SSCP: Real world in the classroom

November 11, 2014

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Student consultants clean windows at new Habitat for Humanity home. (Ezra Levy '15 photo)

Walls%2C%20windows%2C%20and%20floors%20get%20attention%20from%20the%20student%20consultants.%20%28Ezra%20Levy%20%2715%20photo%29

Walls, windows, and floors get attention from the student consultants. (Ezra Levy '15 photo)

Lots%20of%20people%20in%20and%20out%20of%20the%20small%20bungalow.%20%28Ezra%20Levy%20%2715%20photo%29

Lots of people in and out of the small bungalow. (Ezra Levy '15 photo)

The%20Glens%20Falls%2C%20N.Y.%2C%20home%20was%20one%20of%20the%20fastest%20constructed%20by%20Habitat%20for%20Humanity%20--%20less%20than%207%20months%20from%20start%20to%20finish.%20%28Ezra%20Levy%20%2715%20photo%29

The Glens Falls, N.Y., home was one of the fastest constructed by Habitat for Humanity -- less than 7 months from start to finish. (Ezra Levy '15 photo)

As%20work%20on%20the%20home%20neared%20completion%2C%20unneed%20materials%20were%20removed.%20%28Ezra%20Levy%20%2715%20photo%29

As work on the home neared completion, unneed materials were removed. (Ezra Levy '15 photo)

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Skidmore students and Habitat workers pause on the porch of the bungalow.

When students are selected to participate in the Skidmore-Saratoga Consulting (SSCP) Partnership, they know they will soon be advising real clients with real challenges. The business course is a seminar and practicum that creates strategic partnerships between the campus and community by offering pro bono consulting services to help for-profit and nonprofit enterprises realize their potential and achieve their goals.

This fall the course includes 12 students and two student co-managers. Class members are working in three teams on behalf of three clients: RoamPlate, a start-up app that identifies daily restaurant specials; Caffè Lena, the legendary coffeehouse; and the regional chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

A chief goal for the Habitat chapter is to complete more builds in Saratoga County and increase the chapter’s visibility. The students will advise chapter leadership on how to bring together county resources—volunteers, qualified families, funds, building materials—and prepare to begin work on two Saratoga Springs sites: on Division Street and on Cherry Street.

The team is analyzing such issues as branding, fund raising, potential partners, and organizational alignment. In addition to working on the Glens Falls site, the students consulted with Habitat chapters in Schenectady, N.Y., and Burlington, Vt. The Caffè Lena and RoamPlate teams are equally engaged in their clients’ work, digging deeply into each enterprise to identify and tackle critical business issues. At the end of the semester the student teams will present each client with a final report that recommends strategies for realizing potential and achieving key goals.

While open to students in any major, the course is highly selective; students must be nominated by a faculty member and complete a series of interviews, according to Colleen Burke, executive-in-residence, who teaches SSCP. Once enrolled, students must complete 135 hours of work to earn its four credits and count it toward Skidmore’s service-learning requirements. Because the clients change each semester, students may take the course more than once, which allows them exposure to a cross-section of new ventures, established enterprises, and nonprofits. Previous clients have included Roohan Realty, the Saratoga Film Forum, and Saratoga Water.

Burke welcomes hearing from any area business or nonprofit that may wish to become an SSCP partner. She also encourages inquiries from students interested in gaining valuable experience as consultants.

SSCP: Real world in the classroom

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