Taking Care of Business Blog

In light of the COVID-19 on-line nature of our courses, rather than listing “office hours,” this blog provides information on getting in touch with your instructors and advisors.

To register for an internship, please see this blog. Internship credit is not awarded retroactively. Students must be registered for internship credits BEFORE internship hours are started. In other words, students cannot apply for credit for an internship that is already completed. All internships must receive prior approval to count toward academic credit.

Internship assignments and deadlines are described on the Canvas page that accompanies the student’s registration in the Internship “class.” The descriptions below are meant to provide students considering an internship with information on what is expected.

Generally, to complete the internship, a student must complete the following assignments:

1. Short description with picture, intern’s name, logo of organization at which internship was completed, job title at the organization, major and concentration, and expected graduation date. This description might be broadcast on the screens in the Jepson Lobby.

2. Longer description of less than 400 words for publication on website. Description will answer the following questions.

Who am I?
Where did I intern?
What did I do?
How did my GU business education prepare me for success?
How did having an internship set me up for future success?

3. Final project. There are two choices for the final project. Only one is required. The first is to make a poster presentation to fellow students and faculty in the SBA. The second choice is to write a paper on the experiential learning outcomes outlined by the student at the beginning of the internship. The paper requires three pages for each credit earned. Parameters and instructions are in the Canvas class.

4. Self-evaluation by intern will be emailed to intern at end of the internship.

5. Supervisor’s evaluation of intern will be emailed to supervisor at end of the internship.

Considering an internship? For an undergraduate business student, an internship can count toward the three required experiential credits in a business concentration. An internship is an experience that allows a student to apply academic knowledge and skills – while learning new knowledge and skills – within a professional work environment.
 
Here are a few reminders about internships for credit and two options for registration.
 
Reminders:
 
1. To receive academic internship for an internship, a student must be of junior or senior standing (60 or more credits) and have a 3.0 cumulative GPA. There is an option for sophomores to receive credit for internships, but it is limited to one credit.
2. A student can receive up to three academic credits for an internship. For each credit, the student must work 60 hours. To receive three credits, the student must work 180 hours. (Again, sophomores can only earn one credit.)
3. Internship credit is not awarded retroactively. Students must receive approval for internship credits BEFORE internship hours are started. In other words, students cannot apply for credit for an internship that is already completed. All internships must receive prior approval to count toward academic credit.
4. Only three internship credits can count toward a student’s degree. A student can take as many zero-credit internships as desired, but only three credits can count toward the student’s degree.

Getting registered:

1. Download and complete the School of Business Administration Learning Agreement and Internship Registration form.  Note:  Read the requirements before signing. If you are a graduate student (MBA, MTAX, MAcc), reach out to your advisor for the form.
2. Make an appointment with Vicki Hucke in Career and Professional Development by logging into ZagsIgnite and booking an appointment. Students are NOT registered until Vicki Hucke reviews and signs the forms.

Am I doing this for credit or a waiver of a requirement?

Option 1: Student registers for credits and pays tuition (in summer semester) or counts credits toward 18 credits (in fall and spring semesters). Number of credits is based on number of hours worked. Each credit requires 60 hours of work. Student completes all internship requirements as outlined above.
 
Option 2: Student registers for zero-credit internship and does not pay tuition or fees. Student completes all internship requirements as outlined above. This option allows for SBA experiential requirement to be waived but no credits are awarded. Each waived experiential credit requires 60 hours of work. To have experiential requirement fully waived requires 180 hours of work.

Students using either option must still meet all degree requirements and reach 128 credits to graduate. Option 2 is a common summer strategy for fulfilling the experiential requirement without paying summer tuition.

Requirements for completing the internship

Internship assignments and deadlines are described on the Canvas page that accompanies the student’s registration in the Internship “class.” The descriptions below are meant to provide students considering an internship with information on what is expected.

Generally, to complete the internship, a student must complete the following assignments:

1. Short description with picture, intern’s name, logo of organization at which internship was completed, job title at the organization, major and concentration, and expected graduation date. This description might be broadcast on the screens in the Jepson Lobby.

2. Longer description of less than 400 words for publication on website. Description will answer the following questions.

Who am I?
Where did I intern?
What did I do?
How did my GU business education prepare me for success?
How did having an internship set me up for future success?

