WittCAM team takes on grant writing and continued fundraising to advance the Witt-in-Africa initiative in spring 2010

January 27, 2010

Springfield, OH—Wittenberg Center of Applied Management consultants Emily Ellermann and Rebecca Zajac are working this semester on developing a plan to locate and apply for grants to further the efforts of the Witt-In-Africa initiative. Through this project, the team will perform a SWOT analysis of the program and interview various granting agencies to better understand the perspective of foundations in awarding humanitarian efforts. They will work closely with Dr. Rosenberg of the Department of History to write grant applications and secure financing for the service trip in summer 2011.

In addition to learning about granting agencies, the team gets ready to continue fundraising as they lead preparations for the annual “Survivor: Wittenberg” event to be held April 17th, 2010 on the Wittenberg campus. In the day-long interactive competition, students will compete in various challenges modeled after the hit CBS show Survivor. The event will raise money in support of the Witt-In-Africa initiative, which completes projects in the African nation of Lesotho.

Meet the WittCAM Consultants:

Emily Ellermann, '10 is a senior Management and French double major from Littleton, Colorado. Ellermann was inspired to work with non-profit aid organizations by a high school service trip to India, and recently returned from a year abroad in Nantes, France where she studied management, the French language and international relations. Ellermann is currently an intern in the Wittenberg University Office of Admission where she actively participates in the admission process of future Wittenberg students by conducting interviews, reading applications and working closely with admission counselors to fulfill departmental goals. Ellermann is a member of Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa academic and leadership honoraries and the Tau Pi Phi management honorary. She is on the Dean’s list, a letter-winning member of the Wittenberg swimming and diving team, a committee chair of Colleges Against Cancer, and works as both a French tutor in the Foreign Language Learning Center and as an on-campus tour guide for the Wittenberg Office of Admission. After graduation, Ellermann plans to return abroad as part of a non-profit aid organization aimed at literacy initiatives in developing nations.

Rebecca Zajac, ’11, is a junior management major and economics minor from Livonia, Michigan. She serves as the Merit Scholarship Award Chair for Wittenberg Human Resources Management Association, the International Service Coordinator of Rotaract club; a member of the University Honors program and Alpha Lambda Delta (a women’s honorary society); a representative on the Educational Policies Committee, as well as on the Student Appellate Board and is on the Dean’s list. Zajac interns as a grant writer in the Advancement office and works as a student assistant for the management department. She also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, as an after-school mentor of middle-school girls through Girl Power, and as a Peer Helper to other students on the Wittenberg campus. Zajac traveled to Lesotho, Africa this past summer on a month long community service trip, where she developed relationships with community residents while helping them create a sustainable lifestyle through the construction of houses, chicken coops, green houses, and playgrounds. Zajac plans to serve in the Peace Corps and then pursue a career in nonprofit sector.

 
Wittenberg Center for Applied Management (WittCAM): The Wittenberg Center for Applied Management, better known as WittCAM, offers alternative coursework to upper-level students who are focused in management. As an alternative to a classroom-based course, WittCAM provides students with the opportunity to serve as consultants to businesses, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. Students and organizations have a choice of opportunities, including: Small Business Institute, Project Management Assistance, Management Internship, and the Creative Advertising Partnership. Students may work in groups or as individuals 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 450 students have been involved in WittCAM projects in the last 30 years.

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