Undergraduate Business Students Gain Real Consulting Experience In Class

For the past thirteen years, students enrolled in Professor Eric Kolhede’s Advanced Marketing course, have worked hand in hand with actual clients from the bay area business sector to conduct market research and present comprehensive strategic marketing plans.  In the spring of 1997 Professor Kolhede introduced this unique project to Saint Mary’s College of California. Students worked with a division of General Motors Marketing department to build brand awareness among Saint Mary’s students of GM automobiles and nearby dealerships. Since then the program has evolved and expanded to provide more than just an incredible ‘hands-on’ experience.

“Not only are these students actually practicing marketing, I like to think they are making a social contribution, because the clients are generally from the non-profit realm. For instance, a couple of the recent projects like the Empress Theatre, and the Vallejo Symphony have been especially compelling, as the city of Vallejo has been particularly hurt by the economic downturn.” says Professor Eric Kolhede.

As Bonnie Bernhardt, President of the Vallejo Symphony Association reiterated shortly after the final presentation this past fall, “the atmosphere in the room was more like a corporate conference room than a college classroom.” The impact these students make year after year is remarkable.  Take for example the 1999 partnership with the Festival Opera Company. Based chiefly on the recommendation from Professor Kolhede’s class, the Festival Opera Company hired a musicologist, for the purpose of providing opera education and, in turn, a long-term expansion of opera attendees. The significance of this hire based on the recommendation from Professor Kolhede’s class during their final presentation caught the attention of many local media sources that picked up the story, including the San Francisco Chronicle.

However, despite the overwhelming success and popularity Professor Kolhede’s course garners among Saint Mary’s students, local media, and bay area businesses, it’s important to stress, these achievements are the product of hard work.  The ability to conduct critical market research and present a strategic marketing plan in just 14 weeks forces both student and teacher alike to invest maximum effort. That said, everyone involved always acknowledges they’ve received maximum reward. Professor Kolhede's most recent class completed a project for the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra.