Neff College of Business and Innovation Hosts Y.E.S. Program On Campus
On Friday, Nov. 12, a group of 27 students from the Jones Leadership Academy of Business were hosted by the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation on the UToledo campus.
This cohort of select high school students is a part of the Young Executive Scholars (Y.E.S.) Program at The University of Toledo, which was established in 2017 to help cultivate the academic potential of underrepresented students, preparing them for success in higher education. The Y.E.S. Program strives to break the cycle of generational poverty.
Each academic year, sophomore, junior and senior students from JLAB participate in workshops, sponsored by the Neff College of Business and Innovation, that cover leadership development, real-life business etiquette and college prep skills.
In late October, the Y.E.S. Program had its kickoff event on the JLAB campus with the goal of beginning the process of exposing the students to college life and the Neff College of Business and Innovation’s academics, faculty and staff, as well as key business concepts and industry insights.
During the Nov. 12 event, the Y.E.S. students experienced the College’s action learning labs throughout the Savage & Associates Business Complex on the UToledo main campus.
“It was evident from the beginning that the JLAB students wanted to be here and strived to learn,” said Craig Turner, M.Ed., director of the UToledo Young Executive Scholars (Y.E.S.) Program. “They positively engaged with one another, conversing and enjoying themselves instead of being bored or overwhelmed. We are thrilled that we could provide these future leaders with a snapshot into what college life at UToledo and in the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation would look like.”
Dr. Steve Wallace, within the IOTM Lab, went in-depth on the career potential using business technologies and the possible real-world applications and jobs that those with IT skillsets are valued and impactful.
Within the Neff Trading Room, finance Professor, Dr. Ozcan Sezer, provided the students with a basic understanding of the stock exchange, discussing the return on investment from owning Apple stocks vs. S&P 500. He also explained the Student Managed Portfolio, which is a finance course that students can take within the College. During this course, students invest real funds into the stock market, enabling them to assess risk, justify their investments and see their decisions play out in real-time with real-world gains or losses.
In the Accounting Action Learning Lab, Dr. Dana Hollie hosted a hands-on activity using Legos that demonstrated the concept of cost of goods sold to the students. Cost of goods sold, also known as cost of sales, refers to direct costs of producing the goods sold by a company. This amount includes the cost of the materials and labor directly used to create the good.[1]The goal of the activity was to demonstrate the various aspects that go into developing a product and the costs associated with these elements.
In the fourth Action Learning Lab within the Edward H. Schmidt School of Professional Sales (ESSPS), director Deirdre Jones web-conferenced in numerous alumni of the Sales School to provide insight and guidance to the young Y.E.S. students.
“The ESSPS alumni that volunteered their time were wonderful, and it was great to see people that looked like our Y.E.S. students in professional positions and being successful in their careers,” said Turner.
This is the first year that Mr. Turner is acting as director of the Y.E.S. Program and his passion to make an impact on these young students is undeniable.
“I thought the event was amazing,” said Dr. Ward Barnett, principal of the Jones Leadership Academy of Business. “I loved how engaged the staff was with our kids. I thought the virtual alumni engagement with alums across the country was extremely relatable. The kids were able to attach to different parts of their story and made it seem like it is something they could achieve themselves. The way UToledo wrapped their arms around our kids…my heart is full.”
“We look forward to having them back on campus again in the Spring of 2022 for more engaging activities,” said Turner.