Students
Business 200: Learning Through Service
What is Business 200?
Business 200 is a mandatory, noncredit, tuition-free course for all St. Thomas undergraduate Opus College of Business majors and minors. Community service opportunities are available in a wide variety of supervised, direct-service settings.
When do I complete Business 200?
The Opus College of Business recommends that you complete Business 200 sometime during your sophomore or junior year.
Why does St. Thomas require Business 200 of business students?
UST and the business community agree that businesses need to be socially responsible for the communities in which they participate. Communities are important stakeholders for every business, and the Business 200 program will increase your awareness of the importance of this partnership as you pursue your degree and prepare for a career.
Each semester, Business 200 students contribute about 8,000 hours of service to communities in the Twin Cities and around the world. Students embrace their role as business professionals by ensuring the ongoing strength and spirit of our communities. You will take this important value with you into your workplace. You will make a tremendous difference every day in the lives of many people and you represent the best of St. Thomas.
How do I get started in Business 200?
Simply attend the Opening Learning Seminar to receive your syllabus and learn about the opportunities for service.
Click here for Learning Seminar Schedule
What have students done in Business 200?
Students have committed to spending time with homeless people – providing food, cleaning shelters and forming friendships. Weekly visits to the Humane Society ensure that animals waiting for adoption are cared for and that people considering pet adoption make a sound decision. Hundreds of students are tutoring pre-kindergartners, students in alternative high schools and new immigrants trying to master English.
One student organized a program abroad for children in a country where health facilities are limited. What began as the effort of a few friends has become an organization with more than 75 volunteers. Others have rocked and soothed babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome or addicted to crack. They have staffed hotlines to assist callers who were depressed and considering suicide, or had taken the step to seek assistance for drug or alcohol addictions. Students have ridden bikes, walked, swam, bowled, jump-roped and rowed to raise thousands of dollars for worthy causes.
Students in Business 200 have cleaned our rivers, parks, highways and recreation areas. They have painted, plastered, scrubbed, washed, caulked, nailed and hammered so others can have homes, schools, playgrounds and shelters. They have served in London, Spain, Italy and on our own campus. Our students have cried, worried and prayed about the tremendous needs they encounter and have celebrated the hope they can bring.
What's next?
Business 200 requires 40 hours of community service. You will attend an orientation session with your adviser before you begin and a final summary session, in which you will reflect on your experience. You will be evaluated on a pass-fail system, based on a journal, evaluations by your off-campus supervisor and on-campus adviser, and a reflective project.
What is service learning?
Service learning is different from volunteering in two ways. First, service learners need to determine what they want to learn about themselves. Perhaps they want to develop their public-speaking or project-management skills, or they want to learn greater patience, humility or tolerance. Maybe they want to take their academic training into a nonprofit setting and have an opportunity for an internship of sorts. Or perhaps they seek more balance in their lives and find that spending time with senior citizens every week is the perfect antidote to stress.
Second, service learners locate a site at which they can pursue their individual learning objectives where needed. This difference – service where it is most needed – defines service learning.
I already volunteer.
That's great! If your volunteer experience already meets Business 200 criteria you can continue with that organization and complete the journal, reflection paper and meetings with your on-campus adviser.
The coordinator for the Business Service-Learning Programs can answer your questions about how to incorporate past service into Business 200, or how to involve your family into your project and other specifics about the course.
