Get MBA students to do a project for your organization

Posted by on July 14, 2008

Request for Projects Saint Joseph’s University- MBA 4005 Applied Project Team Skills

Do you have the need to:

Develop a business case for project funding?
Evaluate the outcomes of a particular program?
Survey the community to assess its opinion of your activities?
Create a development or fund raising plan?
Increase awareness of your program in the community?

Experienced St. Joseph’s University MBA students can do these things for you – free! Instead of leaving crucial tasks undone, you can have students with management training and experience carry out a project as part of a graduate level course – Skills for Successful Team Projects.

The course focuses on the essential managerial skills of oral and written communications, building and working in teams, project planning and management, and research. Using a project management framework, students learn about the issues, problems, and solutions by carrying out a team project for a nonprofit organization or small startup business.

The course is taught by Ray Sarnacki, visiting professor of management at St. Joseph’s University and a former executive at GE and Lockheed Martin. He also managed an investment team for a small private equity firm and coauthored a recently published book, Hit the Job Running. He has served on the director and advisory boards for several nonprofits. In addition to lectures, Ray advises the student teams based on his nonprofit and corporate experience.

What do the students get out of it? College credit required for their degree. Practical experience. Refinement of their skills. Perhaps even your personal recommendation.

What do you get out of it? Important information you couldn’t get without sacrificing valuable staff time. All your organization pays for are telephone, copying, and mailing costs. You must also commit to share information with the student team and attend their final presentation at the end of the semester to receive their recommendations.

How do you participate? Prepare a brief request for proposal (RFP) describing the problem you would like the team to address. Be sure to include background about the organization and state your availability to meet with the student team. Send your RFP by email to Ray Sarnacki at the address below. Deadline for submission is August 1. Keep the scope of the project focused to allow completion within a one-semester time limit.

When does the Project Start? The fall semester starts September 3rd and concludes on December 12th. Project sponsors must agree to be present at the final class for a presentation of recommendations by their student team.

Ray Sarnacki
Email: rsarnack@sju.edu