3. Final project. There are two choices for the final project. Only one is required. The first is to make a poster presentation to fellow students and faculty in the SBA. The second choice is to write a paper on the experiential learning outcomes outlined by the student at the beginning of the internship. The paper requires three pages for each credit earned. Parameters and instructions are in the Canvas class.

4. Self-evaluation by intern will be emailed to intern at end of the internship.

5. Supervisor’s evaluation of intern will be emailed to supervisor at end of the internship.

Gonzaga’s School of Business offers one-credit weekend classes to all students each semester. These classes can often serve as general electives in a student’s pursuit of a degree. Registration is open to ALL MAJORS. The classes are listed on Zagweb.

BUSN.252.01 24693 Career Formation
JEPSON 113
Feb. 21, Friday, 4-10 p.m.
Feb. 22, Saturday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Brittany Leland, Associate Director, Career Education & Experiential Engagement in Career and Professional Development at Gonzaga.
What is the process for determining what you want to do with your life? Whether it is choosing a major or starting a career, students often struggle with narrowing down options and identifying what career paths might be good options for them. This course is designed to help students who are undecided about their major or career walk through the process of self-reflection and research. Students who complete this course will have a better understanding of the process and factors involved in making a career decision. Time will also be spent on understanding and utilizing tools that can be helpful in this process, such as LinkedIn, job search sites, and Gonzaga-specific resources.

BUSN.253.01 24694 Career Activation
April 3-4
This course is designed to help students understand and succeed in the job/internship search process and beyond! From finding job postings and tailoring resumes and cover letters, to interviewing both in-person and online, to negotiating that offer and succeeding in the workplace, students will learn how to prepare for a successful transition from college to career. Students will leave this course ready to continue their job search with tangible skills and resources that will help them stand out amongst other applicants and shine in their first professional positions.

Brittany Leland, Associate Director, Career Education & Experiential Engagement in Career and Professional Development at Gonzaga.

HOW ON-LINE WILL WORK: All class materials will be available on Friday, April 3 at 4 pm. You can work at your own pace and submit all assignments by the deadline of Friday, April 18 at 11:59 pm.

BUSN.254.01 24692 Image & Reputation Management
JEPSON 120
Feb. 22, Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 23, Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Vigil,S A
Whether it’s personal or professional, everyone has an image. You have a self-image and others have an image of you. Over time, you develop a reputation. What does your image say about you? Whether through social media, personal interaction, or word of mouth, your image and reputation can determine whether you prosper. This course is designed to support you in your endeavors to build, maintain, and even repair your personal and professional image and reputation.

BUSN.255.01 24691 Effective Negotiations
JEPSON 120
Feb. 8, Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 9, Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Bryan Blair, Sports Agent, Sports Consulting Northwest
This course aims to develop the learners leadership competencies, influence outcomes and achieve greater success moving forward. Negotiation and Conflict Resolution are two subjects you will be dealing with forever, it doesn’t matter which industry or walk of life you pursue. Your salary, problems in the workplace, selling goods for an employer, your kids bed time, there are an infinite number of ways you will utilize these skills.
The class material is drawn heavily from the Harvard Negotiation Project. The learner will develop these skills through real life examples and targeted role play. The learner will also explore the basics of conflict resolution that go hand in hand with negotiation.

BUSN.267.01 24695 Leadership
JEPSON 124
April 18, Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
April 19, Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Gena Hoxha, Clinical Experience Coordinator at Gonzaga University School of Nursing and Human Physiology
Business leaders influence followers to use their skills and abilities to help achieve an organization’s mission. This course provides a case study of the art and science of leadership.

BUSN 268 CRN: 24883 Personal Financial Planning
April 17-18
Introduction to the fundamental principles of comprehensive personal financial planning. Class will include an analysis and evaluation of financial strategies, current topics in wealth management, and career options for financial planning.
Steve Larsen, President, Columbia Advisory Partners

HOW ON-LINE WILL WORK: Class will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, April 17 with a live Zoom session that will last approximately 1 hour. Live Zoom sessions will also take place Saturday from 9am -11am and 1pm -3pm. The remainder of class instruction will take place on recorded video and will include exercises that are due by the end of the day Sunday.

