Focus Area
As a college of business and technology that seeks to differentiate itself as one that promotes the public good, we wish to focus our societal impact plan on reducing inequalities and providing opportunities for further social mobility. Core to our mission as the designated public liberal arts institution in the University System of Georgia, the J. Whitney College of Business & Technology at Georgia College & State University is committed to “cultivate a fair, just, and inclusive community that prepares our students, faculty, and staff to excel in a globally connected workforce,” as stated in our University’s Imagine 2030 Strategic Plan. Our emphasis on reducing inequalities aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10.2 in that we seek to “empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic, or other status." This focus area was unanimously supported by the CoBT’s Strategic Planning Task Force in 2022.
Desired Impact
Martha Nussbaum, a professor of philosophy and ethics at the University of Chicago, alongside Economists Amartya Sen at Harvard University and James Foster at Vanderbilt University, coined the capabilities approach to human welfare. This approach emphasizes capacity development to encourage a more productive and responsible citizenry. To aid in that effort, our college reaffirms our commitment to reducing inequalities, enhancing capabilities, and bettering the quality of life for our students and community. We espouse equal access to resources that support faculty/staff development, student learning, and a broader intellectual understanding of how to reduce inequalities inside and outside of the workplace.
Past and continuing efforts reflect our commitment to advancing equality of opportunity and improving social mobility. These are foundational aspects of the college’s guiding principles.
Initiatives
Curriculum:
Establish/support courses and embed content into the business and liberal arts core curriculum; develop a VITA (Voluntary Income Tax Assistance) community-based engaged practicum course to support low-income, underprivileged members of the local community.
Scholarship:
Encourage faculty and student presentations, peer-reviewed journal articles, media exposure, and other related academic engagement activities in alignment with our SA/PA faculty qualifications policy.
Internal and External Engagement Activities:
Continue to support and invest in programs and the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship which have the opportunity to empower and provide opportunities to achieve success.
| AACSB Standard | Goal | Objective | Tactics | Measures of Success | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. Curriculum | Hold a SoTL session on how to incorporate issues of inequality and social mobility into business and technology courses Propose a VITA program practicum for community-based engaged learning | Empower faculty to develop additional courses or reimagine existing courses that emphasize this content Engage students in empathy development and practical skills of tax preparation to support low-income, underprivileged members of the local community | Leverage existing faculty experts and those in our Center for Teaching and Learning to help facilitate Engage the IRS and other partners to identify needs and potential resources to sustain the program (e.g., grants, donor support) | Feedback from faculty after the session; proposal development and plans # clients served; client survey and demographics; # of student participants; any donor or grant funding | |
| 8. Scholarship | Support student/faculty participation in related conferences and professional development Encourage faculty scholarship in matters related to equality, equity, and social mobility | Funding 20 students to attend the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computer conference To help faculty in various business and technology disciplines better understand how to address these matters both in SoTL and in their discovery or practice fields | Develop an annual giving campaign to support student and faculty grants Identify funding (internal or external) to support faculty through travel grants or stipends Provide release time for faculty to develop research in the DEIB space | A minimum of $5,000 raised to support conference attendance Funding sources identified and utilized Number of presentations, proposals, or papers published | |
| 9. Engagement Activities | Facilitate the annual Minority Youth in Business Program Facilitate the second annual WIT conference for high school students Seek out minority-owned businesses in the middle GA area to be involved in the Center for Innovation, HIPs, and possibly formalized large company partnerships | To promote and facilitate a successful week-long summer entrepreneurship workshop for underrepresented high school students Recruit student participants; encourage faculty and supporters as facilitators To support their needs and to learn from them about opportunities to engage the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, HIPs, and possibly formalize large company partnerships | Secure funding from a variety of internal and external sources to sustain this annual workshop Collaborate with local high schools and corporate partners to help fund the event | Grants from companies; # of high schools and participants; student survey Funding support; # of high schools and student participants; student and supporter survey # of minority-owned companies engaged; feedback from participants Student success measures such as # of students involved in HIPs with these organizations |