Santa Clara University

 
 

GSRB Success: Completed Initiatives

 

Initiatives for 2005-2006
 Initiative # 1  Improved wireless access in Kenna
 Initiative # 2  Provided online access to professors' evaluations
 Initiative # 3  Upgraded the GBP Lounge
 Initiative # 4  Upgraded U-Connect
 Initiative # 5  Employer Relations
 Initiative # 6  Increased alumni presence and involvement
 Initiative # 7  Availability of elective courses
 Initiative # 8  Effective communication between GBP office and students

 

 Initiatve #1: Improved wireless access in Kenna
 IT department conducted study on best wireless method to employ on the 2nd and 3rd floors of Kenna
 Wireless made available on 2nd and 3rd floors in January 2007
See announcement from IT director

 

 Initiative #2: Provided online access to professors' evaluations
 GSAC and the Graduate Academic Support and Records team established an ERes site to provide students with the syllabi from various departments and instructors in the Leavey School of Business. With the collected syllabi, a course for each discipline was created in ERes-COURSE SYLLABI.
 The ERes Course Syllabi contains some syllabi; we are still collecting other syllabi for many other courses offered. The syllabi included are meant as examples of what some courses may cover. Instructors may change syllabi at their discretion.
 To access ERes, click here (eres.scu.edu/eres/default.aspx)
 Contact GBPSupportandRecords@scu.edu for the password)

 

 Initiative #3: Upgraded the GBP lounge
 An assessment of computers and printers was conducted in February 2006.
 One main issue was identified: computers are too slow. Two recommendations were made to improve performance: (1) upgrade drive space, and (2) increase RAM.
 Drive space and RAM upgrades were completed prior to start of Fall 2006.
 The Lounge was painted in Summer 2006 to brighten space.

 

 Initiative #4: Upgraded U-Connect
I Preliminary feedback on U-Connect identified two major issues: (1) using ACCESS photos, and (2) program's interactivity.
! ACCESS photos have been uploaded into U-Connect and are now available for students to use in their profiles.
 An Events section was added to the system as well. It serves as the Event Management system for all GBP events. Students can track and RSVP to all GBP-related events, including the GBP Networks' events. In addition, students can create their own events and invite their friends to these events.

 

 Initiative #5: Employer Relations
 GSAC held student forums in Fall 2005 to discuss feedback on Career Management services, focusing specifically on employer relations.
 The Career Management staff created a short-term "Employer Relations" strategic plan in Summer 2006 for the 2006-2007 academic year. The Director of Career Management began meeting with all of the employers who already actively recruit on our campus, either through job posting, career fairs, and/or with on-campus interviews.
 Due to this increased employer outreach, GBP Career Management hosted its biggest Fall Career Fair on October 12, 2006.
 The Career Management team is in the process of identifying Bay Area employers in previously under-represented industried: Management Consulting, Investment Banking, Biotechnology, Private Equity, and Venture Capital, and will meet with them beginning January 2007.
 Students and alumni are encouraged to aid the Career Management team in building and maintaining strong relationships within the business community.

 

 Initiative #6: Increased alumni presence and involvement
 The Leavey School of Business has two full-time staff members in its Alumni Office: Leanna Christie, Senior Director, and Rebecca Garza, Coordinator.
 Leanna and Rebecca are currently developing scope of events, services, and programs offered to LSB alumni.
 The GBP team has developed a close working relationship with LSB alumni team to strengthen the connection between GBP students and alumni. Various GBP staff members meet with Leanna regularly to identify events and/or programs through which students and alumni may connect.
 The GBP student networks also are developing strong relationships with the LSB alumni team to help increase alumni involvement in their events and programming.

 

 Initiative #7: Availability of elective courses
 GSAC and the GBP Office sent out an Elective Offerings survey through Zoomerang to the entire student body in Spring 2006.
 430 students participated in the survey, and results (top three choices) were e-mailed to all students.
 These results will be used to help plan 2006-2007 class schedules, although the GBP Office cannot guarantee that the top choices in courses will be offered next year.

 

 Initiative #8: Effective communication between the GBP Office and students
 During 2005-2006, the GBP administration became aware that the majority of students were bombarded with e-mails from various sources, and many did not read the e-mails sent out from the GBP Office.
 GSAC student members helped identify three ways to improve communication between the GBP office and its students: 1) Event calendar in the office lobby and GBP lounge (completed) 2) Blogs available on the GBP website (completed) 3) All communications regarding academics should be mailed to students as well (already in practice)
 GSAC also determined that the ultimate responsibility for this information lies with the students. Students are responsible for reading and being held accountable for the information that is sent to them.

