When prospective students think about college, many times their minds are drawn to big things like classes, professors, sports, fraternities or sororities, and dining. However, many times the most memorable and fulfilling moments of college happen within the many small organizations and clubs offered on campus.
The Grove City Management Association (or just Management Association for short) is a medium-sized organization, which is attempting a major comeback. This organization had faded into extinction in recent years, but a group of officers and faculty have brought it back to life. With around 40 current members, the Management Association is looking to continue to maintain a standard of excellence for years to come.
The purpose of the Management Association is to “provide the students of Grove City College of any major with opportunities to develop their practical management and business skills” explained current Management Association VP Liam Von Berg. “We do this by hosting guest speakers and putting together events for professional development, such as last year’s Ethics Panel where five alumni from Grove City came and spoke about ethics in the workplace and their various stories of ethical dilemmas,” he added.
Von Berg recalled one story told at the Ethics Panel that particularly stuck with him. “One guy spoke about his time as a car rental sales rep and how he wouldn’t rent a car to a woman because she didn’t meet [the] criteria. His boss told the lady she could have the car anyway, despite not meeting company standards, and she ended up stealing the car and burning down an ex boyfriends house!” Not all of the stories were so dramatic, Von Berg added, “But there was a good amount of talk regarding the gray areas that we face in everyday work.”
Other events put on by the Management Association include a fall party, booths at organization fairs, and smaller club meetings. At these meetings, they sometimes have business owners (for example, Kory Kay, a Chick-fil-A operator) come in to tell their story and give advice to the members. In addition, one of the most exciting events that they have planned is a tour of a FedEx plant.
The Management Association also has big plans to put on a “Women in the Workplace” event, hosting some of Grove City’s own female faculty to discuss various scenarios that they faced in the workplace and how they handled them.
One unique aspect about this organization is that membership is not exclusively reserved for “Business” or “Management” majors. Any student who is looking to develop their business or management knowledge is welcome to join.
Membership is pretty simple, as they are always looking for new members to grow the organization. All prospective students interested in any field of business or management are encouraged to check out the Management Association upon arrival at Grove City.
