The changing nature of job preparation
When I think about what makes a successful SBGE graduate, the two words that come to mind are "trustworthy" and "competent." SBGE is a place where ethical, personal, and purposeful business meets impactful employment. Our students are "job-ready" and "future-proof."
We work hard to equip our students with job-readiness classes, require internships, and connect students with mentors to prepare them for today’s workforce. As a Christian liberal arts school, we build the enduring skills of a moral imagination, critical thinking, and the desire to never stop learning. These skills prepare students to acquire jobs
Recently, we’ve shifted our internship program to best serve our student body and the current needs of the work world. I hope you enjoy hearing some of the changes we’ve made and how internships are changing as a whole post-COVID.
Warm regards,
Ross Stewart
Evolving internships
Internships have changed drastically since the pandemic. Remote work, company layoffs, fewer positions, and more applicants have contributed to making it difficult to obtain the in-office, field-related internship of the past.
“It feels like a whole new day in some ways,” said Charity Osborn, associate dean of undergraduate students. “The pandemic shook up the work world in ways that have affected everyone — including, of course, our students.”
At SPU, changing student demographics have also required us to rethink internship requirements. Many SPU students are first-generation college students who already work 30-40 hours per week, Osborn said.
“Internships are a necessity,” said Gary Karns, associate dean for graduate programs. “But universities and employers will have to recalibrate what they mean by internships. The core principle is still readiness for the workplace. We have to ask, ‘How can we help students obtain relevant outcomes from their work experience?’”
Aside from broadening the definition of internship, SBGE has also added more feedback and mentorship from professionals and restructured the pre- and post-internship courses. The courses are now taught by SBGE adjunct instructor Kristen Thornton, senior manager for people analytics at Zillow. The classes focus on basic skills for early career preparation, such as interviewing, negotiation, and time management.
At the end of the course, Thornton asks what students have learned. She continually hears, “Ask more questions.” “Be more curious.” “It’s OK if you don’t have all the answers.”
Thornton is encouraged by those takeaways. “As AI changes the workplace, we need to feel like employees can ask questions and effectively navigate the changing landscape of work.”
Wesley Van Vleck
Q&A with a student intern
Wesley Van Vleck, senior, business administration major, Port Orchard, Washington
What is your ideal career after graduation?
Corporate financial analyst
What are you doing to fulfill the internship experience?
My internship is ongoing and is in the accounting/finance department of a local architecture firm called LMN Architects. I am primarily working as a project accountant, and I have enjoyed learning about the architecture industry as part of my internship.
What skills are you learning in your internship?
Communication! You get to understand the importance of timeliness and making sure everything is clear and understood, and how that can affect the performance of multiple departments. From a more technical standpoint, some skills I have picked up from this internship include data analyzation, spreadsheet building, financial analysis, and project accounting.
Deana L. Porterfield, president of SPU
Meet SPU's new president
SPU recently welcomed our 12th University President and the first woman president of Seattle Pacific, Deana L. Porterfield. Porterfield served as the president of Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York for nine years. Learn more about her faith and her hope for SPU in this Q&A.
MBA program to sunset
SPU is phasing out its MBA program in order to focus on the Master of Science in Data and Analytics.
“We’re focusing all of our energies on this strong program that’s having great results for students,” said Gary Karns, associate dean for graduate programs.
SPU is no longer offering admission to the MBA program, but the Spring Quarter application deadline for the MS-DAB is Feb. 1. The MS-DAB gives students all of the expertise necessary to excel in the rapidly expanding data analytics field.
Season five films available now: Faithful Investing
The films for Faith & Co. season five, "Faithful Investing" are now complete. Faith & Co. is a collection of instructor-led online courses and inspiring short films facilitated by SPU. Subscribe to the Faith and Co. YouTube channel and/or sign up for a course, if you want to explore enterprise as a means of service to the world.
Dorothy Nyambi, medical doctor and international development leader
International development leader Dorothy Nyambi on Seattle Pacific campus
Dorothy Nyambi, a medical doctor and international development leader, delivered a captivating lecture on May 10 at SPU for the Burton & Ralene Walls Distinguished Speaker Series.
Nyambi is the president and CEO of the Mennonite Economic Development Associates, which was awarded $200 million for their Africa Growth Fund from MasterCard Foundation. Nyambi talked about the challenges and joys of international development and what it’s like to be a Black female leader in that space.
“I have learned that to be a leader you have to listen. When we listen, do we really hear? Are we listening with respect?” she asked. “Acknowledging people and translating that into action is really important.”
You can watch her full speech for the Burton and Ralene Walls Distinguished Speaker Series.
Faculty transitions
We would like to honor Professor Emeritus of Management and Information Systems Gerhard Steinke who began his time at SPU in 1992. Steinke taught information systems and information security at SPU while also consulting for organizations such as Boeing, Microsoft, AT&T Wireless, and the state of Washington. He recently retired and will remain connected to the University as a professor emeritus.
We would also like to bid farewell to other beloved faculty members such as Randy Beavers, associate professor of finance; Vicki Eveland, associate professor of marketing; Carmelita Omran, instructor of accounting; and Caleb Henry, associate professor of political science.
We are excited to welcome two new faculty members: Yelin Li, assistant professor of accounting, and visiting professor Jefferson Huebner, instructor of business. Li received her Ph.D. in accounting at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2023. She previously worked at HSBC Group and PwC in Shanghai, China. She currently researches how monetary incentives and management control systems facilitate corporate decision-making. Huebner brings a strong mix of academic and corporate experience to the classroom.