BUSN 269 CRN: 25156 Economics of the Side Hustle
April 3-5
Do you have a business idea, a charitable organization, or a hobby that you would like to turn into a business? All businesses or non-profit organizations do not have to start out as well capitalized entities where the founder devotes their entire life and stakes their fortunes on the pursuit of a business or a charitable organization. You can start small and develop over time, or keep the organization small through the use of a side hustle project. This class will cover the economics of the side hustle project by having you select and refine your own side hustle, determine the basic cost and financing of your business idea or organization, review different pricing strategies, and help determine a strategy to launch and maintain the project.
John Lyons, Senior Resource Policy Analyst, Avista

HOW ON-LINE WILL WORK: This class will start at 9 a.m. Saturday morning on Zoom. We will be working off-line and on-line until 5 p.m. on Saturday. We will start again on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. with more on-and-off line activities until Sunday at 5 p.m. Class materials will be available on Blackboard before the class starts on Saturday. You will have time during the class to work on your side hustle project and ask questions. The final project will be due by April 12.

MKTG 490 Promotion Project – MWF 3:10 to 4 p.m. – CRN 23425

Course Overview:
This is an experiential learning course in which you and your classmates become a marketing agency working for a real client. Over the course of your project you will plan and implement a promotional event and an associated advertising and public relations campaign designed to achieve your client’s objectives. In addition, you will manage a budget, conduct market research, make agency-style presentations to sell your ideas and communicate your outcomes to your client, and produce materials that document the implementation and results of your campaign. This course can help you improve your skills in marketing, HR, operations management, public relations, oral and written communication, event planning, time management, and teamwork. All students admitted to the course are expected to strive for excellence. This course requires substantial effort, but the rewards are great!

Who can take this course?
This course is open to business students of any concentration as well as non-business students (e.g., digital marketing, promotions, public relations, broadcasting, and communications majors).

Why should I consider this course?

• It fulfills up to 3 Broadening/Experiential credits required for business majors or may be used to fulfill the 3 upper division elective credits for Marketing concentrations. It also may be used to fulfill 3 elective credits for the Promotion and Advertising minors.
• Developing marketing strategies for today’s consumer marketplace is exciting and challenging. This course provides an opportunity for you to synthesize what you have learned in various courses. You will put your skills to work for a real client. You will have a chance to interact with business executives and see what it’s like to actually “do” marketing.
• Prospective employers value teamwork, communication skills, a sophisticated understanding of your area of interest, and evidence of project completion. By the end of the term, you will have practical marketing experience and a finished project to talk about and take to job interviews.

How do I get permission to enroll?
Submit a hard copy of your current resume and cover letter to Connie Lipsker by Friday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. (You can drop these off with the business school administrative assistants.)

In the letter, please indicate the following:
1. Which project areas (project coordinator, promotions, advertising, public relations, market research, communications) are your first and second choices
2. Why those areas are particularly attractive to you
3. Any experience (work, volunteer) or qualifications (including coursework) you have in those areas

Course enrollment will be capped at 16 students per project; therefore, it is in your best interest to put together a solid resume and cover letter. You will be notified by Dec. 6 whether you have been accepted into the course so that adjustments to your spring schedule can be made, if necessary.

The primary purpose of the application process is to make sure that students have course preparation in order to benefit from and contribute to the course and its outcomes. I will be looking for students who have coursework and perhaps some work experience related to marketing research, advertising, promotions, personal selling, graphic design, digital marketing, public relations, and communications. If you plan to take any of these courses concurrently with the Promotion Project course, you should find many opportunities in the project to apply the concepts you are learning. The project work is demanding (but fun!), and the expectations regarding the quality of work are very high. Therefore, we will also be looking for students who have good academic records and who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work.

Project Areas: These areas represent the organizational structure that has generally been used in the past. It may be reconfigured to better suit this project, as needed.

• Project Coordinator/Budget Director—overall team leader and liaison with instructor and client, oversees the budget and use of project funds (Note: the Project Coordinator is elected at the beginning of the semester. Please indicate in your cover letter if you are interested in this position.)
• Market Research—oversees pre- and post-campaign research design, data collection, and analysis
• Promotions—oversees all facets of any promotional event(s), including logistics and sponsorships
• Advertising—oversees design and placement of advertising for the campaign, including social media
• Public Relations—oversees media coverage and publicity, charity initiatives, prize donations, and correspondence
• Communications—oversees the layout and content of the marketing proposal and recap presentations made to the client as well as producing written documents.

