Most Oakland University students would probably agree: Pursuing an education keeps them busy as bees. But a group of pre-business students can now say bees are not only busy, they are also a valuable source of information about how to be productive, organized and team-oriented.
A unique program, dubbed BEE U, gave SBA students a first-hand look at how the organization, roles and production of bees can mirror the traits of a successful business. In addition to observing and discussing proven business principles, students received an education in the real-life workings of the multimillion dollar beekeeping industry and the environmental issues facing all businesses today.
Thanks to a cross-campus collaboration with OU's School of Education and Human Services (SEHS), the SBA offered BEE U to pre-business residential students as part of the school's Live and Learn Community program, which is aimed at helping new students better connect with resources on campus, succeed in their studies and ultimately improve retention and graduation rates.
The buzz on green
Making BEE U even more timely – and valuable – was the focus on integrating the environmental and green initiatives that are important in today's business world. This program recognizes the growing trend of organizations beginning to embrace green business practices.
In BEE U's four modules, students heard from experts, watched videos on problem solving and learned about how to run a business, which helped them understand how who they are as individuals relates to how they fit into teams and organizations. They also learned about bees: Specifically, how bees and bee health play a major role in the environment, food production and the agricultural industry.
“We are showing them that the personal is the professional,” says Robin Michel, director, development, SBA, and SEHS PhD student, who conceived and implemented the program as part of her field study, along with SEHS' Dyanne Tracy, department chair and a professor, K-8 mathematics.“The students aren't separate from their studies.”
Lacie Melasi, a senior accounting major, is the resident adviser who led the program and brought the thematic unit to life in the residence halls. One of the main points of focus is environmentally friendly practices – something businesses take seriously, she says.
“A lot of businesses are using a new trend, going green,” Melasi says. “This program shows that. The different modules are all based around being eco friendly and different business subjects.”
An active hive
The participating students attended BEE U in the evenings, learning about beekeeping, the ecological impact of bees and key business tenets like organizational behavior, sales, finance and accounting. The students also visited the university's apiary to check out bees in action, which gave them an up-close view of how bees work together to create productive, successful organizations.
Guest speakers added another level of expertise to the experience, enhancing what students learned from the assigned books “The Wisdom of Bees: What the Hive Can Teach Business About Leadership, Efficiency and Growth,” by Michael O'Malley, a management professor at Yale University, and “Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping,” by Dewey Caron.
Speakers included Mike Ames, former COO of the Savannah Bee Company; Judy Martin, education coordinator for the SBA's Center for Integrated Business Research and Education and Dave Rooney, SBA Executive in Residence and former marketing executive for Chrysler.
A honey of a success
Through BEE U, students also connected with one another while learning about their majors and preparing for their future careers.
Melasi says feedback about the program has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I didn't know much about bees,” says Mitch Myers, freshman. “I ended up loving it and I really liked the environmental aspect. It's a great piece of my education. It's good knowledge to possess. It's good to learn something simply because you want to learn it and not because it's required. I related to it in a lot of ways.”
Said Michel: “The goal was for students to learn in a hands-on way to support the SBA's goal of graduating students who are fully prepared to contribute starting with their first day on the job.”
Most Oakland University students would probably agree: Pursuing an education keeps them busy as bees. But a group of pre-business students can now say bees are not only busy, they are also a valuable source of information about how to be productive, organized and team-oriented.
A unique program, dubbed BEE U, gave SBA students a first-hand look at how the organization, roles and production of bees can mirror the traits of a successful business. In addition to observing and discussing proven business principles, students received an education in the real-life workings of the multimillion dollar beekeeping industry and the environmental issues facing all businesses today.
Thanks to a cross-campus collaboration with OU's School of Education and Human Services (SEHS), the SBA offered BEE U to pre-business residential students as part of the school's Live and Learn Community program, which is aimed at helping new students better connect with resources on campus, succeed in their studies and ultimately improve retention and graduation rates.