Undergraduate students from the Richard Ivey School of Business will be on Sarnia’s streets today to put their learning into action and work on ideas for sustainable community planning.
Student teams will visit 11 organizations in Sarnia to explore current business problems and strategies for future growth. Approximately 500 Ivey students will share their business skills and education with the Sarnia representatives as part of their Learning Through Action course.
Learning Through Action is a course for business students at Ivey that provides an opportunity for them to apply what they’ve learned in the real world. Following a day of research in Sarnia for this year’s project, the students will prepare presentations that will be judged by a panel of experts including Ivey faculty, business and community leaders from multiple sectors and residents of Sarnia.
Winners will be announced on April 15 at 8:30 p.m. during an awards ceremony at the London Convention Centre.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Ivey students to showcase their strategic consulting skills and make a positive impact outside the school. They will help build sustainable value and actively balance doing well with doing good by working with community members and organizations from different sectors,” says Oana Branzei, Assistant Professor of Strategy, who is leading the project.
“Giving back to our communities is a key value at Ivey and is rooted in the School’s mission statement. This exercise builds on the Ivey commitment to become contributing members of communities – locally, nationally and internationally,” adds Branzei, who also holds the title of David G. Burgoyne Faculty Fellow at Ivey.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley says the initiative gives the city vital resources that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive.
“We are very grateful to the students for donating their time and talent,” he says. “The advice and expertise gained from the project will go a long way to reinforce the community and pave the way for a bright future.”
Bradley encouraged students to “ask tough questions and make bold recommendations.” The best ideas will be shared with Sarnia Lambton residents at a grassroots Community Summit on Saturday, April 17 to discuss the city’s future direction, particularly as Sarnia prepares for its centennial in 2014.
Sarnia organizations participating in the Ivey Learning Through Action initiative include:
Sarnia Community Roundtable Sarnia Lambton Workforce Development Board Aamjiwanaang First Nations Environmental Committee Environmental Stewardship Bluewater Sustainability Initiative Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership Bluewater Power Suncor First Solar/Enbridge BPS Lanxess/The University of Western Ontario Research Park