A number of student clubs and organizations are creating or participating in out-of-classroom experiences to not only practice what they’re learning, but to gain leadership experience, network and even to start new businesses. Take a peek!

The College of Business Administration and the URI Entrepreneurship Club have hosted pitch-coaching workshops to help students refine their potential business presentations for regional pitch competitions. Creating a kinder Shark Tank atmosphere, students are invited to take a dip in the Guppy Tank at the Business Living and Learning Center at Fayerweather Hall. Here students receive feedback from their peers as well as a “dream team” of coaches from the College of Business Entrepreneurship program, R.I. Small Business Development Center and URI’s SPARC program. Many students dove into this tank in November to prep for a R.I. Business Plan Challenge. We congratulate “Libby” creator Anthony Markey, a senior accounting major, who not only won the R.I. Business Plan Competition, but then took a seat at the MassChallenge accelerator program in February. You’ll hear more about Markey in the future!

The Women in Business club focuses on empowering women in the workplace. The group invites speakers to share their own experiences, hardships and accomplishments through their careers and how being a woman or mentoring women shaped their life. The club is excited to hear from Ocean Spray’s Vice President of International Marketing Kelly Reilly on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. A 20 year veteran of Ocean Spray, Reilly will describe her global advertising and marketing experience and lead a dynamic round table discussion. The club meetings are open to students of all genders and majors with the hope that members understand the idea of legitimizing women and feminine features without competition or belittlement.

URI’s Chapter of the American Marketing Association raised funds for the American
Cancer Society by hosting “Breakfast for Breast Cancer” in Ballentine Hall last semester. They also used the event as an opportunity to test pricing techniques. The group discovered that allowing students and faculty to donate any amount of money to the cause was three times more effective than asking for a set donation amount. In addition to this fundraising event and research, some chapter members also worked on a National Case Competition to create an in-depth marketing plan for eBay. Competing with more than 100 AMA Collegiate Chapters nationwide, the team enjoyed the process of putting much of what they’ve learned in class to work.

The entire student executive board of the URI Supply Chain Management Club, as well as professors Joe Estrella and Douglas Hales attended the 2016 Annual Conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals in Orlando, FLa. this fall. CSCMP is the largest gathering of supply chain professionals in the world with every U.S. state represented as well as 40 countries.

For links to these and other student organizations at the College of Business Administration, visit our website.