News Archive
Business Honors Program Makes Its Debut on the St. Petersburg Campus
By Jeff Morris
TAMPA (January 3, 2022) -- The first cohort of the University of South Florida’s Business Honors Program on the St. Petersburg campus made its debut in Fall 2021. After a semester full of exciting and enlightening experiences for the seven business honors students, organizers are calling the Muma College of Business’s inaugural program on the St. Petersburg campus a success.
The first St. Petersburg cohort included a diverse group of students from countries like Japan, Pakistan, India, Botswana, and Venezuela, as well as states that include Nevada, Illinois, and Ohio. These seven talented students accepted the challenge of learning and growing together.
The Muma College of Business Honors Program, long a staple on the Tampa campus, was expanded onto the St. Petersburg campus in Fall 2021 due to a consolidated university that saw the extension of Muma College of Business programs onto all three campuses.
The student’s participation in the program was made possible thanks to the gifts of generous benefactors who donated funds to pay for the student’s room and board.
This first semester has been exciting for the Business Honors Program and its St. Petersburg cohort. They enrolled in the Business Honors Professional Development I course (GEB 2098). As part of the class, the students developed and ran a community service project aimed at keeping Sawgrass Lake Park in Pinellas County clean.
In addition to taking the course, the cohort also participated in other events through their Living Learning Community called the Bulls Business Community.
In August, the St. Petersburg cohort traveled to the Tampa campus to participate with the rest of the Bulls Business Community students in a welcome event and field day.
In October, the students traveled to the Tampa campus for an Etiquette Dinner. The event gave attendees the chance to gain valuable experiences in professional dining and development.
The honors students also participated in two separate improv workshops. These workshops, led by a professional improv facilitator, allowed them to grow and think on their feet.
The students also interacted with industry professionals as they toured the facilities at Dynasty Financial Partners, a financial consulting firm in St. Petersburg, and Kemco Systems, a water utility company in Pinellas Park. The students saw the companies’ locations and setups and participated in extensive discussions about their industries and work life.
Since interactions with faculty members are key to any college student’s success, the semester consisted of informal lunches with business faculty members. Faculty members included Gary Patterson, interim campus dean and interim director of the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, and professor Steve Diasio. The students learned a lot about finance, entrepreneurship, and innovation during the lunches and now have had personal interactions with key faculty.
“We are excited to have the Business Honors Program active on the St. Petersburg campus as it showcases the incredible talent we have among our students,” said Patterson. “It’s a wonderful way to show the OneUSF and OneMuma spirit that benefits our students.”
The program allows the opportunity for highly competitive students to join the Business Honors Program while still getting the smaller, close-knit campus experience that the St. Petersburg campus provides.