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MBA meets Minerva with research projects serving community non-profits

  • June 20, 2011 5:50am

Non-profit organizations play a significant part in shaping the region’s economy and policy, so it’s natural that they’d come up in a course that examines corporate social responsibility and business ethics. For the MBA students in Assistant Professor Ekin Alakent’s Business, Government, and Society course (Management 6215), the study was hands-on, as they connected with George Moskoff and the Minerva Project to take on pro-bono research projects.

In a graduate-level class, Alakent says, “most of the students have some work experience, and knowledge in various areas including data, consulting, finance.” But student surveys have shown a desire for more hands-on work, and Alakent says the Minerva Project partnership was a “natural fit.”

During the quarter, the eight “consultant teams” gathered data and prepared reports for non-profit groups to identify issues in the community and provide analysis and evalution. One team worked with Moskoff to research trends in non-profit giving; other teams worked with the Eden Youth and Family Center in Hayward, the Oakland A’s Community Foundation, and regional public schools, among other groups.

Aside from experience in project management and real world organizational challenges, the students gained insight into the concerns facing non-profits today. In turn, the organizations received quality, targeted reports without the high investment usually required for such work.

The Minerva Project, which connects consultants with community organizations, also works with other CSUs, including Sonoma State, SFSU, and CSU Dominguez Hills. Mary D’Alleva, CSUEB’s director of service learning, has said that these partnerships are an ideal way to connect the University, with its broad networks and varied resources, with community needs.

Moskoff notes that the CSU is making great strides in incorporating service learning into its curricula. And Alakent says that classroom connections like the Minerva Project — which will hopefully continue in future courses — or extracurricular programs like SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) are great for longer term projects and developing students’ real-world skills.

“It offers an opportunity for students to understand practical applications and gain an appreciation for dynamics and complexity,” Moskoff says. “It removes the academic approach of abstracts, concepts, and principles and puts them into action, teaching students how to execute on those principles.”

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