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UNC Kenan-Flagler students are applying what they learn in their business courses to benefit the state of North Carolina.

Teams of MBA and Undergraduate Business students engage as consultants for global, state and not-for-profit organizations through STAR (Student Teams Achieving Results) to develop strategies for corporations and non-profit organizations around the state and the nation.

Clients benefit from actionable plans and students hone leadership, teamwork, analytical and consulting skills in the experiential learning program. They have included ESPN, General Electric, Google, Bayer, Belk, VF Corporation, Furnitureland South, Biofuels, Charles House Associates, City of Kinston, City of Rocky Mount and YES! (Youth Empowered Solutions). During the past 10 years, STAR has served 155 clients, with over half of the projects completed for North Carolina firms, non-profit organizations and the N.C. government.

This year STAR teams brought their talents to bear for a new client: North Carolina’s new administration in state government.

“We run STAR projects as if they were part of a management consulting firm,” said Paul Friga, STAR director and a strategy and entrepreneurship professor. “Our focus is on delivering impact for the clients and developing our students.”

A hallmark project was to help develop an umbrella brand for the state of North Carolina for the N.C. Governor’s Office.

The Brand North Carolina Project was sponsored by the N.C. Department of Commerce and led by the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise.

MBA student David Kearns worked on the Brand North Carolina Project with faculty advisor Nick Didow, who led the Kenan Institute’s work. The Brand North Carolina Project engagement began with the Kenan Institute and Didow helped the department “realize the additional value that STAR would deliver to our state,” Kearns said.

The STAR team completed a branding strategy based on data generated by the Kenan Institute team and from independent research. The team’s work provided significant input for the state project and a benchmark for evaluation.

Didow and Kearns appreciated the opportunity for community service, academic and professional experiences, developing leadership and having a bit of fun along the way. The project was demanding, Kearns said, and very rewarding.

Another STAR team took on the goal of increasing receipt-based revenues for the N.C. Transportation Museum for the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

MBA student Elise Wagner led a team to develop strategies to increase visitation and awareness for the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer, N.C. The historic site was once a popular train stop; today it displays one of the oldest intact roundhouses.

“We are excited to make great changes as a result of the STAR project,” said Karin Cochran, chief deputy secretary with the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. “The team worked hard and identified a lot of creative ways to allow the visitors to broaden their experience at the museum.”

For example, they suggested a car for children to climb on. “The museum has amazing antique cars to show off and trains to ride, but does not have cars that kids can get in to experience,” she said. “Our department immediately reached out to our partners at the Department of Public Safety, and they have offered a retired highway patrol car to loan to the museum. We look forward to moving this into a creative children’s space as we implement many of the team’s new ideas.”

Cochran especially appreciated the primary research they conducted, which included interviews onsite as well as contacting teachers to gather information. “We are eager to implement new methods to engage both teachers and students on how to experience the museum for educational purposes,” she said.

“We were able to breathe new ideas into the institution and offer fresh eyes,” Wagner said. “This helped strengthen UNC Kenan-Flagler’s relationship with the Department of Cultural Resources and the North Carolina government as well.”

Other non-profit STAR team clients and projects included:

  • Beaufort County in Eastern North Carolina: Create an economic development strategy
  • N.C. Mail Service: Help the state of North Carolina’s Department of Administration achieve greater efficiency in processing official state mail
  • N.C. Office of State Human Resources: Develop a strategy to attract early career professionals to minimize the impact of the impending retirement boom in the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services workforce
  • N.C. Office of State Human Resources: Develop a business plan to increase the self-sufficiency of the Temporary Solutions Agency
  • UNC School of the Arts: Develop strategies to bring a High Point soundstage for film production to life

Marketing professor Barry Bayus worked as a STAR adviser for the first time on the N.C. Transportation Museum project. “The student team was fantastic. All I had to do was support them and then get out of their way. Because of the quality of the student teams and clients, the STAR projects are a win-win situation.”

“STAR provides a premier experiential learning experience and focuses on real-world impact,” said Friga. ”It exemplifies UNC Kenan-Flagler’s core values – excellence, leadership, integrity, teamwork and community.”

Read about more STAR projects, watch this video and find out how to get involved.

Story by Lauren Thomas, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

Photo from Brand NC Facebook page

Published September 26, 2014

UNC Kenan-Flagler students are applying what they learn in their business courses to benefit the state of North Carolina.

Teams of MBA and Undergraduate Business students engage as consultants for global, state and not-for-profits organizations through STAR (Student Teams Achieving Results), to develop strategies for corporations and non-profit organizations around the state and the nation.

Clients benefit from actionable plans and students hone leadership, teamwork, analytical and consulting skills in the experiential learning program. They have included ESPN, General Electric, Google, Bayer, Belk, VF Corporation, Furnitureland South, Biofuels, Charles House Associates, City of Kinston, City of Rocky Mount and YES! (Youth Empowered Solutions). During the past 10 years, STAR has served 155 clients, with over half of the projects completed for North Carolina firms, non-profit organizations and the N.C. government.

This year STAR teams brought their talents to bear for a new client: North Carolina’s new administration in state government.

– See more at: http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/news/2014/09/STAR-NC#sthash.websbwpt.d