Tag Archive for: School of Business

Global Innovation Scholars from SOU and UG in Guanajuato

Global Innovation Scholars unite to serve U.S. and Mexican businesses

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Nine students and two faculty members from Southern Oregon University have been working for most of the past week with their Mexican counterparts at Universidad de Guanajuato on the annual Global Innovation Scholars program – a multicultural business development initiative to help organizations and businesses in both Guanajuato and Ashland while providing students with experience in international collaboration.

“Southern Oregon University’s 56-year relationship with the University of Guanajuato is a testament to the wonders that can come from a foundational bond built on love, admiration and mutual respect,” SOU President Rick Bailey said. “We have demonstrated that we can move mountains when we come together, united in purpose, to serve others and to help make our world a better place.”

Students from SOU and UG in Global Innovation Scholars programThe 18 combined students from the two universities spent the past week researching and analyzing three Guanajuato businesses before concluding the visit by offering suggested development plans to the business owners. The students will reunite for a week in Ashland beginning on April 26, to provide the same services to three Rogue Valley businesses or organizations.

The 20-week Global Innovation Scholars program includes international, online coursework for participating students during each year’s winter and spring terms, in addition to the opportunity for immersive social and cultural experiences. The SOU and Guanajuato delegations met last week with various leaders of the Mexican university and with the region’s political leaders. Students typically spend a total of more than 250 hours on their projects, including the two site visits.

Global Innovation Scholars was developed by the two universities’ business schools as part of the “100,000 Strong in the Americas” program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Embassies and the nonprofit organization Partners for the Americas.

“I believe that economic prosperity and peace are best built hand-in-hand across all borders,” Vincent Smith, dean of SOU’s School of Science and Business, said in his opening remarks for the gathering last week. “Our students are a symbol of hope.

“They are working together to build economic prosperity and community in both Mexico and the United States of America,” Smith said. “They symbolize not only the importance of international trade, but of international friendship. They are a reminder that real strength comes from building friendships, not walls. They remind us that we are better together.”

A key point of discussion during this year’s Global Innovation Scholars session in Mexico was the new U.S. tariffs and growing trade war. Guanajuato’s primary economy is the export of automobiles and automobile parts.

SOU and UG have initiated a variety of exchange and cooperative projects since they became sister universities in 1969. The link between the two schools has led more than 1,000 students, faculty members and others to participate in exchanges – and has resulted in more than 80 marriages that have tied people from Ashland and Guanajuato over three generations.

“The opportunity to do the Global Innovations Scholar program has made a tremendous difference in my skills in teamwork and my international worldview,” said Tiana Gilliland, president of the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University and one of the business students in this year’s program.

“I have had the opportunity to work closely with several other scholars to make a real difference in businesses that are striving to make a difference in their community,” Gilliland said.

Another student leader – Garima Sharma, a student member of the SOU Board of Trustees – said she has learned much about the power of connection and making a change in the world through her involvement with the Global Innovation Scholars program.

“I have learned that building relationships with students from both Southern Oregon University and Universidad de Guanajuato is a privilege which not many have,” Sharma said. “I have … gained a deeper understanding of our shared goals and how we can use our differences to create innovative solutions.”

The current Global Innovation Scholars project grew out of a previous partnership between the two schools – the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program – which brought together classes of upper-division business students to work on the development of international business relationships.

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SOU's inaugural Business Venture Tournament this week

Inaugural SOU Business Venture Tournament: innovative ideas across disciplines

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University (SOU) will host its inaugural Business Venture Tournament this week. The groundbreaking competition – designed to nurture entrepreneurial ideas from students across all academic disciplines – is intended to transform innovative ideas into successful business ventures, with generous support from SOU alumni Jim Teece and Dena Matthews.

The tournament’s final competition and gala event will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, in Room 217 of Britt Hall on the SOU campus. Seventeen students from various academic disciplines have submitted their venture ideas, and seven finalists will present their projects in Thursday’s final round.

The tournament’s primary goal is to help students understand that regardless of their major, any idea with an organizational structure inherently involves crucial business elements. That knowledge is essential for students pursuing any passion – from an Environmental Science major aiming to rescue endangered species to a Theatre major planning to open a children’s space for learning drama and dance.

By participating in the tournament, students gain hands-on experience in idea proof-of-concept, market research, venture promotion and presentation skills, preparing them for the real world.

The competition offers significant prizes: $3,000 for first place, $700 for second place, $250 for third place and $500 for the best sustainability features. Students who vote for a pitch and attend the gala will also be entered into a drawing for a $500 gift certificate at Southern Oregon Wilderness Adventures.

