Communication evolves with each generation, but the principles don’t. Students must be prepared to speak well, write well, and interact well.
Purdue’s new Mitch Daniels School of Business will imbue students with strong communication skills and a deep knowledge of the history of business to effectively build bridges between technology and humanity. Our Cornerstone for Business program exposes students to transformative texts with deep insights on the history, philosophy, and economic theory of market capitalism.
Our business students will benefit from a new writing lab, additional case competitions, and a new four-course communication series that features classes on written and oral communication, the foundations of business, and strategic business writing.
Taught by faculty with industry experience, the innovative strategic business writing course will be required for all students and will focus on six key communication principles, many of which are currently missing in a traditional business school curriculum:
Many students are influenced by a culture that increasingly doubts the value that profitable businesses offer society. Our business students will begin their journey with a close study of transformative texts in which great thinkers have grappled with the history, philosophy, and economic theory of market capitalism.
Cornerstone for Business, a unique collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts, will give students the background into the why of business in addition to the how, and become a model for business schools across the nation.
A Cornerstone for Business Certificate will be awarded to those students who complete all related courses, giving them a deep understanding of the development of economic history and thought.
A new writing lab with video rooms for high-quality and virtual interaction will foster an environment that understands the value of communication, providing dedicated space for case competition preparation and interaction with our career services office on items such as resumes, cover letters, and interview prep.
New curriculum and dedicated writing lab space will put an intense focus on students’ ability to think critically and communicate effectively.
In a recent case competition, students partnered with Purdue Federal Credit Union and were challenged to evaluate a loan request from a fictitious wire and cable manufacturer.We will build upon the success of our Center for Business Communication, which offers competition experiences both integrated into course curricula and outside of the classroom. Foundational communication skills will be honed via dramatically expanded use of case competitions, to sharply enhance communication, teamwork, problem solving, and professionalism in our students.
A case competition is an academic competition in which students come together to solve a case, or issue, under time constraints. Working in teams, students deduce a recommendation that they support in a presentation in front of judges or company sponsors. These experiences allow students to improve competencies highly valued by employers.
The cases are often constructed by corporate partners, giving students the opportunity to showcase their problem-solving skills to potential employers.
Students can attend and participate in national case competitions across the country in addition to on-campus competitions. We will increase funding for students to travel to compete in off-campus case competitions.
case competitions & workshops
150+
Center for Business Communication, 2022
We will dramatically increase the number of students who participate in case competitions and related workshops. Through our Partnerships Office, we will grow our number of corporate engagements.
Our enhanced Center for Business Communication, new writing lab, and Cornerstone for Business series will train students to think critically and communicate effectively. We’ll place a special focus on ensuring students can interact well with others, a focus often missing in a traditional business school curriculum.
