Media Kit
Vision Statement
Creating the business experiences undergraduates should have.
Boilerplate
With industry professionals as our partners, the Business in Practice (BiP) program offers undergraduates authentic, learning experiences aimed at developing those smart skills most in-demand by employers. The Business in Practice program is an experiential learning program where industry professionals co-design and deliver one-of-a-kind courses that guide students through current business tool applications and processes. As part of UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, BiP offers over 60 courses per year for 2300+ undergraduate business students. BiP has partnered with professionals from companies such as Amazon Web Services, DOMO, Facebook, Fidelity, HubSpot, Morgan Stanley, Vera Bradley, Wolverine, and Zillow. The BiP program creates the experiences undergraduate should have.
Business in Practice: What we're about
Business in Practice (BiP) is an educational system designed to tap the wisdom of industry professionals in a structured environment that embodies the best of experiential learning. Each experience has the student learn by doing under the guidance of a working professional who brings their culture, values, and competencies into the classroom. Students work with current, relevant tools and techniques while getting feedback from professionals in the field.
The program serves to enhance the traditional business school experience. It is designed to foster meaningful relationships between the business and university communities that contributes to the professional development of our students. Whether it is learning a useful skill, forming a better understanding of how things actually work, or making a connection that leads to that first job.
Methodology
Our essential methodology is to unlock an industry professional’s tacit knowledge and reconstruct it as a 7- or 14-week experience for students. We employ active learning and projects to create an environment where students can take risks, learn from failure, ask candid questions, and build a rich portfolio of experiences and skills. The courses enable our students to see firsthand how business principles can be applied to achieve real world outcomes in courses designed to give them a head start with those tools, techniques and skills that are desired most by today’s employers. In doing so, we’re able to go beyond case studies, guest speakers and internships, where students can access a higher level of experiential learning.
Publications
Profiles
Neil Niman - Bio
Neil Niman is currently the Faculty Director of the Business in Practice Program at the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. Prior to his current role, Neil served for six years as the Associate Dean of Academic Programs at Paul College. He earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and holds a B.A. degree in Modern Society and Social Thought from the University of California, Santa Cruz. In July 2014, his book: The Gamification of Higher Education: Developing a Game-Based Business Strategy in a Disrupted Marketplace was published by Palgrave Macmillan.
Neil Niman - Headshot
Jen Chagnon - Bio
Jennifer Chagnon is the Associate Director of Business in Practice at UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. She has been a part of the program since its inception, pilot, and continued development. In partnership with Neil, she collaborates on all program development and the strategic direction. An artist at heart, Jen translates vision into tangible experiences, and a functioning program.
Jen has over 13 years of experience in higher education, including 9 years in recruitment & enrollment management, and 5+ years of experience in academic affairs and academic programming. Jen earned a B.A. in Business Management and Studio Fine Art from Juniata College.
Jen Chagnon - Headshot
Press Releases
Vera Bradley- Product Licensing BiP
Creating Masterclasses for Undergraduates
FOR RELEASE ON JUNE 24 AT 3:42 PM
Contact: Jennifer Chaganon
Phone: 603-862-3335
Email: Jennifer.chagnon@unh.edu
CREATING MASTERCLASSES FOR THE UNDERGRADUATES
[Durham, NH, June 24] – The Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics Business in Practice (BiP) program teamed up in the spring of 2021 with Stephanie Lawrence, the vice president of product licensing and strategic initiatives for Vera Bradley, to create a class that launches students into the world of product licensing.
The BiP program provides hands-on courses taught by real-world professionals that involve developing hard and soft skills through active learning activities.
The course itself focuses on brand licensing, character licensing, sports licensing, collaborations, and strategic alliances, as well as learning the roles, responsibilities and relationship dynamic between the Licensor & Licensee and developing the skills necessary to assess brand and company readiness.
Lawrence’s additional background experience in licensing includes working for companies such as the Disney Company, The LEGO Group, Wolverine Worldwide.
“It’s very important for students to understand that what they’re learning in the classroom actually applies in the real world,” said Lawrence. “In the case of product licensing or brand licensing, many students don’t know that this type of business and career path even exists.”
