Community Conversations

Hardly had time to breathe this week, much less blog!


I've spent a lot of time this week in the community, and I always use the opportunity to talk with business and community members about the skills, knowledge, and abilities they need to see in our college graduates. Although the answers vary a bit based on whether we're talking about business undergraduate or graduate education, there are some interesting emerging trends.

For years we've heard about the need for improved writing skills.  Currently, I'm hearing more about the need to work with students on their ability to communicate with confidence, and to be able to use and master workplace remote communication technologies. Interesting shift.

Additionally, I'm hearing a compelling tension between leadership and management abilities (which we have heard for years) and the ability to analyze and use data for decision making.  We've always understood the importance of each area in the curriculum, but many of the conversations are now focusing on the exponential increase in the quantity of data now available and the necessary skill to determine what information is needed for the particular question being asked.   Employers want graduates who are better at finding and analyzing the relevant information for the decision, and who are able to present and communicate the analysis in an honest, clear, and meaningful way.

So here's a clear message back to the business and community members -- We hear you, and we'll make it happen.

Student Athletes

On Thursday, I was walking down the corridor in Conway Hall toward my office when two young men caught my eye.  It was a class change time so the hallway was crowded, but they were celebrating something that looked just short of the best thing that had ever happened in their lives.  As I looked at them quizzically, one of them gleefully explained that they had just killed an exam (that must be a good thing…) and they were able to keep playing with their athletic team.  After giving them my sincere congratulations and watching a bit more of the happy celebration, I thought what a great place to work where the ‘student’ part of ‘student athlete’ is taken seriously.

In May, Rockhurst University was recognized for the NCAA Division II Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence which honors athletic programs with four-year Academic Success Rates of 90 percent or more.  Rockhurst had the highest rate in our conference, and we ranked 10^th nationally. 

Oh, and by the way, our athletic teams perform well too. J On Friday and Sunday, it was fantastic to watch the men’s soccer team win the conference tournament against some very good competition.  The volleyball team was also in action this weekend and continued their winning ways. 

Students.  And athletes.  Nice.

 

 

Jim Wanserski visits

At Rockhurst University, we pride ourselves on providing a high quality learning experiences that add significant value to a student’s education.  At the Helzberg School, a specific example is how we use practicing business executives as classroom and/or event speakers. 

 Last week, it was a pleasure to host Jim Wanserski, a Rockhurst University alumnus and fraud consultant who has worked across many industries and discovered fraud multiple times.  He visited an International Finance course, and he spoke at our Helzberg School Center for Leadership and Ethics event series.

It was fascinating to listen to his experiences, and I was struck with his central message to the undergraduate students in the classroom discussion.  He emphasized how important it is for each and every student to have an excellent knowledge base and education in their field, but how it is also equally important that they have a deep understanding about how the business works – from top to bottom.  Both of those elements are essential to being successful and to adding value to an organization.

Applying his words to our own Helzberg School, it was with such a sense of pride that I was able to connect what he said to what we try to achieve every day.  Our faculty members are truly experts in their field, but they also are deeply committed to student learning and understanding how the learning process works.  They are constantly trying to learn more about ways that will make the learning more practical, more experiential, more successful.  I’m so proud of them -- how much they know, how much they care, and how much they help students bridge that gap between knowledge and practice.