Community Engagement
The College of Management & Economics is committed to engaging in authentic and meaningful partnerships with community members, businesses, and associations with whom we share a common vision and interests. CME faculty are frequently recruited to serve on local, national and international committee, governing bodies and editorial boards. CME faculty and students also serve as a voice for consumers, non-profits and communities through the examination of controversial management and economic issues. CME students are frequently in the community engaging in applied learning opportunities, student competitions, research projects and volunteerism. The Co-operators Centre for Business and Social Entrepreneurship provides an important vehicle through which community engagement occurs.
The Co-operators Centre for Business and Social Entrepreneurship
The University of Guelph and The Co-operators recently launched a new centre dedicated to preparing a new generation of business leaders committed to community engagement and sustainability. The Co-operators Centre for Business and Social Entrepreneurship (CBaSE) serves as a gateway between the University and the community. Business students and faculty will increasingly work with social-purpose and for-profit organizations on a broad range of collaborative initiatives that have tangible benefits for everyone involved. Along the way, students will gain management and economic experience, create and launch new ventures and develop a sense of social responsibility and leadership. There will also be opportunities for faculty and graduate student research.
Besides establishing authentic and sustainable partnerships, the new centre will allow CME to expand several existing initiatives. They include the certificate program in community leadership, student business competitions, co-op placements and our partnership with the Guelph-Wellington Business Enterprise Centre.
At the curricular level, CBaSE provides students with the opportunity to work with various groups and organizations in the local community and to participate in competitions pitching new product and service ideas. CBaSE also supports CME departments, which offer a variety of courses in which students develop business plans and new ventures. One such inter-disciplinary course brings together science and management students, and focuses on the development of new products and services based on bio/agricultural materials.
Challenges and Opportunities
A key challenge for CBaSE is to create further awareness of the centre’s initiatives and objectives. Transferring knowledge within the CME units is a dynamic and iterative process, and one that requires synthesis, dissemination, exchange and application of knowledge. Creating awareness and increasing faculty support is one of the key areas of emphasis moving forward. To ensure this process is successful, there is a need to provide support for improved integration of applied projects, spread knowledge and evidence of success stories and facilitate interactions to better understand each other’s goals and professional culture.
Another area that requires attention is the need for additional program support including an individual who can contribute as a liaison between students and faculty, make classroom announcements about applied project opportunities, maintain our website, help with logistics and create customized courses for various parties. Currently we have a co-op student hired, but with the invariable risk of inconsistency of quality between candidates and the hiring sequence, it would be best to have someone full time to reduce the turn-over and learning curve with each new entrant.