As an employer that appreciates the value that diversity and inclusion bring to an organization, this organization has an interest in growing interest in healthcare career paths within diverse communities throughout McLean County. While the community has the 8th Grade Career Expo, which focuses more broadly on the exploration of all potential career fields, the HR team at this organization has been exploring potential avenues to engage populations beyond 8th grade to garner interest in specifically in healthcare career paths.

Project Mentor

Additional resource: Becky LaMont, MSN, RN, CNE. Mennonite College of Nursing rdlamon@ilstu.edu, who has specific background with this project area.

Competencies needed by faculty and students involved

• Research & Interpersonal skills
• Creativity & Curiosity
• Healthcare Knowledge
• Strategic thinking, and Graphic Design skills
• Good oral and written communication skills

Recruitment Status:

Open

Final Deliverable

Assess, develop, and create an execution plan for the appropriate resources and programming to help grow interest in healthcare careers in diverse communities throughout the region. Explore the best venues and vehicles to deliver this type of programming, with a focus on non-traditional types of programming that could reach the intended audience(s), without the need for such resource-intensive efforts.

The team will produce a complete feasibility study on developing an IL Heroes Program that would honor individuals in the State of IL who have made substantial positive contributions to their communities. The idea is modeled off of the television special developed by CNN®.

Client

Dr. Janet Paterson, Interim Director, ISU Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning. https://communityengagement.illinoisstate.edu/about/staff/

Project Mentor

Additional resources: Jim Jones, Director of the ISU Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services, who has run large events. Dr. Lance Lippert, School of COM, to explore communication resources useful to build awareness for such a program.

Competencies needed by faculty and students involved

• Analytical mind-set & Research
• Creativity & Curiosity
• Good oral and written communication skills

Recruitment Status:

Open

Final Deliverable

Program would be housed at ISU. The team would need to research what other similar programs exist in Illinois (and other states), meet with university stakeholders and assess institutional interest/readiness/risks, determine how ISU could brand it as its “own”, identify any intellectual property/trademark issues that may exist associated with CNN’s® program, identify potential sources of funding, develop a framework for selecting recipients, provide a draft plan to build awareness for the program to solicit nominations, and provide a detailed report on how event could be executed at ISU including the business model (how event could be funded/self-sufficient).

The focus of this project is to develop the marketing and social media site of the IL Global Scholar. This is a state-approved project mostly supported by volunteer labor, so helping create ideas for marketing and support materials is important. This is a new program so current awareness is limited. First, there must be marketing to school districts so they see what this can do for their students. Second, there must be marketing to help teachers see the value to be involved. Finally, there must be marketing to students so students commit to the program.

Client

IL Global Scholar Program, an NGO started by high school teachers in IL who believed high school students could learn by engaging more in global issues.

Project Mentor

Dr. Barbara Ribbons (Associate Professor and Director of the International Business Institute)

Competencies needed by faculty and students involved

• Marketing & International Business
• Education
• Social Media, Languages, Area studies
• Global and Political issues
• Oral and Communication skills

Recruitment Status:

Open

Final Deliverable

A portfolio of marketing materials focused on the 3 audiences which promote the value of a global perspective and a report outlining strategies for growing the IGS program using these materials.

In an effort to raise support and increase community development, a sewing group has been started by YUM. They have provided materials and machines to women and helped them learn how to produce a variety of handicrafts, mainly sewn goods. These items are sold locally with the produce from the organic farm (see other YUM ICC project) but they are trying to identify a bigger market for these more exportable goods. The goal of the team is to explore options to help them find a U.S. market for their products.

Client

YUM, an NGO in Indonesia near Jakarta.

Project Mentor

Dr. Barbara Ribbons (Associate Professor and Director of the International Business Institute)

Competencies needed by faculty and students involved

• Marketing, Fashion & Textiles
• International Business
• Social Media & Economic development
• Political issues
• Oral and Communication skills

Recruitment Status:

Open

Final Deliverable

A report that clearly lays out the options for selling their handicrafts in the U.S. and ranks them in order with pros and cons clearly presented.

