In the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas, MBA students in their last semester take a course entitled, The Capstone Consulting Experience. In this course, students work as a team on a consulting project for a real organization.
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Dr. Ben Dilla’s team worked on a project for iSchool of Lewisville, a magnet school run by ResponsiveEd. The high school has a business curriculum, and the students run their own coffee shop called Deja Brew. The director of the school wanted an analysis of current operations and recommendations on how it could expand. He was very pleased with the students’ ability to look at industry trends and market data and make it relevant to their single coffee shop operation. They have already implemented changes in hours of operation and menu offerings, with more to come.
One of Professor Bruce Evans’ teams provided wellness strategies for Acme Brick Company. The Acme Brick senior executive (and a Gupta alum) was very pleased. The harmony between Capstone students and the client was deeply evident. In another section of the course, Farley Consulting Company's CEO worked with the students to develop a strategic marketing plan for his firm.
Dr. Olson’s team worked with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas to create a strategy for Bank purchasing practices to become 'green' and support their overall sustainability initiative. Activities included an analysis of the current procurement purchasing practices, internal and external research on best practices and an ideal state, gap analysis followed by recommendations to implement (tools, policies and procedures) along with a change management plan.
One of Dr. Scott Wysong’s teams was tasked with assessing Bishop Lynch High School’s new house system, whereby students are assigned across grades to one of eight groups or “houses” in an effort to increase mentorship, pastoral care, and student leadership opportunities. A Bishop Lynch parent survey and faculty/staff survey were created to assess these perceptions of the house system. In addition, the team surveyed administrators at other Catholic high schools in the U.S. who have already implemented a house system. According to Bishop Lynch High School Principal, Chad Riley, “This project has provided a research-based foundation for our understanding about the culture at Bishop Lynch High School, particularly with our implementation of the House System. In addition, the student consultants for this project have created an opportunity for collaboration between Bishop Lynch and the University of Dallas that will benefit constituents in both institutions for years to come."
Another team in Dr. Wysong’s Capstone course worked to assess and benchmark Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s (DART) employee benefits plan and provide strategic recommendations to enable the organization to offer a 5-star plan. The students conducted a number of employee interviews as well as employee and retiree focus groups. “This was a very challenging project, but it was very rewarding and a perfect culmination to my and my teammate’s MBA,” said team leader Ryan Powell.
Dr. Wysong also supervised an individual Capstone for a student, Lily Ashidam, who worked on a project for the Dallas Mavericks. Surveying almost 200 UD undergraduate students, Ashidam was able to assess this demographic’s perception of the Mavs and provide strategic marketing recommendations to appeal to this segment. Sr. VP, Ronnie Fauss, was very pleased with the final deliverables.
His first step was to enroll in physician’s assistant school at Baylor’s College of Medicine, a career trajectory to which he had aspired since his early childhood. Nowadays, Jonathan Cunningham, BA ’17, is dedicated to the vocational pursuit of comfort and healing at MD Anderson in Houston, among the largest cancer treatment centers in the U.S., where he was once a chemotherapy patient himself.
+ Read MoreDuring his Rome semester in 1991, Joseph Meaney, BA '93, with his friends (now Father) Kevin Cook, BA '94, and (now Texas State Representative and UD Trustee) Tan Parker, BA '93, attended a private Mass with Pope St. John Paul II. Several weeks earlier, they had hand-delivered a letter to the Swiss Guards outside St. Peter's requesting the Mass and including their contact information; at last, they'd received the phone call instructing them to be at the Bronze Gates at 5 a.m.
+ Read MoreFrom the time he was in fourth grade, Bishop Francis Malone, BA '74 MA '77 MDiv '77, knew he was going to be a priest. As he was serving Mass in his home parish, Malone heard God's call, loud and clear.
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