Teece and Matthews provided the initial funding for the Business Venture Tournament, envisioning a competition that would be inclusive of students from all academic backgrounds. That vision was brought to life by Vincent Smith, Ph.D., director of the School of Science and Business, and Douglas Daley, coordinator for SOU’s MBA program. Daley developed and executed the competition’s structure with support from Smith and graduate intern Jenny Chynoweth.

Thursday’s final round event will feature sponsors and table hosts, including the Ashland Food Co-Op, Southern Oregon Wilderness Adventures, Talent MakerCity, the SOU Small Business Development Center, SCORE Jackson County, Seed Collective, Rogue To-Go, Crater Works & Direct Involvement Recreation Teaching (DIRT), the SOU Institute of Applied Sustainability and Rogue Valley Women in Business.

For more information, visit venture.sou.edu.

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New Sustainable Tourism Management program at SOU

New SOU program offers degree in Sustainable Tourism Management

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s newest academic program will provide students the tools they need to recognize and address the role of sustainability in the tourism industry, and to become leaders of tourism-related organizations – from regional to global – that commit to sustainable business practices.

SOU’s unique Sustainable Tourism Management bachelor’s degree program will get underway this fall term with a core curriculum of classes from the university’s Business, Social Science and Environmental Science and Policy departments. It is offered through the SOU School of Business.

Those who major in Sustainable Tourism Management will learn about the importance of environmental and conservation practices in the operational, strategic and financial objectives of tourism-related organizations and destinations. They will come to understand the social responsibilities of those organizations to protect and preserve the resources and cultures that make their areas attractive to visitors, and to contribute to the long-term success of destination communities and environments.

“Learners in the Sustainable Tourism Management program will become experts in integrating sustainable planning, practices and policies in the growing tourism industry of southern Oregon and beyond,” said a document proposing the new program.

The program aligns with SOU’s vision statement, to be “an inclusive, sustainable university for the future that guides all learners to develop the knowledge, capacities and audacity to innovate boldly and create lives of purpose.”

“SOU collaborates across academic divisions, facilities, student life, housing and landscaping to forward our deep commitment to sustainability,” said Vincent Smith, director of the Division of Business, Communication and the Environment. “This new program will build on our existing collaborations between the Business program and Environmental Science and Policy program to serve our region’s growing sustainable tourism industry.”

Students in the program must complete 36 credit hours of required lower division coursework in business, environmental science and tourism, and 52 credit hours of required upper division coursework – including two courses in applied research and an internship. Required courses include “Sustainable Tourism,” “Tourism Policy and Planning,” “Tourism Economics,” “Case Studies in Corporate Sustainability,” “Environmental Sociology” and “Ecological Economics and Sustainable Development.”

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SOU unveils unique MBA in Arts Administration program

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NEWS RELEASE (available online at https://goo.gl/TBTcTg)
(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University continues to set itself apart in arts education, currently with the introduction of a one-of-a-kind MBA degree in Arts Administration that opens numerous career paths for students in the performing and visual arts. The program is currently accepting students.
Undergraduate students can earn the new MBA in Arts Administration in as few as five years – four to complete a bachelor’s degree with a business minor in one of SOU’s arts programs, and a fifth year to complete the master’s in business administration degree. Arts students can alternatively complete their bachelor’s degrees without the business minor, then move on to a two-year MBA program.
“This MBA program builds on SOU’s excellence in the arts, expanding it into the business side,” said Greg Jones, director of the university’s Division of Business, Communication and the Environment. “It provides new opportunities for students to capitalize on their arts education.”
The MBA in Arts Administration is the result of collaboration between SOU’s School of Business and the university’s Oregon Center for the Arts. The new degree is intended for those who are interested in leading arts organizations, galleries or museums, or directing, producing, marketing or managing in the arts.
“This program is unique in the nation in that most arts administration programs are arts programs and not MBA programs,” said David Humphrey, director of SOU’s Oregon Center for the Arts. “An MBA degree is highly marketable, especially if students want to work in the arts.
“I am excited about this program in that it provides a career path for those arts students who do not wish to perform or exhibit,” he said.
The MBA in Arts Administration program equips students for local, regional or national arts management, combining business strategy and community insights to create connections with artists and the arts. It is intended for those pursuing bachelor’s degrees in any of the five Oregon Center for the Arts programs: Art, Emerging Media and Digital Arts, Creative Writing, Music and Theatre Arts.
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About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power. It is the first university in the nation to balance 100 percent of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.