In an effort to raise support and increase community development, an organic farm has been started. Local classes come to learn about healthy food and sustainable farming practices but this has provided limited income so they are exploring whether they could make this bigger and provide longer-term experiences in sustainability and community development, perhaps even for students from the Western world. The client needs an outside perspective and research to help them identify role models and explore the pros and cons of offering internships or visits.

Client

YUM, an NGO in Indonesia near Jakarta.

Project Mentor

Dr. Barbara Ribbons (Associate Professor and Director of the International Business Institute)

Competencies needed by faculty and students involved

• Sustainability or International Business
• Education
• Social Media & Economic development
• Political issues
• Oral and Communication skills

Recruitment Status:

Open

Final Deliverable

A report that clearly lays out the options for expanding their edutainment beyond local schools with competing models to consider (and with examples of others) and pros and cons clearly laid out for each model.

With the increasing competition from online grocery retailers (Amazon and physical store retailers online sales), store-based retailing specialists (Aldi, Trade Joe’s, Costco, and Whole Foods), and supermarket chains (Kroger, Mariano’s, and Walmart) the team will be charged with identifying what this large grocery retailer can do to differentiate its in-store experience with specific focus on millennial shoppers.
Two parts of the plan are in-store differentiation applied to all stores or large groupings of stores and specific differentiation of individual or small groups of stores that vary based on the geographic location of its individual stores.
Both strategies need to contain specific tactics (activities) along with return on investment guidance (projections) for recommended activities. For example, if team recommends prepared foods to go as one of its ideas, what would this look like (made in-house or contracted out, food types, packaging, where positioned, pricing, etc.)?
More information will be provided to the team.

Client

Major grocery retailer in the Midwest.

Project Mentor

Dr. Peter Kaufman (Professor, Marketing)

Competencies needed by faculty and students involved

• Research & Creativity
• Graphic Design (ability to develop and present concepts/ideas/renderings)
• Baisc financial knowledge

Recruitment Status:

Open

Final Deliverable

Set of prioritized recommendations that the retailer should consider supported by research (online searching, industry trends, and some store visits, etc.). Recommendations would also contain visuals (creative material) of proposed concepts.

Review B-N community’s response to the recently presented Solid Waste Plan in addition to surveying and/or interviewing a variety of entities such as retailers, policy makers, elected officials, and citizens to better understand their attitudes. In recommendation(s) include survey(s) and/or interview findings and description of current context.

Client

Michael Brown, Director, Ecology Action Center

Project Mentor

TBD

Competencies needed by faculty and students involved

• Sustainability
• Creativity & Analytical mind-set

Recruitment Status:

Open

Final Deliverable

Team will evaluate and describe what other cities that are similar to Blooming-Normal are doing to eliminate single-use bags (plastic or paper) provided by retailers and provide specific prioritized recommendations on an approach for consideration by the B-N community after considering the local B-N current context.

Employee turnover in any organization is inevitable but it has costs associated with it. This major retailer of coffee and related items would like the team to develop strategies to reduce turnover amongst its hourly employees at its coffee shops that also positively impacts the customer experience.

Client

Major national retailer of coffee

Project Mentor

Kerry Keller has over 13 years of experience in the human resources field working in both the healthcare and insurance industries. She has a BA and MBA from Illinois State University and is the current Past-President of the Bloomington-Normal Human Resource Council. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Kerry has found Bloomington-Normal to be a great place to spend time with her husband and raise their 3 kids.

Competencies needed by faculty and students involved

• Research & Creativity
• Strong communication skills & Graphic Design (develop and present concepts/ideas/renderings)

Recruitment Status:

Open

Final Deliverable

Set of prioritized recommendations that the retailer should consider supported by research (online searching, industry trends, consultation with store operators, and some store visits, etc.). Recommendations should also contain visuals of proposed concepts as relevant.