It’s every student’s dream to go straight from the university podium, degree in hand, to a meaningful (degree-related!) job. That’s why David Paterson chose to lead the Trent University Business Council (TBC), and for Business Administration student Rachel Burnett, that dream is becoming a reality.
Joint Leadership with Community and the Trent Business Council
Helping to foster a connection between Trent and the business community, the TBC is an advisory board composed of community business and not-for-profit leaders. An early advocate for, and financial supporter of, the field-based study program, the TBC recently welcomed former Johnson and Johnson executive David Paterson as its new co-chair. Mr. Paterson will serve alongside Dr. Asaf Zohar, director of the Business Administration program.
“I view this opportunity as both an honour and a privilege,” said Mr. Paterson. “To my mind the field-based study program offered by Trent is a very important component of the student's learning and positioning for the future. The reality of the work world is significantly different from the academic world these students live in on a day-to-day basis. We need to help them bridge this gap. To my mind, the University and the TBC need to do everything we possibly can to position the current and future graduates of Trent for success in the day's ahead and the field-based study program is a key step in that direction.”
“Mr. Paterson and I strongly believe that the field-based learning course has increased Trent University’s visibility in the community, improving community relations while integrating the Peterborough business and non-profit community into the daily life of Trent ‘s Business Administration students”, said Dr. Asaf Zohar. “This program, and its related activities through the TBC, has emerged as one of the most successful mechanisms for directly engaging the local Peterborough commnunity. It has enabled our local community to engage firsthand with our most valued currency: our students”.
A Student’s Dream Come True
For Business Administration student Rachel Burnett, the dream of walking across the podium to a relevant job will become a reality this spring as she has been hired by the Holiday Inn as a social media consultant after having completed an internship there through the field-based study program.
“This program gave me an opportunity to do something I had never done before and in a field I was inexperienced in,” said Ms. Burnett. “Having the opportunity to be in the work world without fear of failure is something that was extremely valuable to me and taught me that it is okay to take chances instead of being so cautious with everything I do. I believe it gives me a competitive advantage in terms of entering the work world.”
Ms. Burnett was one of almost 50 students to participate in Trent University Business Administration program’s field-based study course, a course that aims to give students hands-on business experience, both locally and abroad. “Each student completes approximately 100 to 120 hours of work with their host organizations,” explains course coordinator Brian Mehlenbacher. “This helps to build an excellent relationship between the student and the host organization and - in some cases - results in a job! It also allows for a critical awareness and reflection of the working world, the student's self and the link between academic and experiential learning.”
Brian Mehlenbacher knows the success of the program well. Once a student in the program, he was hired last year to become the field-based study course coordinator. “This course is incredibly important for students’ experiential learning, development of their CV and most importantly – keeping students in Peterborough with jobs that require critical thinking and that act as stepping stones to the future. This is one way we build the Trent community and the Peterborough community.”
Now in its third year, this course was driven by students demanding the opportunity to integrate real-life work experiences with their studies. Under the leadership of former course director Michael Konopaski and coordinator Brian Mehlenbacher, the course has more than doubled in size, with over 45 local businesses and not-for-profit agencies participating in the Winter 2012 semester field study placements. Fourth-year joint Business Administration and Environmental Studies major Allie Penner got practical experience in both her fields of study in her placement with Peterborough Green-Up where she helped to develop a business plan for a Peterborough Centre for Urban Ecology, a space that would act as a headquarters for many local stewardship programs. “Working at Peterborough Green-Up was amazing,” she relates. “I learned a lot during this experience about my strengths and weaknesses, about the Peterborough community, about not-for-profit organizations, and about what it takes to create a new project. I got to learn how to build a business plan, and really got a chance to apply the skills and the knowledge that I had been gaining through my studies in the non-academic setting. It’s given me more confidence to approach this type of work in the future.”
Expanding to Durham and Beyond
With the success of the program so far, Mr. Mehlenbacher says they are looking to expand. This summer the course is being offered at the Oshawa campus and students are also being offered internships abroad. “We are sending students to Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong with the Trent International Program to work in Cheung Kong Holdings, Inc. thanks to a generous donation from alumnus Justin Chiu (’76). ADMN 4830H will be a half-credit they receive for this placement,” explains Mr. Mehlenbacher.
In the end, says Mr. Mehlenbacher, the program is all about making connections – between Trent students and the community, and between theory and practice. “This link – or bridge – between academic and experiential learning is one that needs to be more actively pursued for our students across all disciplines.”
Posted on Tuesday, May 1, 2012.