Students spend seven weeks learning how to propose a product licensing strategy with a company that aligns with the Travel, Home, or Wellness categories of Vera Bradley.
Barriers in the class are broken down to create a welcoming environment for students to learn exactly what life after graduation could be like in their future careers.
“Getting to work with an industry professional in a classroom setting takes away the intimidation that would be present otherwise. I was really comfortable asking questions in class and emailing Stephanie on my personal time. I’m so grateful to have learned from her and have her as a connection for future endeavors,” said Kelly.
The course was mutually beneficial – as in addition to students learning from Lawrence, she also got to learn from them.
One group of students proposed a partnership with Hydro Flask for their project, a popular insulated water bottle company among younger demographics. Lawrence found this beneficial, as she was able to take it to the next level by pursuing a collaboration between Vera Bradley and Hydro Flask.
“It keeps you fresh, it keeps you connected to the vibrations that are going on at the ground level, at the collegiate level, and that’s what’s been really rewarding for me to keep that edge and my finger on the pulse of what’s going on out there,” Lawrence concluded.
With industry professionals as our partners, the Business in Practice (BiP) program offers undergraduates authentic, learning experiences aimed at developing those smart skills most in-demand by employers. The Business in Practice program is an experiential learning program where industry professionals co-design and deliver one-of-a-kind courses that guide students through current business tool applications and processes. As part of UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, BiP offers over 60 courses per year for 2300+ undergraduate business students. BiP has partnered with professionals from companies such as Amazon Web Services, DOMO, Facebook, Fidelity, HubSpot, Morgan Stanley, Vera Bradley, Wolverine, and Zillow. The BiP program creates the experiences undergraduate should have.
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For more information on this topic, please contact Jennifer.Chagnon@unh.edu or call 603-862-3335.
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Stephanie Lawrence
Stephanie Lawrence has the pleasure of working for Vera Bradley Designs, Inc. based in Roanoke, Indiana, leading its Brand extension initiative through licensing, collaborations, strategic partnerships and acquisitions. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of developing product portfolios for several world–class companies & Brands: The Walt Disney Company, The Timberland Company, Spalding Sports Worldwide, The LEGO Group and Sperry Top Sider, a division of Wolverine Worldwide.
Long version: At present, I have the pleasure of working for Vera Bradley Designs, Inc. based in Roanoke, Indiana, leading its Brand extension initiative through licensing, collaborations, strategic partnerships and acquisitions. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of developing product portfolios for several world–class companies & Brands: The Walt Disney Company, The Timberland Company, Spalding Sports Worldwide, The LEGO Group and Sperry Top Sider, a division of Wolverine Worldwide. Each Brand has brought a unique challenge to the fore and I have learned equally as much from my successes as from my failures. I attribute some of what makes me unique in my role for the Brands that I have shaped is my aptitude for both art & science. I grew up in West Boylston, Massachusetts in a family of artists and craftsmen –learning how to create, build & fix things. I was also an anomaly in that I was the only competitive athlete –earning the title of AAU Junior Olympic Champion in Synchronized Swimming. The “science” side of me brought me to the University of Rhode Island where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Education –certified to teach Secondary Biology, Chemistry and General Science –and where I met my husband of 33 years, Matt. Together, we have raised two sons, lived in 3 states (New Hampshire is our favorite) and now enjoy spoiling our 2 grandsons, ages 7 and 2. In my role at Vera Bradley, I was afforded the opportunity to virtually teach a class segment at The Ohio State University on “Licensing: The Relationship Dynamic between Licensee & Licensor” and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. So much so, that I have I have made it a personal goal of mine to expose students to the art & discipline of licensing as an approach for Business & Brand Development, as well as rewarding career path.
Ceara Kelly
Ceara Kelly is a [transfer?] sophomore Marketing major at Paul College. She has taken her first 2 semesters here at UNH to make meaningful relationships with her professors and develop her knowledge of marketing through her coursework. The Product Licensing BiP allowed her to get real-world experience and make a deep connection with industry professional, Stephanie Lawrence.
