Charlton College of Business Seeks to Assist SouthCoast Companies

UMass Dartmouth has had a long history of community engagement by students and faculty. Now, the university is looking to ramp up its efforts to help the region's businesses and nonprofit agencies resolve issues they face every day.

The effort is being spearheaded by Dr. Madan Annavarjula, Dean of the Charlton College of Business at UMass Dartmouth, and Dr. Matthew Roy, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Civic Engagement. Both educators stopped by Townsquare Sunday to share their plan for enhancing the region's business community.

"There is a treasure trove of opportunity for students at UMass Dartmouth, where students can learn by doing, and communities can partner in that endeavor," Dr. Annavarjula said. "We want students to use project-based learning as a tool to hone their business education skills."

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SouthCoast businesses can engage with UMass Dartmouth at no cost to them.

"We consider our business partners in this program to be co-educators," Dr. Roy said. "We see it as a real win-win, where our students and perhaps faculty members are being challenged with some problem or opportunity that the organization faces, and the business itself helps the student develop the knowledge, skills and abilities to meet these challenges."

Annavarjula said while project-based learning has existed at Charlton College, he wants to make sure those classes are the hallmark of the college's educational model. He said several businesses are already involved with the program, seeking help in developing a business plan, income tax assistance, research and more.

If you would like to enlist the help of faculty and students from the Charlton College of Business to tackle challenges your business is facing, or just to learn more, contact Dr. Roy at mroy@umassd.edu or call (508) 910-9052.

If you would like your organization or nonprofit featured on Townsquare Sunday, please email the host at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com.