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Washington State University
Carson College of Business Corporate Scholars

Corporate Scholars Programs

Employers seek Coug graduates who are not only skilled in their specific disciplines, but who also have the soft skills necessary to integrate quickly and effectively into today’s complex work environments.

The goal of the Corporate Scholars Program is to provide high impact, interdisciplinary project team experiences to high-achieving WSU undergraduates. Companies furnish projects relevant to their industry, mentors for guidance, and funding to support scholarships and administrative costs.

The Corporate Scholar Program

Starting in their Junior year, Scholars participate in a specialized academic program to develop their collaboration, communication, problem-solving and design skills. In their senior year, Scholars complete their projects and present their results to their Corporate Sponsor.

Students who complete the Corporate Scholars Program begin their careers having met real-world industry challenges. They’ll learn to:

  • Identify problems and solutions from multiple perspectives
  • Collaborate with others who have very different thought processes, concerns and priorities
  • Value the many different contributions necessary for complex projects to succeed
  • Represent their discipline to others unfamiliar with it
  • Navigate working beyond their comfort zone and embrace adaptation
  • Act collectively to problem-solve in new environments through research and analysis
  • Strategize solutions through uncertainty, ambiguity, and competing goals
  • Communicate effectively at multiple levels of an organization and across diverse stakeholder

Contact

Jeff Perry

Mark Hansen
Senior Director, Corporate Engagement
markc.hansen@wsu.edu

Michelle Chapman
Scholarship Coordinator
mchapman1@wsu.edu

Current Programs

Boeing Scholars

GCISL Corporate Scholars

How It Works

How the interdisciplinary project team works
How the interdisciplinary project team works: There are three partners: the companies that provide the projects and mentors; the students who bring their academic excellence and leadership skills, and the colleges who provide the curricula, team coaching, facilities, services and expertise. All three combine to create the interdisciplinary project experience with valuable outcomes. The students learn important “soft” skills related to collaboration, the companies gain fresh insights, strengthen their talent pipelines, and the participating colleges and institutes improve alumni and corporate ties, recruiting, graduate placement, and cross-campus relationships.