September 6, 2011

Springfield, OH-This semester, the Wittenberg Center for Applied Management will be assisting the Clark County Humane Society.  The task of senior WittConsultants Alex Brandt, Dicko Sow, and Valerie Vogt is to help revamp the image of the organization by creating a comprehensive 2-year strategic plan.  They will help refine the objectives and goals of the organization, conduct a thorough SWOT analysis to identify strategic windows of opportunity, and propose strategies and tactics to accomplish organizational objectives.  The team plans to present their findings and recommendations in early December.

Alex Brandt ’12 is a senior business major with an economics minor from Lewis Center, Ohio.  This past summer Brandt interned at Aldi Inc., where he contributed to the company’s hiring practices, improved his leadership skills, and assisted in the overall operations of the business. He is the president of Phi Eta Sigma honor society, a member of Wittenberg’s Honors Program, Tau Pi Phi Business honor society, Mortar Board honorary, and has been on the Dean’s List each semester.  A member of the men’s basketball team, Brandt is also the student athletic senator for Student Senate.  He serves as vice president for Athletes for Christ, is a volunteer orientation assistant for new students, and a peer helper to the student body.  In the future he hopes to pursue a career in marketing or finance.

Dicko Sow ‘12 is a senior majoring in business with additional minors in English and French. For the last three years, she has held a summer internship position with Merry Insurance Agency. In this position, Sow was responsible for office tasks and problem solving for clients. During the spring of her junior year, Sow served as a WittConsultant and member of the board of directors of Making a Difference International, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting against poverty, where she and her fellow consultants helped develop a strategic plan for the organization. Active in extracurricular activities, Sow has served as an officer (treasurer, president, and vice president) in each of the last three years to American International Association, an organization focused on promoting international awareness. She is vice president in the Wittenberg’s Martial Arts Club, where she currently holds a red belt in Tae Kwan Do. Sow volunteers at one of the largest and most successful non-profit college access programs in the country and at the Children’s Rescue Center of the Miami Valley. She plans to earn her MBA and aspires to own a business.

Valerie Vogt ’12 is a senior student-athlete from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with dual majors in Business and German.  In 2011, Vogt interned with rubber manufacturer Polymer Technik Elbe in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany during her spring semester studying abroad where she assisted daily with office tasks in the purchasing department, and also spent some time learning about the marketing, sales, imports and exports, and laboratory departments of the large company.  Vogt utilized her German to translate their Purchasing Handbook from German into English, as well as translating several other important documents and emails for English speaking customers.  Vogt is a third-year member of the varsity cross country team, and has demonstrated her hard work and dedication by achieving Deans List for each of her six semesters completed at Wittenberg.  She has participated for three years as a Wittenberg orientation assistant during New Student Days, where her enthusiasm and passion for helping others shines through.  Beginning two years ago, Vogt volunteers at The Rock of Hope Teen Center, an after-school program for Springfield’s underprivileged teens, where she acts as a positive role model and mentor for those in need.  Following her graduation in May 2012, Vogt plans to pursue a career emphasizing her passion for helping others with a non-profit organization.

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Wittenberg Center for Applied Management (WittCAM): The Wittenberg Center for Applied Management offers alternative coursework to upper-level students who are focused in business. As an alternative to a classroom-based course, WittCAM students serve as consultants to businesses, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. Students and organizations have a choice of opportunities, including: Small Business Institute, WittConsultants, Management Internship, and the Creative Advertising Partnership. Students work as groups on projects. Some projects require specific management course prerequisites; these vary depending on the nature of the project. Directed by Professor Pamela Schindler, more than 483 students have been involved in WittCAM projects in the last 30 years.