In the fall of 2023, student leaders in East Carolina University’s College of Business (COB) joined the Arthur School’s Immersive MBA students on a trip to New York to learn more about the business world outside of North Carolina. Businesses were visited, and networking opportunities were aplenty.
Following their trip, those same students met with the trip’s benefactor, Sanford Bailey, and provided him with their reflections on the trip and what they gleaned from it. Word spread in the COB community about the trip’s benefits, or what dean Mike Harris calls “return on investment.” So much so, a donor reached out to the COB and asked if it would be interested in taking students to the technology center of the United States, i.e., Silicon Valley, and if so, that donor would fund the trip.
Fast forward to May 2024, when COB sent out another entourage of 18 students, this time to San Francisco and San Jose, California.
“There is no substitute for face-to-face interaction with successful companies and innovative people to stimulate students’ views of the world and open their minds to the possibilities of what they can achieve,” said the donor, who wishes to be anonymous. “We are happy to play a small part in the future of the COB students.”
Angela Furniss ’93, chair of the COB’s Business Advisory Council, also appreciates the importance of these types of trips in a student’s college career.
“When Paige (Hill, COB’s director of outreach) mentioned the COB students were going to the San Francisco area and were looking for host companies, I immediately thought of Rodney (Turner) and Cisco,” said Furniss.
“I have a passion for helping early-in-their-career individuals who are willing to work hard, take challenges and push barriers,” said Turner, a senior director with Cisco. “This (trip) was a natural way for me to help give back to the school and the top talent at East Carolina.”
When Harris hits the road to speak with alumni and donors, two items tend to percolate to the top of their discussions: “Please keep telling your story” and “How can we help?” Time, talent and treasures are usually discussed, but recently, experiences have been getting the attention of those who want to give back.
By all accounts, Immersive MBA student Jenna Mallberg took advantage of the situation, owned the Cisco visit and demonstrated how COB Pirates are ready to take on the business world.
“I knew going into the trip that I wanted to lead a company where I am most aligned with career- and culture-wise,” said Mallberg. “Once I found out we were attending Cisco Systems I jumped right on that opportunity.”
From Raleigh, Turner scheduled the Cisco visit, which included tours, lunches, presentations and a Q&A session.
“These experiences provide a perspective and level of realization that the classroom cannot,” said Turner. “Students need to see the humans behind the logos, the personalities they can relate to and an example of how the real world looks.”
Turner admits there are benefits to Cisco engaging students at this level as well.
“Engaging with top talent in the university environment is key to Cisco as we look to attract new intelligence, energy and talent into the company.”
Cisco’s engagement with the students was the result that Furniss hoped would happen. As the director of national accounts for Dexcom, she understands the importance of connecting and networking for future benefits, whether professionally or personally.
“These trips directly impact the learning experience of our students,” said Harris. “And we’re not done. We’re hard at work pursuing new destinations for our students to visit so they can broaden their perspectives and meet with other successful COB Pirates.”
ECU extends path to technology degree with new partnership
Students in Duplin County now have an easier path to an ECU degree thanks to the signing of a bilateral agreement with James Sprunt Community College.
The agreement provides guaranteed admission into ECU’s Bachelor of Science in industrial technology (BSIT) program for JSCC students who graduate with at least a 2.0 GPA with an Associate in Applied Science degree in industrial systems technology. The JSCC graduates will receive 53 credit hours toward their BSIT degrees at ECU.
“It provides an opportunity for our students to seamlessly transition to ECU,” said Dr. Jay Carraway, president of JSCC. “It’s more opportunity for growth, more opportunity for success and more opportunity for career development.”
Carraway, who grew up in Snow Hill, holds three degrees from ECU and was a member of the Pirate baseball team from 1979 to 1982, so he said he’s familiar with the important role the university has in the region.
“This agreement gives our program credibility, and anytime we can partner with East Carolina to make what we do better, we’re all in,” he said.
Dr. Robin Coger, provost at ECU, sat next to Carraway to sign the agreement amid the computer numerical control machines, robots and manufacturing equipment in the high bay lab of ECU’s Science and Technology Building.
“Each of us can reflect on the life-changing effects of earning our college degrees,” Coger said. “Today is exciting because it commemorates East Carolina University and James Sprunt Community College partnering together to open doors for learners to continue their education. This bilateral agreement between JSCC and ECU is just the beginning, and I look forward to how our partnership will grow in the future.”
Dr. Harry Ploehn, dean of ECU’s College of Engineering and Technology, said the agreement is evidence of how the university supports the people and economy of eastern North Carolina.
“It’s essential to our mission that we actively collaborate with our community college partners because students and families need to know that there are multiple pathways toward careers in industrial technology,” he said. “Being able to start that pathway at the local community college and then continue to ECU for a four-year degree is a very realistic, very cost-effective pathway. These kinds of bilateral agreements are important because they help make families and students aware of that pathway and the collaboration between the community college and the university.”
The BSIT program offers concentrations in architectural design technology; mechanical design technology; distribution and logistics; information and cybersecurity technology; industrial management; industrial engineering technology; bioprocess manufacturing; and health information technologies.
The nationally recognized program is designed for students who have been awarded a qualified Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in an industrial or technical related field. It is accredited through the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering. The program is considered ideal for working professionals who need a four-year degree for career advancement.
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