The Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program creates opportunities for individuals leading minority-owned and women-owned enterprises into advanced stages of development. The program’s mission is to construct a pathway that enables minority and women entrepreneurs to move their companies to the next stage of development.
Archives
Nonprofit Service Learning Projects
Students in my MS Accounting MGA 617 Advanced Managerial Accounting Seminar course are engaged in a service learning project with an area nonprofit organization to complete an agency-requested project. We have worked with Goodwill Industries of WNY Inc.; Greater Niagara Frontier Council (Boy Scouts); Veterans One-Stop Center of Western New York Inc.; Arts Services Initiative of Western New York; Westminster Economic Development Initiative Inc.; Harmonia Chamber Singers; and the University at Buffalo Internal Control department.
Beta Alpha Psi VITA program
An IRS program that utilizes volunteers of Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting honor organization on campus for which I am faculty advisor, to help provide free tax preparation services to low-income taxpayers. These services are provided on behalf of the University and School of Management at the South Campus and North campus and at external sites, such as the Goodwill Industries of WNY. Additionally, we offer free electronic filing services to qualifying taxpayers. In 2014, we completed over 1,000 returns for the WNY community. Additional location: Amherst, N.Y.
Consulting Practices (experiential learning course)
Consulting is a common activity in organizational life. Projects that involve consulting processes and skills can range from major re-structuring of multi-national corporations that take many months to achieve, to the provision of help on a one-to-one basis over a couple of hours. The person providing the consulting may not wear a consultant’s “badge,” particularly if he or she is employed by the organization within which the activity takes place. Whatever the project and whether the consultant is an external “hired hand” or an internal staffer, it is possible to describe a structured consulting process, a set of skills and some effective practices which, if put into effect, will lead to good results for the client. A parallel benefit, if it is sought and captured, is learning for the consultant. This course explores the consulting process, skills and practices, and their application within the complexities of organizational systems. At the heart of the course is a practical consulting project with a “real” client who will be expecting good results from the work. This project, with its inherent accountability for “results,” is the major engine for learning throughout the course. Spring 2015 projects: (1) improve inventory management and re-design shop layout (Elma Liquor); (2) budget review and recommendations (Enterprise Charter School); (3) design and implementation of a strategic growth planning system (Newbird); (4) plan for business growth and improved hiring (SLC Therapy of WNY); (5) redesign of website, development of social media strategy and design of customer and employee surveys (Twin City Ambulance); (6) market analysis and development of a marketing strategy (Joe’s Deli); (7) strategy to improve profitability (Dance Spectrum); (8) strategy to increase enrolment, supported by redesigned website and development of a mobile app (Lord of Life Adult and Child Care Services); and (9) improve marketing effectiveness (Buffalo Roadhouse Grill).
Pro bono management consulting for local organizations
Five projects: 1. Creating marketing tools to reach potential corporate sponsors and the general population (Journey’s End). 2. Creating an economic impact model to support funding requests and plan future projects (Albright Know Art Gallery). 3. Conducting a leadership needs assessment to support improved leadership training (Roswell Park Cancer Institute). 4. Identifying a target market for a new for-profit venture based on accent improvement (Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center). 5. Conducting a SWOT analysis of the organization’s business plan (Westminster Economic Development Initiative).
Management Volunteer Program
The purpose of the Management Volunteer Program (MVP) is to prepare University at Buffalo School of Management students for their professional endeavors by connecting classroom learning to real-world experiences. Through a holistic approach, this program seeks to enrich, engage and excite students about their personal and professional development. The MVP utilizes experiential learning through volunteerism to facilitate students’ developmental growth. We believe that the opportunity to gain real-world work experience within the larger framework of an educational setting is of particular benefit to these students, who are often at an early stage in the recognition and development of skills valued in the workplace. Through their work, students should aim to develop a diverse skill set in preparation for future occupations. Participants are required to complete 25 hours of volunteer work with an approved organization throughout the course of one semester. Students reflect on their experiences through writing assignments. In addition, they are also required to record a final reflection video at the end of their experiences.
UB Net Defense Class and Competition
UB Net Defense is an independent study for students who want to learn about cyber security in an applied, hands-on fashion. This class is led by a team of UB faculty, staff and volunteer industry experts, who share their expertise with the students through guest lectures and mentoring. The capstone of this class is a student-run cyber security competition hosted at UB each semester which is designed to teach the participants about cyber security. Students from other colleges are invited to compete and industry experts are invited to assist with the competition.
Cyber Security Outreach Workshops
Each outreach workshop is conducted during a class period at a local school where students learn about a variety of cyber security topics and careers. Topics covered include password security, basic cryptography, steganography and digital forensics. Middle school and high school students from Alden, Amherst, Buffalo, Clarence, North Tonawanda and West Seneca participated in these 70+ workshop sessions. An after-school version of the workshop held at the Buffalo Museum of Science was conducted for students from the Boys and Girls Club of Buffalo.
2015 UB GenCyber Camp
Thirty-six local students (ages 13-17) attended the week-long UB GenCyber Camp where they participated in many hands-on computer activities to learn about different cyber security topics and also hear from industry experts. All of these activities prepared the students for the final day of camp, when they attempted to defend the UB GenCyber network from a simulated cyber-attack. The primary purpose of the UB GenCyber Camp is to educate students about cyber security principles and cyber security careers. A two-day K-12 teacher workshop was also conducted during this time frame. Approximately 15 attendees learned about basic cyber security topics, cyber security careers and how to introduce their students to these topics in a fun and hands-on fashion.
MBA Advantage
Semester lead-off program for MBAs to deliver non-classroom content such as team and problem skills, as well as career preparation skills and activities.