Business Acumen Program

By graduation, College of Business Administration (CBA) students seeking a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration degree in the 2019-2020 catalog and later are required to participate in approved Business Acumen events on/off campus or virtual.  Students who began Winthrop as a new student are required to attend eight (8) events and students who transfer to Winthrop are required to attend six (6).    CBA Faculty/Staff will sponsor events on and off campus, live virtual events and pre-recorded events.  All approved Business Acumen events will include the "BAM" logo (shown above).  Some events may also be university approved cultural events.  Types of Business Acumen events:

• Panel Discussions
• Corporate Tours (Businesss Expedition Program)
• Conferences
• Organization Leadership
• Seminars
• Workshops
• Networking Events (sponsored by a CBA approved organization, i.e. AMA, WUSHRM, NABA)

In-Person Events (on or off campus, physical or virtual)

To earn credit for attending an in-person event, you must be present for the entire event. Late attendees will not be counted if arriving more than 15 minutes late from the start time. There will either be a check-in list to write your name and CWID, or there will be a monitor with a card-swipe. 

Pre-Recorded Events (Blackboard Course)
To earn credit for viewing a pre-recorded event, a short supplemental quiz is required with a pass rate of 80%.  The pre-recorded videos are located in the My Organization section of your Blackboard.  The course is titled "CBA Business Acumen Program." CBA Business Acumen Program-Blackboard Course Instructions (360kb -pdf)

Students only receive one (1) credit for attending a Business Acumen event unless otherwise stated on the Business Acumen event calendar.  

Students will not receive additonal credit for attending the same event more than once.

Business Acumen Calendar - The calendar of events is now available; this list will continue to grow as new events are approved. 

The purpose of the Business Acumen petition process is to allow students to earn Business Acumen credit for events that are organized outside of Winthrop University and the College of Business Adminsitration in the current or previous semester.  

Petitions may be submitted by e-mail to Sarah Kesler or submitted in-person to Student Services at 226 Thurmond Building.  

All petitions are reviewed by the Business Acumen Advisory Committee.  The submission deadline for petitions is according to the BAM Committee meeting schedule (seen on the Home Page for Business Acumen).  

Checklist for Petitions

1. Completed Business Acumen Petition Form
2. Proof of Attendance (Examples include: certificate of completion, registration confirmation, or e-mail with survey after completion of the session)
3. A Well-Written Report (minimum of 250 words; may be longer) - This paper must be typed and should include a discussion on how the event connects to the Business Acumen Competencies:

1. Leadership Skills
2. Market Orientation
3. Financial Acumen
4. Strategic Thinking
5. Analytical and Logical Thinking
6. Computing and Technology

Decision of Petition

In all cases, once a petition is approved or denied by the Business Acumen Advisory Committee, the decision will be sent to the student by e-mail.  A copy of the approved petition will be kept by CBA Student Services at 226 Thurmond Building.  

Appealing a Business Acumen Petition Decision

A student reserves the right to appeal a decision made by the Business Acumen Advisory Committee.  Students may request to appeal a decision by e-mailing the Director of External Relations.  The Director will assist the student to being the appeal process.  

How to Apply

1. Complete the Business Acumen Sponsor Application (Qualtrics Form) 
2. Sponsors need to submit detailed information for the proposed event including information about event facilitators, field experts, and anyone that may accompany the guest speaker (if applicable).
3. Sponsors may then send an e-mail to the Student Services representative with any additional materials which may support the request (such as details of the nature of the event or information regarding the participant(s) in the event).  Please attach any flyers of this event if such one exists at the time of submitting the application. 

Event Requirements

1. A speaker with credentials, reputation, and expertise in the subject area. 
2. A subject of importance and/or uniqueness in any business field that meets the competencies. 
3. Events must be open to all business students and not only part of a specific class. 

Notification of Decision

1. The sponsor will receive notification of the decision from the BAM Advisory Committee: (1) Approved-No Further Information Needed, (2) Need Additional Information, or (3) Not Approved.
2. If the sponsor feels the decision is invalid, they have the right to appeal the committee's decision. Please reach out to the appropriate contact (listed below) for proper direction to begin the appeal process.  

Approved Business Acumen Events

1. The Business Acumen Advisory Committee is repsonsible for approving on and off-campus BAM events.  
2. If approved, the sponsor will receive an e-mail that includes instructions and a copy of the BAM logo to put on all marketing materials.  
3. The sponsor is responsible for submitting the list of attendees to the listed contact below as soon as posible in order for the students to receive credit.  The information submitted must include the student's name and WU ID number.