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Business Relevance

The real life, real business curriculum is relevant and calibrated to how real business operates; it changes and responds to the needs of the global business environment.   Faculty engage with the business community to stay current with the latest global, technical and cultural trends and bring them into the classroom. In addition to teaching the functional skills, we help students develop the interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills so highly valued in today's competitive, information-intensive, business world.

• Each section of the Freshman Business Experience course has a partner company. Executives from the company attend class regularly and when business concepts are discussed, the executives explain how the concept is handled in his or her company.

• Sophomores work in teams to develop a viable business idea, write a business plan, present the idea to executives for funding and, if funded, start and run their business the following semester.  Professionals with extensive business experience mentor these student teams in the Real Business Experience course.

• Faculty work with alumni and local businesses to bring live cases and projects into the classroom. For example, Marketing Lecturer Kate King partners regularly with Finish Line. King's marketing class has analyzed and researched different aspects of Finish Line's marketing strategy and presented their findings directly to top executives at the company. Finish Line executives used the recent findings to adjust their marketing strategy.

• In the Applied International Business course, MBA students develop a comprehensive evaluation of the international business opportunities within a BRIC market (Brazil, Russia, India, China) for a U.S. client company. Students develop an advanced level of proficiency in the process of evaluating international opportunities for U.S. companies, and travel to the country for a one-week study trip.

• Faculty work alongside professional consultants and student interns on live consulting projects for the Butler Business Accelerator. This provides an unparalleled opportunity for faculty development and the development of material to bring directly into the classroom.

• Executives-in-Residence mentor students and participate in classroom and career development activities. These business executives formerly worked at such companies as Eli Lilly and Company, General Motors, SBC, Cummins and IBM.

• Advisors from the business community consult with Butler and provide input on curriculum, career development and other strategic matters. The college's Board of Visitors has representation from local and national organizations such as Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Suros Surgical Systems, Pearl Street Ventures, Eli Lilly & Company, M&I Bank, Morgan Stanley, PricewaterhouseCoopers and more. In addition, local business leaders advise the Butler Business Accelerator and the Student Managed Investment Fund.