Walton College doubles down on real-world experience
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas is launching a five-year plan to ensure that students graduate with practical entrepreneurial experience and that faculty have expanded research opportunities.
Why it matters: The college, which is 100 years old this year and has more than 10,000 students, must offer education that evolves as "business changes at an unprecedented pace," such as in artificial intelligence and analytics, according to a news release.
- Walton College will need deeper relationships with the business community around it and be a "living laboratory for business," dean Brent Williams said at an event Wednesday. A business' challenge can become a learning opportunity for a student and a research opportunity for a faculty member.
What they're saying: "We want every student to leave with a portfolio of working with actual business challenges," Williams said, adding that the school wants more students to have internships and other work experience before they graduate.
The big picture: Walton College's overarching stated goals are to scale applied and experiential learning, accelerate applied and translational research and embed an entrepreneurial mindset.
The latest: In the spirit of its applied research goal, the college's faculty is working with military leaders on contested logistics capabilities, the military's ability to move people or equipment when operations are disrupted, Williams told Axios.
- The college recently launched a Contested Logistics Consortium, which brings together supply chain, engineering, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and public policy. It will host a summit Sept. 10-11 in Bentonville, and it's offering a new contested logistics class.
- The McMillon Innovation Studio, which was established in 2016 and allows students to work on solving problems for businesses and nonprofit organizations, is also scaling up, particularly in health care, Williams told Axios. The added focus seeks to boost rural health care and other priorities for the region and state.
What's next: The college launched the alternative investments program this fall focused on educating students in private equity, investment banking, real estate and venture capital. It's also establishing a center for AI and business decision-making and in the early stages of exploring how it can improve workplace wellness, Williams said.