HubSpot- Content Strategy & SEO BiP
FOR RELEASE ON JUNE 25 AT 11:53 AM
Contact: Jennifer Chaganon
Phone: 603-862-3335
Email: Jennifer.chagnon@unh.edu
UNH STUDENTS DEVELOPING SKILLS AND DELIVERING VALUE TO SBDC CLIENTS
[Durham, NH, June 25] – Developed with UNH alumnus and HubSpot Senior Consultant Guillaume Delloue as part of the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics Business in Practice (BiP) program, Intro to Content Strategy & SEO teams students up to provide digital marketing assistance for New Hampshire small business clients. The goal of this practice-based course was for students to “learn about a new way of marketing, a process for doing content marketing and gain practical experience performing various tasks,” according to Delloue.
Through the Business in Practice program’s partnership with the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC), two local businesses were chosen for the students to work with. Students had the opportunity to “practice in an actual piece of software and do the things that real modern marketers do,” said Delloue.
During the course, students built a marketing campaign for each business to gain experience in creating buyer personas, buyer’s journeys, keyword research, blogging and more.
“Working with a real client gave me an idea of what it is like really working in digital marketing instead of just class work, I really enjoyed the hands-on aspect,” said Kemal Warouw, a student in the course.
Students worked inside the HubSpot software to create landing pages, blog posts, and calls to action for their proposed campaigns. It was important to Delloue that students get hands-on experience in software because “software use is increasing; it is important to be able to pick up new technologies.”
The culmination of the course was a final presentation to the owners of each business to pitch their content strategies in a client-facing experience. Students also received a certification in HubSpot Content Marketing.
“Getting the certification was the main goal of the course for me; understanding the content marketing side of a website was super important as well as SEO, being able to understand and apply the fundamentals of that is important,” said Patrick Gavin, a student in the course.
“He is always there for the students, encouraging us; he corrects our mistakes and helped us grow,” said Warouw. For Delloue, it was “important for [him] to be active in [his] community and alma mater.”
Delloue said “[the BiP program] is a fantastic program because it is about bridging the gap between the academic aspect and actual on the job work. If I were an undergraduate student today especially in business I would take as many of the BiP courses as possible because things are moving so quickly that it’s difficult for professors to teach about what is going on the communities and it gives students an opportunity to interact with real professionals.”
“It is only a matter of time before all universities adopt a model like this. It is really setting students up for success,” said Delloue.
With industry professionals as our partners, the Business in Practice (BiP) program offers undergraduates authentic, learning experiences aimed at developing those smart skills most in-demand by employers. The Business in Practice program is an experiential learning program where industry professionals co-design and deliver one-of-a-kind courses that guide students through current business tool applications and processes. As part of UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, BiP offers over 60 courses per year for 2300+ undergraduate business students. BiP has partnered with professionals from companies such as Amazon Web Services, DOMO, Facebook, Fidelity, HubSpot, Morgan Stanley, Vera Bradley, Wolverine, and Zillow. The BiP program creates the experiences undergraduate should have.
###
For more information on this topic, please contact Jennifer.Chagnon@unh.edu or call 603-862-3335.
Download
Guillaume Delloue
Guillaume Delloue graduated from UNH in 2008 with a BA in Philosophy. After a brief stint working for a marketing agency on the NH seacoast, he joined the tech startup scene in Boston to further develop his technical marketing skills. Since then, he’s been working as a senior consultant at HubSpot, helping customers grow their business with technology.
Kemal Warouw
Kemal Warouw is a passionate and aspiring future marketer from Dover, NH. He is currently a Junior pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a dual marketing and management option. At this moment, Kemal is on his journey pursuing his American dream as he is currently working as an Inbound Marketing Intern at Raka. He will serve as a Director of Marketing at UNH MAC, Associate at Voice Z Digital, and Instructor’s Guide at the BiP Program next semester.
Videos
Expert-Lead Experiential Learning
HubSpot UNH BiP VoiceZ
Bridging Business Practice & Teaching
Hannah Donahue
Making Business in Practice a Reality
Kemal Warouw