{"id":13252,"date":"2024-09-16T15:33:09","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T20:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/?p=13252"},"modified":"2024-09-16T15:33:09","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T20:33:09","slug":"uw-stevens-point-business-school-promises-hands-on-business-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/2024\/09\/16\/uw-stevens-point-business-school-promises-hands-on-business-education\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Stevens Point business school promises hands-on business education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Newly named Sentry School declares that \u2018Sentry Does\u2019<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s in a name? A lot \u2014 when it\u2019s the Sentry School of Business and Economics<\/a> at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The name reinforces the historically strong connections between the university and Sentry, a Fortune 650 company and one of the city\u2019s largest employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sentry School name is also tangible evidence of a $10 million gift<\/a> made by Sentry to the business school, and it\u2019ll be further solidified when the business school moves into the proposed Sentry Hall <\/a>during the 2027-28 school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe firmly believe the presence of a strong university is critical, not only for our company but for the community,\u201d said Sentry CEO, president and chairman Pete McPartland when the gift was announced in December 2022. \u201cWe\u2019re able to thrive due in large part to UW-Stevens Point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A hands-on approach to business<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s even more behind the naming and ascension of the Sentry School. It\u2019s a proclamation that UWSP means business, and a special sort of business education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I had to characterize the education at the Sentry School, it would be hands-on,\u201d said Kevin Neuman<\/a>, assistant dean and head of the Sentry School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe express hands-on in multiple ways,\u201d Neuman added. \u201cFirst, there\u2019s the requirement that every business major completes an internship. This gives students real-world experience in a field that\u2019s pertinent to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, students can get hands-on with prominent national speakers, skill-development events and more through the Sentry School\u2019s vaunted Professional Events program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"UWSP\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Started in 2010 to broaden opportunities for business majors, Pro Events has grown into more than 300 speakers and activities annually, leveraging the talents of more than 250 outside resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching is also hands-on at the Sentry School. The faculty\u2019s mix of skilled academics and lecturers with extensive professional experience helps ensure that Sentry School students get a firm academic foundation plus exposure to real-world business skills and knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classes in areas like artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics and business systems equip graduates to excel in competitive work environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s not all. Through programs like Agency 81, the Sentry School\u2019s in-house, student-run marketing agency, students can hone their skills throughout the school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training successful students<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Not surprisingly, a strong entrepreneurial current runs through the Sentry School. Many students want to start their own businesses, and the school supports them through a strong partnership with the local Small Business Development Center as well as opportunities to compete in local and regional \u201cpitch\u201d competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, UWSP\u2019s Haley Densow took first place in The Pitch competition<\/a> in Fox Cities with her idea for DormDash, a campus-based food-delivery service. And one of the runners-up was Sourcer AI, a browser extension that can detect political bias in online news articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithout the Sentry School\u2019s help, DormDash wouldn\u2019t have placed as high as it did and wouldn\u2019t have received the funds needed to build an app,\u201d said Densow, a junior marketing major from Kewaskum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know for a fact that I would not have been able to succeed with my business at any other school,\u201d added Sourcer\u2019s founder Alex Soucha, a sophomore from Sheboygan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"UWSP\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat Haley and Alex have been able to achieve speaks to the culture we\u2019ve built,\u201d Neuman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of that culture is active support. From the day a student applies to UWSP to graduation day \u2014 and beyond, in many cases \u2014 advisers and staff are providing guidance and encouragement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This extends to the Sentry School\u2019s MBA program<\/a>, which offers hybrid and online learning and a 4+1 track for undergrads and is particularly welcoming to female and nontraditional MBA candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sentry\u2019s unique approach<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Sentry School\u2019s culture has earned its \u201cbest-kept secret\u201d status among state business schools \u2014 but expect that to change. A part of Sentry\u2019s gift is going toward a bold rebrand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2019Sentry Does<\/a>\u2019 emphasizes our philosophies of learning by doing, teaching with passion and providing active support,\u201d Neuman said. \u201cIt helps us stand apart from other business schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe appeal to that student who wants an engaged business education, who wants to do things and get things done, who wants to see their ideas come to fruition,\u201d he added. \u201cWe realize that\u2019s a different approach from other business schools, and that\u2019s okay. It\u2019s who we are, and we\u2019re going to stay true to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expect to see more from UWSP\u2019s Sentry School of Business and Economics \u2014 and expect to see more from its students, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ll be easy to spot. They\u2019ll be the ones getting things done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

For more information, check out the Sentry School <\/em>online<\/em><\/a> and on <\/em>LinkedIn<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newly named Sentry School declares that \u2018Sentry Does\u2019 What\u2019s in a name? A lot \u2014 when it\u2019s the Sentry School of Business and Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The name reinforces the historically strong connections between the university and Sentry, a Fortune 650 company and one of the city\u2019s largest employers. The Sentry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7],"tags":[305,342,343,344],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13252"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13252"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13254,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13252\/revisions\/13254"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}