For the third year in a row, students from the college of business, part of the Master of Business Administration program, have taken part in another service project.

The most recent service project was with Heartland Senior Services, a nonprofit organization. Students in the College of Business came together to create ideas and plans for the organization.

According to a press release, in general, the projects are often focused on creating budget models, growing brand recognition and developing marketing campaigns.

“The Iowa State MBA service learning projects are a component in BUSAD 594: Professional Skills Development II, a required course for full-time MBA students,” said Ron Ackerman, director of Graduate Admissions and Student Services.

“The goal of the Iowa State MBA program is to educate future leaders in the practice of business and corporate social responsibility.”

The College of Business wants their students to graduate with a complete understanding of how to conduct business the right way, and the service projects included in the MBA program hope to accomplish this.

“We spend a lot of time in our classes talking about ethics and business decision-making, sustainable business practices, the role of business in our global society, et cetera,” Ackerman said.

The service projects that the students are able to participate in are one of the only ways to get real world experiences in the business field.

“We have very few opportunities to provide students with the type of experiences that they will encounter when they get in the workplace,” said Jim Cannon, assistant professor of accounting.

“The service learning project requires students to interface with the non-profit organization as a consultant with a customer.”

The person-to-person interaction with the customer is an important part of the project.

“As such, the student teams must evaluate the job requirements, define scope and apply creativity and academic toolsets to form recommendations, all by engaging the customer who may or may not have a firm sense of what they need,” Cannon said.

Ackerman believes that this project makes being a part of the MBA program an overall advantage for a student in the business world today.

“Working for the betterment of your community is an expectation most companies have of their employees today. In many respects, volunteerism may now be considered a part of everyone’s job description,” Ackerman said.

For the service project, Elizabeth Beck, executive director for Heartland Senior Services, said, “A group like the MBA team can help us by providing some expertise and detail analysis that neither the staff nor the board members have the time and expertise to accomplish.”

“The help from the MBA team provided us with some new perspectives on budget, and [they] asked some important questions we need to consider as we put together the actual budget for submission.”

Unfortunately, Heartland Senior Services is “not in a position to hire a person and ask for an MBA. We are not that large of an agency, and we definitely do not pay salaries that an individual with an MBA would expect,” said Beck.

Many other corporations, however, do look at students who have MBAs on their job applications; it is a quality that many businesses do not overlook.

“Kingland hires candidates in several different areas based on their qualifications and experience for a posted position,” said Stephanie Sobotka, human resources generalist for Kingland Systems Corporation.

“We do consider individuals with an MBA the same [as] other applicants. For MBA candidates, we ensure that the experience the candidate is seeking aligns to the opportunities we have available.”

Having the background and experience that the service projects offer within the MBA program is something that all business students can take advantage of.

“In educating future business leaders, the Iowa State MBA gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills through these community-based projects,” said Ackerman.

“There is no question that the service learning projects are advantageous to MBA students in their job search.”