Expanding Department Visibility by Starting an Industry Council

Abstract

Today’s managers seek employees with strong communication skills who can apply knowledge in a business setting, while academic business departments seek exposure in their communities. Industry councils can be an effective tool for bridging this gap. As the business world adapts to technological change, education based on information will cede to education based on the generation of ideas. The creation of an industry council creates a repository of relevant knowledge combined with a cadre of seasoned professionals to foster an environment that frames the challenges of an industry in a manner that is useful to professional and instructive to students. Accordingly, council led competitions aid students in identifying problems and synthesizing information from multiple sources into solutions that simulate real business situations. This document outlines steps to start an industry council. While every experience will be different, this paper offers guidelines to help form a council. The authors share their experience and suggest a process to lessen the learning curve for others who may benefit from establishing an industry council.