 

 

Initiatives for 2006-2007
 Initiative #1: Improved communication
 Initiative #2: Improved Web site
 Initiative #3: Increased alumni presence and involvement
 Initiative #4: Improved academic and student life programming

 

 Initiative #1: Improved communication
 GBP Student Life improved the format of the VC.  Previously, the VC was in the form of an e-mail to all students.  It was changed to a non-interactive blog in order to allow students to access it from any computer at any time.
 An e-mail was sent every week to inform students that the new VC blog had been posted, highlighting the major events that were taking place that week.
 As a suggestion from GSAC members, hard copies of the VC were placed in the front office of the GBP and in the lounge.
 A quarterly calendar of events was posted in the front office as well as the lounge.  In addition, individual flyers of all major events were advertised in the lounge, in the front office, and throughout Kenna hallways.
 Academic Support & Records also changed the format of their notifications to a blog format which students could access on the homepage for Current Students from any computer at any time.
 Weekly e-mails on career events, internships, and job opportunities were e-mailed to all BroncoLink registrants

 

 Initiative #2: Improved Web site
 Donna Perry, Assistant Dean of Marketing and Communications, joined the meeting in November.
 Feedback from GSAC was collected prior to the meeting on general issues, the main Homepage, and the Current Students site.

 

 Initiative #3: Increased alumni presence and involvement
 Leanna Christie, Sr. Director of Alumni and External Relations, joined our meeting in April.
 The main objective of the alumni office is to re-connect alumni with each other and with the Leavey School of Business. Their secondary objective is to connect students and alumni together.
 She presented four major areas where her team connects students and alumni – the Leavey Alumni Ambassadors Program, Leadership Briefings, Walk on Wall Street (new event targeted at the undergraduates), and LinkedIn.
 The Leavey Alumni Ambassadors Program (LAAP) allows alumni to volunteer their time to connect with prospective students through Admissions or to connect with current students through Career Management and Student Life programming. They can participate in information sessions for prospective students, career panels, and/or at New Student Orientation.
 Leadership Briefings are open to both students and alumni. Students and alumni have an opportunity to mingle with each other before and after the program starts.
 Leanna and her team formed a “SCU School of Business” group on LinkedIn. It’s geared towards undergraduate and graduate alumni. Students who have completed 36 units in the GBP are also added to the group as well as the other online alumni databases (InCircle and Online Community).
 Career Management and Student Life team organized alumni panels as well as increased marketing of events through Leanna and her team. As a result, more alumni attended our quarterly Happy Hours and various career events.

 

 Initiative #4: Improved academic and student life programming
 GSAC reported that students wanted to have more information and advance warning around the types of courses that were going to be offered and when.
 Academic Support & Records posted information on each academic department’s course availability and posted schedules for the entire academic year.
 GSAC was instrumental in helping the Student Life team plan the quarterly activities in the hallway. These activities provided more opportunities for students to expand their connections with each other.

 

 

Initiatives for 2007-2008
 Initiative #1: Improved GSAC’s visibility within the SCU Community
 Initiative #2: Improved GBP Student Lounge
 Initiative #3: Improved communications between GBP Office and students
 Initiative #4: Increased alumni presence and involvement
 Initiative #5: Changed GSAC’s name to GSRB

 

 Initiative #1: Improved GSAC’s visibility within the SCU Community
 In Fall 2007, GSAC members made announcements at the beginning of each of their classes to introduce themselves, the mission, and the goals of GSAC. They also solicited feedback from their fellow classmates on how to improve the services that our office provides.
 GSAC members began participating in all major events hosted by the GBP, including New Student Orientation, Back-to-School Nights, and Quarterly Social Events.
 In Spring 2008, GSAC hosted Travelin’ Joe Espresso Nights. In exchange for submitting feedback, students would receive a free coffee or smoothie. 180 students participated, submitting 279 comments. The most frequent comments were recommended as the 2008-2009 initiatives.

 

Initiative #2: Improved the GBP Student Lounge
 GSAC sponsored the addition of more outlets in September 2007.
 GSAC sponsored the addition of a new printer in Fall 2007.

 

 Initiative #3:  Improved communications between GBP Office and students
 GSAC members promoted the importance of forwarding scu e-mails to preferred e-mails through e-mails sent through yahoogroups and through flyers posted in the lounge and in the hallways.
 The GBP Office changed the format in which GSAC collected feedback.  Instead of collecting feedback through an e-mail format, the Student Life team added a blog section to the web site so that all feedback and responses, which include the action that the office took to resolve the reported issue, could be viewed by students from any computer at any time.
 GBP Student Life began transitioning away from the use of U-Connect to connect students to each other and to manage GBP events.  Students are now encouraged to connect with each other through existing forms of networking (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc) and all career and student life events will be posted on the Web site.

 

 Initiative #4: Increased alumni presence and involvement
 Steve Hawker, GSAC Lead, organized lunch meetings for students and alumni to mingle with each other around the Bay Area. Every group that had 5 or more alumni present would be awarded $100 towards the final bill.
 Career Management organized a series of alumni panels throughout the year. The alumni panelists worked in the areas of Consulting, Investment Banking, Private Equity, and Venture Capital and they shared their career stories. They also provided attendees with tips on how to structure successful job searches and how to effectively interview for these types of positions.

 

 Initiative #5: Changed GSAC’s name to GSRB
 In Spring 2008, GSAC members decided to change the group’s name to better capture the mission of the group.
 GSAC stood for GBP Student Advisory Council. Fellow students would ask council members for advice on academic and/or career planning which is not the group’s purpose.
 The group changed the name to: GBP Student Representative Board (GSRB). The new name helps demonstrate that the GSRB members serve as a board of student leaders representing their fellow students on important initiatives to improve service.
 
 
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