CharterBank Hosts Point Business Communications Class Presentations

Publication date: 9 January 2013

On December 6, twenty Point University business communications students made presentations to a panel of judges at the CharterBank headquarters in West Point, Ga. The purpose of the presentations was to give the business students the real world experience of explaining a business topic in front of a panel of professionals in a business environment. Alan Kemper, assistant professor of business at Point University, organized this project with CharterBank.

“At Point, we work very hard to provide students with opportunities to integrate real world experiences into their academic careers,” said Kemper. “We believe that it is this kind of experiential learning that both complements and crystalizes the cognitive learning that takes place in the classroom.”

The business students gave professional presentations on the topic of Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, including a general overview of the generation as it applies to businesses, how to market to this generation, and how to retain this generation in the workplace. Panel member responsibilities included listening to the presentations and taking notes about how students could improve their presentations. Panel members were also able to ask each student questions after his or her presentation was finished.

“I believe that CharterBank’s participation really helped the Point students to grasp the importance of the experience, and raised the bar for the professional expectations of the presentations over and above a normal academic assignment,” said Kemper.

Not only did students gain tangible and meaningful feedback about their presentations from the judging panel made up of CharterBank employees, they also received cash prizes compliments of the corporation. The first place winner, Daniel Harbin, received $300; the second place winner, David Harbin, received $200; and the third place winner, Charity Marshall, received $100.

“Being a part of the Point business communications presentations was a great experience for those of us on the award panel, as I hope it was for Point students,” said Donna Goodwin, senior vice president of CharterBank. “These bright, energetic students did a wonderful job presenting their topics. Those of us at CharterBank were proud to be a part of this academic assignment and look forward to partnering with Point University again for other student projects in the near future.”

                                                                                                              -Joy Ugi, Communications Coordinator