IBE in the Community

Students in the College of Business’ fl agship real-world experience learn what it means to be a business that gives back.

e United Prairie Bank Integrated Business Experience (IBE) has earned a reputation as the College of Business’ agship program for real-world learning—and rightly so. Students who participate in IBE spend a semester building a company from the ground up. ey secure a real bank loan, sell products and donate all proceeds to a local nonpro t organization. To date, the IBE has contributed more than $93,000 to nonpro t 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 exempli es the program’s spirit and intent. Each participant is asked to volunteer at least 10 hours to a nonpro t organization over the course of the semester. Students in Dr. Shane Bowyer’s management section also partner with an organization to complete service projects.

“ e 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. “ ey 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. “ ey 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. e pandemic also changed the MY Place partnership. In-person outings were o 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. en [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.

“[ at was] critical,” says Simmons. “We have about 15 sta 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. e auction raised about $5,000 for MY Place.

In the spring, groups focused on marketing, including recruitment, fundraising and raising awareness of MY Place services. ey also made STEM kits for kids to play with at MY Place. Four groups of students helped with direct fundraising by creating superhero personas and social media calendars for charity runners in the Mankato Marathon.

For the students involved, it feels good to give their time and skills to an organization like MY Place that serves so many kids in the area. Students are also learning valuable real-life skills that they will carry with them into their professional lives.

“[IBE students] have done awesome things for MY Place,” says Simmons. “But I can also look at this from the perspective of an employer [who hires] young adults. I can see that Dr. Bowyer is instilling values in his students about community engagement and giving back that I think is going to change the way they enter the workforce.”

To learn more about the United Prairie Bank IBE program, visit cob.msu.edu/ibe

IBE Gives Back

Why is giving back an important part of the IBE? Here’s what some of our IBE alumni said:

“The IBE fosters the development of realworld business skills and partners these skills with community engagement. The process of choosing a nonprofit to partner with your IBE company is a way to boost your marketing and get more outreach, but also a great way to brand your company. Many businesses in the real-world partner with nonprofits and I think it’s a great way to show that the company is well-rounded and cares about its local community’s growth.” —Paige Nixt, IBE class Spring ’20. Company Do You donated $1,652 to Community Against Domestic Abuse (CADA) and completed 93.5 service hours.

“What’s so cool about the giving aspect of it is that we get to learn as students how to make a business from start to finish. It's a really cool opportunity to make a business plan, present for a loan and on top of that we’re doing it all for a good cause. It keeps people driven to do well in the class because you’re actually putting it into a good cause.” —Maxwell Mayleben, IBE class Fall ’19. Company Ope Outfitters donated $2,253 to the Mankato Area Foundation and completed 287 service hours.

“A big part for me is I find a lot of people who start businesses mainly for profit. That’s the idea in people’s heads, that you’re trying to make the most money you can. When they put this as a core principle in the IBE that everything is donated and you’re working for someone else, I think that creates a good perspective on the business world; that not all businesses are just money-making machines, that there are ways to give back.” —Rhiannon Boyens-Luke, IBE class Fall ’20. Company Minni’Sota donated $2,007 to Feeding our Communities Partners and completed 42 service hours.