Reflections from past Promotion Project students:

• “This project has given me the opportunity to learn what a classroom setting couldn’t offer me.”
• “Seeing all of our hard work come together on the event day was so exhilarating. Despite a few mishaps, I was so proud that we had the strength and determination to pull off an extremely successful event.”
• “Being in this agency has been an excellent opportunity to expand and fine-tune talents that have been four years in the making.”
• “This is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.”
• “Through this project, I gained valuable experience, made new friends, and created life-long memories.”
• “The Promotion Project was the best way to wrap up my college career. It gave me a chance to take all of the knowledge I had gained in the classroom and apply it in a practical setting.”

Questions? Contact Connie Lipsker
lipsker@gonzaga.edu or 313-7042

If you are interested in discussing courses in a particular discipline or need help registering for classes in a particular discipline, consider contacting the discipline leader. Below is a list of discipline leaders with their email and office location. A list of office hours is available here.

Students may design an interdisciplinary concentration of courses related to their individual goals and interests.* This concentration must include twelve credits of upper division courses approved by a faculty advisor.

To apply for an “Individualized Study” concentration, a student should do the following:

1. Work with an advisor to identify 12-credits (or more) of coursework that will combine to create learning outcomes for the student.
2. Write a definition of the topic of the concentration and provide an explanation of what the student will learn both broadly and specifically from the 12 credits of coursework. Be sure to list the courses that will comprise the concentration.
3. Email copy of No. 2 to the student’s advisor and copy the associate dean to create an electronic copy. Advisor will also keep hard copy in the student’s advising file.
4. Complete a Change of Major/Concentration Form indicating all majors and concentrations. The form is available here. Attach the description of the individualized study proposal from No. 2 and forward to advisor for email approval. Advisor should forward the form and description to the associate dean for final email approval. Associate dean will forward form and description to the Registrar’s office.
5. If an alternate course selection is chosen after the initial course list has been approved (in No. 2 above), complete a substitution form for each new class in the individualized study concentration. The substitution form will allow the new course(s) selected to count toward the concentration. Here is an example of the information needed on the substitution form: in place of Gonzaga’s required business concentration course I will substitute BMIS 443 Tech for Web/Mobile-based Bus from GU because this course is part of my Individualized Study concentration in Project Management

Note that the concentration will be listed on the student’s transcript as “Individualized Study.” It will not list the name or topic of the concentration. Also, note that the other rules for concentrations apply to the individualized study concentration, including:

1. Only one course may be double-counted between two concentrations in all but the international business concentration, where no double counting is allowed.

2. A course taken to fulfill a concentration requirement may not be double-counted to satisfy a requirement in the Broadening, International, or Experiential area for the Business Administration major.

*This blog post is based on the 2019-2020 catalog. Future catalog may not have this provision.

Please visit your advisor to be cleared to register, review your mid-term grades, and talk about your future. A list of faculty office hours is available here. Tips from the Registrar are available here.

Frequently asked questions about registering for Spring 2020 courses include:

1. I want to get “signed in” to a closed section of a course. What should I do? Answer: Contact the instructor either via email or stop by their office hours. If you email, you could copy the discipline leader on the email.

2. How do I declare my major/concentration or change my major/concentration?

3. I need an experiential course. Which Spring 2020 classes will fulfill that requirement?

4. How do I know which classes I need?

5. How do I change advisors?

6. What are the internship options?

7. I want to study abroad. How can I get courses at another university approved to count for my Gonzaga courses?

8. I plan to take classes at another university this summer. How can I make sure those classes will transfer back to Gonzaga?

9. I am a senior and plan to take business ethics. I thought I had to take BUSN 480 and BUSN 485, but I only see BUSN 480. Answer: BUSN 480 (2 credits) and BUSN 485 (1 credit) have been combined into BUSN 480 (3 credits).

10. Can I take any section of BUSN 480 that I want? Answer: The 10 a.m. section is restricted to Finance concentrations. All other sections are open to registration for all seniors.

11. When is my registration window? Answer: You can find this information under the Registration tab on Zagweb.

In the Spring 2020, one section of BUSN 480 will be designated for finance students. Students are encouraged to sign up for the sections with their designations. Other students should sign up for any of the open sections.