Basic HTML Version
Page 3
Campus Review
July 16, 2012
College of Business’ SEBA a “Learning Experience”
The AACSB-accredited College of
Business at Clayton State University’s
inaugural Summer Entrepreneurship and
Business Academy (SEBA) for high
school students attracted a diverse group
on 20 participants from Clayton, Henry,
Fayette, Fulton and DeKalb counties to
Clayton State from June 10, 2012 to June
15, 2012. A group of students from public
high schools, private schools and magnet
schools, attended the program, which was
designed to help prepare students for the
future by providing a unique and exciting
hands-on learning experience.
“Our primary purpose for SEBA was to
prepare students for life after high school
and beyond,” says Dean Dr. Alphonso
Ogbuehi. “We were very pleased that 20
students successfully
participated in this
inaugural program.
The students left the
University with a new
understanding
of
themselves and the
world around them.
They also learned
about the various pro-
grams and opportuni-
ties for study at Clayton State University.”
The week-long academy challenged stu-
dents to think critically and provided them
with a taste of college life. SEBA was
moderated by Clayton State professors
from the accounting, finance, manage-
ment and marketing fields, and the topics
covered included entrepreneurship, busi-
ness, ethics, free enterprise, teamwork,
and personal skills.
Given the expressed goals of SEBA,
Ogbuehi was pleased to receive the fol-
lowing communication from a parent,
Tamecia L. Miles, of one of the attendees.
“I wanted to take a minute to express my
gratitude to you and Clayton State
University for allowing my daughter
Destiny Miles to attend the SEBA pro-
gram. This was a learning experience that
Destiny will take with her for years to
come. We are so grateful to have been
given the opportunity to be a part of such
a memorable experience. Again, thank
you!”
While students and parents spoke highly
of SEBA, it’s worth noting that the
Clayton State business professors
involved in the program spoke equally
highly of the students.
Professor of Management Dr. Gary May
had the opening class of the SEBA pro-
gram, lecturing on “How to Design and
Deliver
Effective
Presentations.”
“My task was to help
the students think
through how to pack-
age and present to
judges and parents on
Friday what they
learned in the other
four classes during the
week,” he explains. “This was a chal-
lenge, because each team had only had 15
minutes to present, which meant each
class topic could only receive about three
or four minutes of coverage. I was
pleased with the group. The students were
attentive, and willingly participated in the
activities in the class.
“Overall, given the challenging task and
short time frame, I would give this first
SEBA class an `A’ for their good work.”
John Mascaritolo, assistant professor of
supply chain, found the students engaging
on the subject of
“Supply
Chain
Management and How
to Get Product to the
Market.”
“They were very atten-
tive being that I was on
Friday and they had
already had a very
active weekly agenda
full of interesting topics, speakers, and
facility tours,” he says. “I found the stu-
dents to be very sharp and in tune with what
was happening on a global scale. I enjoyed
participating in the program and I know
next year’s event will be even better.”
In his session, Professor of Management
Dr. Lou Jordan had students come up with
an idea for a product/service, develop a
rough prototype of a product or service,
and then develop and
present a three-minute
elevator pitch to the
judges at the end of the
camp. Jordan says the
students were high
energy, and were
receptive to the exer-
cises and the concepts
related to creativity
and innovation.
“As expected, these young people had
many great ideas for products and servic-
es,” he says. “For me, the most notable
part of the program was the energy of
these teenagers and their excitement with
being creative.
“To me, creativity, particularly practical
creativity, is one of those skills that is not
emphasized enough in schools and col-
leges, and yet, survey after survey of busi-
nesses indicate that this is a skill needed,
not only for company success, but the eco-
nomic success of our country. Innovation is
a basic requirement for entrepreneurial suc-
cess within a small business, but also in
large corporate environments.”
In retrospect, it would appear that creativ-
ity and innovation were the prime hall-
marks of both SEBA and its participants.
The following is a list of the students who
completed SEBA 2012:
Sadeeq Clayton
Ariel Crews
Jonesha Davis
Akiah Dunlap
Maiya Eldridge
Nisa Floyd
Mystyanna Frazier
Amber Freeman
Ammishaddai Grand-Jean
Jamaal Johnson
Zuri Mabry
Amanda McLeroy
Jahi McNabb
Destiny Miles
Ariel Miller,
Amaris Ryals
Cymone Ryals
Lauren Smith
Taylor Tinsley
Breanna Wicker
Ogbuehi
May
Mascaritolo
Jordan