New business courses empower students for success in the modern workplace

They’re empowered and ready for work. Caldwell students in the new courses “The Startup of YOU: Leadership Essentials” and “Business and Management Consulting” finished the spring semester confident that their classes have given them direction, purpose and a competitive edge.    

They spent four months immersed in learning about concepts that often take new professionals years to develop—emotional intelligence, teamwork, collaboration, time management, setting meaningful goals, personal branding, networking, situational leadership and resilience.  

Junior David Echeverri, a financial economics major, took both of the new courses. He started the semester “overwhelmed and confused,” but by the end of the term he was excited about what he had learned, and ready to begin an externship at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Leaders “must empower themselves and the people around them,” said Echeverri of the conviction he learned in “The Start Up of YOU” course.

His professors saw his exponential growth too. “David developed and blossomed right in front of our eyes and emerged as a well-rounded leader. He found his purpose, learned about who he is and what he wants to be known for. With this depth of self-awareness, he discovered the power of the professional networking tool LinkedIn and used it to reach out to senior executives of companies he admired, and it led to offers for internships,” said Dr. Ranjit Nair, who created and taught both courses. 

“Dr. Nair always said in class to not just look for any ol’ job but to find the job, the dream job, so to speak,” said Echeverri. “That’s what I did and it’s working out for me.” Junior accounting major Domenica Solis said she began the class viewing leadership as “more of a title or position.” During the course she learned that a leader is much more than a person assigned the role. It is “anyone who strives to support others in their group, seeks to expand their skills and that of others, and understands the importance of constructive criticism,” said Solis.  

In the leadership course, co-taught by Nair and Joseph Testa, a Caldwell University alum, the focus was on self-discovery, self-management, personal development and learning how to adapt to other people’s styles for teamwork in the workplace. Echeverri knows the value of this. “I can personalize my communication style with people and adapt to their style and characteristics.” He also learned how to network, craft a résumé and move forward toward his goals. “Now professionally, my path is clear and I have all the tools I need to get where I want to go in my professional life.” 

In the “Business and Management Consulting” course, co-taught by Nair and Associate Professor Neil Malvone, students spent months working with a New Jersey-based nonprofit. The aim was to provide the students with the opportunity to work for a real company to help solve real business issues, Nair explained. “Caldwell University is one of only a handful of universities in the U.S. where undergraduates are doing actual business consulting,” he said.  

The students worked in four teams: marketing and social media, new production introduction, finance and funding, and technology and operations. At the end of the semester, they provided a comprehensive report with recommendations, many that the client plans to adopt. On the final day of class, the students made a compelling business presentation with their findings, solutions, and recommendations in front of the client, many other constituents from Caldwell and the business community.

Senior Rosie Nhung Hong Nguyen, a computer science major, said she grew professionally by learning to be patient, manage stress, and communicate with the client and with her professors.     

Dominique Fernandez, a sociology major, would encourage future students in all academic disciplines to take the course. “It is real-world experience for any background.” 

“A perfect course with a perfect curriculum that molded the way I want to create my career … I enjoyed learning about ‘active listening,’” added Echeverri.    

The professors look forward to further developing the courses for the 2023-24 academic year, engaging with more professionals and businesses to show how Caldwell students can bring innovation and productivity to their workplaces. Both courses, said Nair, are filling needs for corporations that want new employees who can hit the ground running, and they are providing students with an edge as they venture out in the marketplace. 

Post-COVID, Nair believes that his students will successfully complete the classes, knowing there is great value in being able to adapt and to work with all kinds of personalities. “These courses have helped these upperclassmen students to prepare themselves to be ‘ready now’ for the new and still evolving world of work,” said Nair. The most satisfying aspect of teaching both of these courses, he added, “is to see how the students really engaged in them. This experience made a real difference in their lives.”