Love School of Business Project Management track students initiate, plan and execute fall fundraising activities to support veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project
It isn’t enough to learn about project management from a textbook or classroom instruction – you also have to do projects in order to understand the complexities of marshaling human and material resources to create a unique product, service or result. Students in Management 410 experienced those complexities this fall as they planned and executed multiple projects to support veterans and wounded warriors. The results can be seen in the many events and activities accomplished over the course of the fall term.
Project teams from MGT 410 planned and executed the annual Elon University Veteran’s Day Observation on Nov. 11. The ceremony included participation by Elon University Army ROTC students (Color Guard), a moving speech by Vietnam veteran and Silver Star recipient Al Stewart Jr., and an invocation and prayer by Fr. Peter Tremblay, Associate Chaplain for Catholic Life and Catholic Campus Minister. The ceremony was also marked by a memorable recollection provided by Bill Loy Jr., a longtime Elon friend and supporter, who talked to the audience about his experiences in the bloody battles of the Hürtgen Forest during World War II. Though project managers can never plan for all eventualities, the students discovered that effective project risk planning leaves room for exciting opportunities – the time spent listening to Mr. Loy was a highlight of the event.
One project team conceived and developed a Veteran’s Day video tribute featuring two Elon student veterans, Luis Laosfarfan ’20 and Bridget Sheffler ’17 — Laosfarfan served in the U.S. Marines and Sheffler served in the U.S. Army before coming to Elon.
Students also planned and executed fundraising activities in conjunction with Military Appreciation Day at Rhodes Stadium on Nov. 12. The students hosted a tailgate for wounded warriors prior to kickoff, sold T-shirts and 50/50 raffle tickets, and coordinated PA announcements and the coin toss with a wounded warrior. Contributions to the Wounded Warrior Project from the various fundraising activities were approximately $900.
The final contribution of the project teams was to stand up a new student organization at Elon University – The Project Management Club. The purpose of the club is to serve as a service organization for project management students with events focused on career planning and exploration, CAPM study sessions and certification, and social and philanthropic activities to help project management students develop a sense of community. Students interested in joining the project management club are encouraged to contact club president Jenny Sokalski (jsokalski@elon.edu).
As the fall MGT 410 students learned, there is learning in doing. And the students learned well.