businesses, community organizations, media services and financial institutions to gather information for the resource guide. They also talked with faculty members from the University of Rio Grande and business program managers from the Ohio State University South Centers for the project.
The students then took the information they gathered and put it into a resource guide that can be used by businesses, community leaders, visitors and people all throughout the region. The listings all have contact information, as well as information on the businesses or organizations, and it is easy to read.
Jason Winters, director of the Center for Small Business Entrepreneurship at Rio Grande said he is impressed with the work the students did on the project.
Patrick Dengel, CBA, business development specialist for The Ohio State University South Centers, works closely with the MBA students through a partnership between The Ohio State University South Centers and Rio Grande, and said he was pleased to see how hard the students worked on the project and then how well they organized all of the information.
Dengel explained that the project created an excellent resource for the community, and it was also a great learning opportunity for the students. By putting together the guide, they were able to talk to numerous local business leaders and broaden their understanding of businesses in the region.
During the Oct. 8 ceremony, the students had the chance to present their resource guide to several local business leaders who were in attendance, and discuss their thoughts on the project.
Also during the Oct. 8 event, Josh Smith, an undergraduate students studying business at Rio Grande, was asked to speak about his recent internship at the Dairy Queen of Gallipolis.
Business owner Phyllis Loveday approved Smith for the internship program, and taught him about working in all different parts of the business. Smith excelled in the internship, and Loveday ended up offering him a full-time management position at the restaurant.
Students in the Evans School of Business at Rio Grande are required to take part in internships, and Winters asked Loveday and Smith to speak at the Oct. 8 event to explain how the internship program benefits both the students and the businesses or organizations where they are working.
All of the programs in the Evans School of Business stress real-world experience for the students, and the students are able to hear from business professions and entrepreneurs from around the region while they are in the program.
For more information on the programs in the Evans School of Business or on the Oct. 8 event, call Winters at 1-800-282-7201.
back to top
