In order to help students discover and grow talents relevant to the workplace, Culverhouse has launched a professional development program, UA Business LEAD. The program is structured such that students engage in both academic and co-curricular activities designed to further their personal and professional development in ten different competency areas. Those areas are:
- Career and Professional Development
- UA Business Engagement
- Self-Awareness and Leadership
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Ethics
- Communication Skills
- Digital Technology
- Personal Financial Literacy
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Global and Cultural Engagement
These competencies are nurtured through Culverhouse’s professional development sequence, GBA 146/246/346, career and professional development workshops, mentoring, capstone experiences such as an internship or co-op, and speaker series and symposiums that bring in representatives from companies to discuss topics related to career growth and talent identification.
According to David Mothersbaugh, associate dean for undergraduate and international programs at Culverhouse, “Industry increasingly demands our students be ‘Day 1 Ready.’”
“Academic learning is necessary but not sufficient in today’s job market. Professional competencies weigh heavily in hiring decisions and are essential to student success. UA Business LEAD is a signature initiative, designed to build key professional competencies, and create leaders ready to hit the ground running.”
Students engage with UA Business LEAD via an app that helps them check-off tasks related to building competencies, which include attending a lecture or participating in a group project or a Culverhouse student organization.
UA Business LEAD’s implementation of the tool has led it to receive the Exceptional First Year Experience award by its developer Suitable at its recent Pathways To Student Development conference in late July. The Exceptional First Year Experience Award recognizes programs that have exemplified their commitment to fostering student learning and success from day 1 by integrating the First Year Experience as a cornerstone of their program on Suitable.
To learn more about UA Business LEAD and to get started, visit students.culverhouse.ua.edu/lead.