SYRACUSE — The Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University is using a new program to help its students prepare for life after college, including pursuing and keeping jobs. The Goodman Impress program works to help students focus on their “soft skills,” such as exhibiting self awareness, confidence, resilience, communication and social skills, […]
SYRACUSE — The Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University is using a new program to help its students prepare for life after college, including pursuing and keeping jobs.
The Goodman Impress program works to help students focus on their “soft skills,” such as exhibiting self awareness, confidence, resilience, communication and social skills, and the ability to “synthesize classroom content into the broader global context.”
That’s according to a section on the Whitman website describing the Goodman Impress program.
The Goodman Impress program is named in honor of Kenneth Goodman, who graduated from SU in 1970, to recognize his generosity in helping the Whitman School “mold future generations of professionally prepared business leaders,” according to the website.
The 2014-15 academic year marks the first time the Whitman School is using the program. Students and faculty held a launch gathering on Sept. 11 inside the school.
“It’s a program intended to help our students develop outside the classroom,” Amanda Nicholson, associate dean for undergraduate programs, said while speaking with reporters at the event.
The program is the result of feedback from Whitman stakeholders, Joseph Personte, Impress program manager, explained to reporters at the same event.
Whitman heard “from business partners and also from recent alums who came back to us and said that they did feel ill-prepared when they went out to their first job,” Personte said.
A group of 40 Whitman stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and young alums, in October 2013 brainstormed ways to develop undergraduates into “competent, engaged, and ethical business professionals with strong leadership skills,” according to the Whitman website.
“The goal of the session was how can we improve the Whitman experience for students,” Personte said.
Focusing particularly on “soft skills” and extracurricular experiences, the goal was to develop a program that would ensure undergraduates leave Whitman with a “sustainable competitive advantage” throughout their lives and careers.
Their collaboration generated the Goodman Impress program.
How it works
Every new student admitted into the Whitman School becomes part of one of four groups or “houses.” They include Adams, Harrison, Marshall, and Waverly and are named after well-known streets on or near the SU campus.
Each of these houses will have its own insignia and the leadership of a faculty house master.
“A lot of people have heard of that and have called it the Harry Potter model,” said Personte.
Harry Potter is the main character in a series of fantasy novels that British author J.K. Rowling wrote. The series included the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which was divided into four houses.
House masters are chosen for their excellence in teaching, communication, and student engagement, the Whitman website explained.
The four house masters will guide students through their first business course at Whitman and encourage them to become involved in extracurricular activities through which they can earn points.
The activities are centered on five learning objectives, including personal and professional-leadership development; major and industry exploration; certifications; global context; and community engagement, according to Whitman.
Every student will collect points for participation in activities such as leadership workshops; roundtables with visiting speakers; bonding exercises and competitions; community engagement; and certifications, such as Excel, system applications and products (SAP), and Bloomberg.
Students are working to earn points for their personal point total and for the point total of the house to which the student belongs.
A “gamification”-technology system will count and log the students’ points. The system will capture the students’ progress on a daily basis in the competition among the students and the four houses.
“They’ve been on their phones … they play with Game Boys or Wiis all their lives … this is what they do, they understand that,” said Nicholson.
Redwood City, Calif.–based Bunchball, Inc., which describes itself as “the leader in gamification” works with the Whitman School on the Goodman Impress program.
“We’re using modern-day technology to really enhance what our business community needs and that’s looking people in the eye, that’s sticking out a firm handshake and being able to talk one on one with people with clear and concise communications skills,” he said.
Students can check into the Impress program through a mobile web application on their phone. They also have the Impress dashboard page on their iPad, laptop, or personal computer, he adds.
A student’s point total at the end of each year determines his or her Impress level.
Students must earn a minimum number of points over four years to graduate. At the same time, Whitman will award a “Goodman Cup” to the house with the most points during an annual celebration.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com