Application deadlines for fall 2008 and spring 2009 programs extended!

Business, Entrepreneurship, and Society welcomes new Program Director Robyne Hart (more)

Business, Entrepreneurship, and Society

Exploring the intersections of business and the liberal arts

An early trading center, Chicago became a manufacturing powerhouse and the economic Capital of the Midwest. But unlike other “Rust Belt” cities, Chicago has weathered (for the most part) the de-industrialization of the nation’s economy and is now a hub for national and international business, a vital center for finance, advertising, and technology.

All this makes the city a great place to explore the intersection between liberal arts education and the economic, social, and strategic forces involved in the dynamic process of change and innovation so central to the world of entrepreneurship and business.

As part of the ACM Chicago Programs, Business & Society students will benefit from our Core Course, with its emphasis on immersion in the city. Specific business-focused guests and field trips will help students see the interplay of culture and commerce, neighborhood, entrepreneurial, and corporate life.

Through a Business, Entrepreneurship, and Society seminar, students will encounter more Chicago entrepreneurs, business leaders, and government authorities, in addition to readings, theories, and discussions that ask for academic reflection.

In completing a substantive internship, students will get firsthand experience in a Chicago business, non-profit organization, or start-up company, meeting regularly with advisors and faculty to make academic sense of the experience.

In focusing on business and the liberal arts, the program will ask students to consider the organizational, psychological, and sociological aspects of business in Chicago.

In stressing connections, the program will ask students to integrate their unique internship experiences with independent projects, ongoing academic work, and the Chicago Core Course.

Internship possibilities

With thousands of businesses large and small, the internship options in Chicago for this new program are virtually limitless. The program puts a premium on internships that truly engage students in the full operations of a company, on sampling the complexity of an organization rather than simply accomplishing a task.

Depending on a student’s interests and academic programs, likely internships might include work with:

• A major commercial real estate firm;
• The Tribune Company or other media outlets;
• An advertising or public relations firm;
• United Airlines, Prudential, Boeing, or one of the other international corporate giants headquartered in Chicago;
• JP Morgan Chase or other major financial or accounting firms;
• Macy’s, Sears, or other major retailers.

Students will be encouraged to identify their academic and vocational goals well in advance of the Chicago semester so that program staff can effectively identify internship possibilities for them.