Making dollars, making a difference

Eight university students have joined forces to transform how students and the university view the future of business.

During fall semester, the business school was chosen as one of four universities to partner with Ashoka, a global, non-profit social entrepreneurship group, in a pilot program called Campus Changemakers. Ashoka will guide the campus chapter for one year and will then use their observations to spread the Campus Changemakers program to other universities.

Ashoka's stated goal is to show students how to apply business skills differently than in the past, with more of a global, social direction, and the involved students are embracing Ashoka's mission, they said.

"After spending my first two years as a finance major in the business school, I switched because I was disappointed with the lack of emphasis on careers that focus on making a difference," senior economics major and international development Allison Basile said. "The group is changing the education both in and out of the business school."

Sophomore civil and environmental engineering major Kelly Canfield agreed.

"The same stereotypes for business students occur in the engineering school, which is in a large part why I got involved with the Campus Changemakers Program," Canfield said. "I wanted to show other engineers the different options out there. I also wanted to change a lot of things about the way UMD teaches its engineers."

Ashoka picked the university as one of its pilot schools partially based on its willingness to donate to their cause. The university has given Ashoka $15,000 so far, funds that have helped support Campus Changemakers' programming.

"We looked for schools with the right climate," Ashoka university program associate Lennon Flowers said. "We saw that Maryland was committed to this program."

The Campus Changemakers are working to create a new orientation course in the business school that shows students the opportunities available in social entrepreneurship, and have been researching this course by speaking to professors from all involved schools about their current classes.

"We're building a community where students can collaborate together for change," group adviser Melissa Carrier said.

The group created five "pillars" to direct their work throughout the year: curriculum, campaign-marketing, extra-curricular, research and career services. The group aims to inject social entrepreneurship into each of these areas during the year.

Throughout the year, the group will also attend three retreats with three other schools, where they will exchange ideas and experiences and meet social entrepreneurs from Ashoka, as well as learn about other schools with more established social entrepreneurship programs.

"The Ashoka workshops have shown me what social entrepreneurship looks like in the real world," senior information systems major and international development Yonus Beshawred said.

After the year with Ashoka is completed, the group is planning to change their name to Terp Changemakers, but continue their regular activities, and have already applied to receive SGA approval for next year.

"I know there are many similar organizations on this campus already," Beshawred said. "We want all of these groups to collaborate and look at things from a new perspective."

Campus Changemakers has developed a few specific initiatives and programs they hope to complete during the spring semester.

On March 26, the group is hosting a Social Entrepreneurship Symposium in the business school. Campus Changemakers has invited companies that promote social entrepreneurship, such as sustainable corporations or non-profits, to attend the event.

A film festival on McKeldin Mall has also been planned for May 8. Campus Changemakers is asking students to submit short videos of themselves making a change in their world.

"It's a generational thing," he said. "Our generation is more socially involved. We're waking up and saying things don't have to stay as they are."

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