A group of UMSL alums who work for Boeing — (from left) Beth DeCamp, Kathryn Blake, Rob Hecke, Alex Stoll and Jon Haupert — talk with students in Professor Brandon Ofem’s Strategic Management class on March 12 as part of an experiential learning project. Utilizing information gleaned from roundtable discussions with the professionals, Ofem’s students will develop strategic solutions to real-world challenges, reconvening with the Boeing representatives to present their analyses and recommendations on May 7. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)
For University of Missouri–St. Louis senior Irina Biedenstein, it’s hard to overstate the impact of this opportunity.
On Thursday, the students in Professor Brandon Ofem’s Strategic Management class met with five representatives of Boeing. As part of a first-of-its-kind experiential learning project, the class members, separated into four groups, spent about 15 minutes at each of four tables picking the brains of people who work for an industry leader in the design and manufacture of commercial jetliners, defense systems and space products.
Combining this new information with their own preliminary research into various challenges faced by three of the company’s major business segments – Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Boeing Defense, Space and Security; and Boeing Global Services – the groups will develop a strategic solution to address those challenges. The Boeing reps will return on May 7 for the final presentations, providing feedback and further discussion after the four teams reveal their analysis and recommendations.
“It’s a great way that the students can really, instead of saying, ‘Oh, I learned about how other organizations do this in terms of something I’ve read about or watched this video,’ here, they’re really doing it with Boeing, in real time, with the organization,” said John Meriac, chair of the Global Leadership and Management Department in UMSL’s Ed G. Smith College of Business. “It’s just an amazing, real, live experience.”
And in Biedenstein’s case, it could potentially be life-changing. An Army veteran scheduled to graduate this May with a bachelor’s degree in business administration management, Biedenstein, who plans to work toward a master’s in supply chain and analytics, said she relished the chance to speak with the people who currently hold the roles that she would like to fill one day.
Beth DeCamp (left), a 2004 UMSL graduate and CFO in Boeing’s F-15 program, talks with students for an experiential learning project in Professor Brandon Ofem’s Strategic Management class, a capstone course in the Ed G. Smith College of Business.
“I want to work at Boeing,” Biedenstein said. “Boeing is one of the employers that is high on my list.
“This type of event, it’s priceless. I mean, it’s priceless for me to be able to talk to them and realize, ‘OK, I’m talking to these people that are actually working there,’ and this is what their current job is, this is what they’re working on, what they’re going through. You can’t recreate that. It’s hard to do at a career fair, it’s hard to do that over a Zoom (call), it’s hard to do that when you’re just trying to email them to ask for advice, whereas they signed up to be here and volunteer their time. And so now you have one-on-one time with five working professionals in the industry that you’re wanting to go into. I got so much more out of these two hours today than I would have if, ‘Hey, read up on Boeing and think of some questions, and maybe we’ll hop on a Zoom.’”
The experience was equally rewarding for Beth DeCamp. A 2004 UMSL graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, DeCamp is a CFO in Boeing’s F-15 program, and she appreciated being able to share her knowledge with students at her alma mater.
“Engaging in the classroom, whether it’s through your corporation or you’re an alum, and there’s something to do to give that experiential learning to students, it is so important,” DeCamp said. “It’s one of the things that I think sets UMSL apart.”
DeCamp said she always enjoys returning to the UMSL campus. She began participating in the school’s mentoring program over 10 years ago, and she currently serves as a member of the Dean’s Executive Advisory Council for Shu Schiller, dean of the Ed G. Smith College of Business.
“I just have gotten so much out of it,” she said. “I have continued to find ways to interact.”
It was through continuing conversations with Schiller, as well as input from the Dean’s Student Advisory Board, that DeCamp said the idea for this collaboration was born. Utilizing it in Ofem’s class, which is a capstone course for UMSL business students, was a no-brainer.
“We had some preliminary meetings with Beth, and after we explored a couple of options in the department, it became apparent that, with Brandon’s class, that would really be the best opportunity to try this for the first time,” Meriac said.
“When John shared the idea with me, I jumped on the opportunity, because I saw it as a natural fit with what I was already doing,” Ofem added. “In the class, we typically do a strategic analysis, where the students analyze a big company, and I usually ask them to pick a publicly traded company, because there’s more data available on their operations and strategy. So I essentially took that project and just focused it on Boeing.”
As for finding other Boeing employees who would be willing to help, DeCamp said she knew that would not be difficult. The four other participants – Kathryn Blake, F/A-18 program manager; Jon Haupert, sustainable aviation fuel market development and procurement; Rob Hecke, senior supply chain manager; and Alex Stoll, senior manager in financial analysis – also graduated from UMSL and indicated they would be happy to volunteer their time to the project.
UMSL senior Robert Eastwood (left) participates in a discussion with Boeing representatives Jon Haupert and Rob Hecke about some of the challenges faced by an industry leader in the design and manufacture of commercial jetliners, defense systems and space products.
“What I’ve always found is, anytime I’ve asked an alum to come and support a student directly, I get tons of yeses,” DeCamp said.
Senior Robert Eastwood, who is on target to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in information systems and technology, said working with fellow Tritons who have gone on to have successful careers is very motivating for the students.
“It’s really inspiring to be able to talk to UMSL graduates that have their hand on the pulse of the industry, to be able to see where it’s going,” Eastwood said. “We can read up on articles or hear about people’s past experience from decades ago for hours and hours every day, but unless we can talk to someone who’s actively in it, then we won’t be properly prepared for the challenges facing us post-graduation, and that’s why I’m grateful to be at UMSL.”
DeCamp said she is hopeful that this project proves to be another successful venture in the partnership between UMSL and Boeing, and that it serves as a blueprint for other regional companies to connect with the university.
“Boeing has a long-standing strategy to invest in the students here, especially in the College of Business,” she said. “And for me, I’m always excited to engage with the students, but I’m really excited to kind of set a precedent that, ‘OK, so what does next year look like, and then how can we use this as an example to other companies that can make a similar impact?’”
“The Ed G. Smith College of Business is committed to providing real-world experience to all learners,” Schiller said in a statement. “We are excited to partner with Boeing to bring a live case study to the strategic management class. Students learn by doing and benefit tremendously from their interactions with the experts at Boeing. The college is grateful for our strong and long-time collaborations with Boeing and look forward to expanding and deepening our relationships going forward.”
