IBE IN THE COMMUNITY Students in the College of Business’ flagship real-world experience learn what it means to be a business that gives back. The United Prairie Bank Integrated Business Experience (IBE) has earned a reputation as the College of Business’ flagship program for real-world learning—and rightly so. Students who participate in IBE spend a semester building a company from the ground up. They secure a real bank loan, sell products and donate all proceeds to a local nonprofit organization. To date, the IBE has contributed more than $93,000 to nonprofit organizations in and around Mankato. While the money that comes out of IBE companies is good and vital, there’s an equally important component that exemplifies the program’s spirit and intent. Each participant is asked to volunteer at least 10 hours to a nonprofit organization over the course of the semester. Students in Dr. Shane Bowyer’s management section also partner with an organization to complete service projects. “The volunteering part of the IBE is so important because it connects the students to the community while recognizing the importance of giving back,” says Bowyer. “In addition, the projects they work on for the class portion of the IBE help develop project management and teamwork skills.” For the past four semesters, Bowyer’s management students have been partnering with Mankato Youth (MY) Place, an out of school organization for kids in kindergarten through ninth grade. MY Place’s mission is to be a safe place for kids to learn and grow. “Before COVID-19, [COB] students would come in for tours to understand the work we did,” says MY Place director Erin Simmons. “They planned some of the coolest experiences with our kids.” Some of the highlights have been things like sledding, pizza and ice-skating outings—things many MY Place regulars hadn’t had the opportunity to do. IBE students also invited MY Place kids to the Centennial Student Union Bullpen for bowling and billiards.
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“They had a blast,” says Simmons. “But there’s that added value of kids who may not have previously been on a college campus stepping foot on one, even though it was for fun. You can’t picture yourself somewhere if you’ve never been.”
A Forced Shift in Focus When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, IBE operations across the board instantly changed. Companies met over Zoom to map out product and marketing strategies and pivoted to selling products exclusively online. The pandemic also changed the MY Place partnership. In-person outings were off the table, but that didn’t stop students from getting creative and giving back. “Last year when we were doing shelter in place, the students in [the IBE management] class were recording how-to videos—like how to make slime,” says Simmons. “We were delivering care packages for those families [who were not coming into MY Place] during that time … that included the ingredients of slime. Then [IBE] students would do a how-to video and our kids could go on YouTube and watch them.” As the pandemic continued into fall semester 2020, students came up with more innovative ways to partner with MY Place, like taking over the operation of the organization’s online silent auction. “[That was] critical,” says Simmons. “We have about 15 staff here and 12 of them are doing direct service for kids. We don’t have a lot of person-power at that administrative level.” Students researched online auction platforms and solicited donations within the community. The auction raised about $5,000 for MY Place.
