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Finstad helps students take ideals into the real world

By Peter Hill '08
February 20, 2006

Last month, Sian Muir shared a simple message with attendees of the Ole Networking Breakfast Club in Bloomington, Minn. "When students see successful alums in action, they tell themselves, 'I can do that,'" she said.

As associate director of the Finstad program, Muir knows how much alumni can offer young Oles. By mentoring, analyzing a business plan or simply inviting a student to job shadow, entrepreneurs can teach the skills necessary to succeed in an increasingly dynamic economy. Since the average twenty year-old stays in a job for barely one year, new careers require a different set of skills then they did a generation ago. "Lifelong employment is no longer a reality," says Muir. "We give students the skills they need for lifelong employability."

The Finstad program is part of the Center for Experiential Learning, an extensive network of career-related services that helps Oles take advantage of a world of options during and after college. Students can tap the expertise of alumni through internships and the online alumni directory, get help writing a resume, engage in a practice interview and learn about graduate school.

HANDS-ON LEARNING
Initially, organic produce, used textbooks and community development plans may not seem to have much in common. But each of these things has recently been the focus of an Ole in small business. Since 1992, the Finstad Office for Entrepreneurial Studies has helped St. Olaf students put their ideals into action in the real world by providing grants to promising entrepreneurs. Each spring, students pitch their business plans to a committee of businesspeople and St. Olaf faculty, who then select the entries that will receive funding.

Last year nearly $36,000 was awarded for seventeen ventures. Since its inception, the Finstad Office has presented more than $500,000 to 180 students, such as Dana Burtness '07 for her STOGROW organic farm, and Lucas Paine '06, a singer/songwriter who started a business to market his music.

Another example of Ole entrepreneurship is Ollie Garrison '06. He is one of ten students from St. Olaf and Carleton who were selected to work with the College Board of Business Consultants, an organization funded by several Northfield banks. Garrison is currently working on a cooperatively developed community plan for Twin Cities developer Mendota Homes. The real-world project is to analyze the need for an arts building in a future community.

"Real business experience is something that cannot be taught in a classroom," says Garrison. "Practical experience is a necessary component for anyone who wants to go into that field."

Ross Currier, executive director of the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, describes some of Garrison's responsibilities. "Ollie is looking at market studies, housing studies, demographic information and economic information, as well as talking with a number of community leaders to pull data together," Currier says.

LIVING THE LIBERAL ARTS
Entrepreneur in Residence John Stull recognizes the value of a liberal arts education in the business community. "In my thirty years of business experience, I have found that new employees who come from a liberal arts background function better in the ambiguity of business than persons who are more narrowly focused," he says.

Since students at St. Olaf are required to complete coursework in a variety of disciplines -- from science to ethics to communications -- they are uniquely prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Given that businesses today requires a broad range of interdisciplinary talents, both employers and students are discovering that a liberal arts education is a major benefit in a changing world.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.