Ahuja College of Business and Entrepreneurship Celebrates the Opening of the Glasscock Academic Center
A new space at Cleveland State University is opening doors to real-world opportunities, stronger industry connections and career-ready skills for future business leaders.
Made possible by CSU alumni and longtime donors Larry and Lee Glasscock, the Glasscock Academic Center brings students and corporate partners together at the Ahuja College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The center offers hands-on learning opportunities across business disciplines, helping students develop professional skills and build industry connections.
“This is not something that is just going to be built and shut the doors,” said Anne Nelson, senior assistant dean of academics and student affairs. “We are going to be action-based, and we want people to know what we’re doing and how we’re going to partner with them.”
The Glasscock Academic Center will use the momentum created by the Glasscock Experience Scholars Program, which was established in 2014. The program provides eligible undergraduate business students with full tuition for four years and emphasizes four key areas: academics, scholarship, mentorship and career experience.
Nelson has led the Glasscock Experience Scholars Program since it began in 2014. During the celebration, Nelson recalled the idea behind the academic center, which grew from her commitment to improving students’ lives. Confident in the Glasscock family’s support, she approached them to fund the initiative.
“The experience piece is what we hope to accomplish with the Glasscock Experience,” said Nelson. “It’s more important in today’s world than ever, [and] we need to have students prepared for more than just a degree”.
ENHANCING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Nelson outlined three major goals that will support student success and enhance the overall education experience at CSU, along with various programs and services offered by the center.
They include:
Business Community Connection (Engagement and Impact): Connecting CSU with various communities to grow our business student population and create more diverse business leaders to serve Cleveland and beyond. This engagement will impact CSU and our region to support stronger communities.
Business Education Connection (Leadership and Academic Readiness): Helping students stay on target with degree progression programs to improve graduate rates, so more business students graduate with business degrees of interest along with leadership experiences to support their goals after graduation. This connection will enrich overall CSU experience and touch other students beyond business, along with the many non-business majors who seek business minors or graduate programs.
Business Career Connection (Experiential Career Development and Workforce Experience): Connecting business students with multiple touchpoints to prepare for meaningful career pathways during their time at CSU and once they become business Vikings.
While the Glasscock Academic Center prepares students for today’s business challenges through hands-on learning and support from faculty, peers and mentors, Nelson said the Glasscock Experience Program supports students from their first day on campus through their careers and beyond.
“We hope to change students’ lives by some of the programming that we will offer,” said Nelson. “We want students to feel like they are a part of the College of Business and a part of the CSU community.”
FACULTY TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE
The center plans to engage faculty to work with external professionals to support many of the new programs listed above. For example, business faculty members will support academic projects beyond an internship, working with an employer regarding issues facing various industries. Business students will be a part of this engagement and expand their career interest in relation to their academic studies.
“The Business Signature Classroom to the World of Work Program will host these types of initiatives. Currently, the college is offering the following initiative regarding the Business Signature Classroom to the World of Work Program, which is set to expand to other academic majors,” said Nelson. “The program Information Systems: Classroom to the World of Work Partnership with the City of Cleveland was developed because the City of Cleveland's Information Systems unit could not locate students who understood the needs of working for an urban city and using information systems knowledge.”
A LASTING IMPACT
The Glasscocks and Nelson are already making a difference in first-year student Griffin Smith’s business education by creating transformative learning experiences.
Smith, an information systems major, applied to the Glasscock Experience Scholars Program as a last resort to help fund his education. After a rigorous application process, he was surprised to learn he had been accepted.
“I’m excited for the support and the opportunities from this program, especially the mentorship program,” said Smith. “It’s nice knowing that the Glasscock Academic Center will be a place where I can come for help with any situation.”
The Glasscock Academic Center also features an alumni wall honoring former scholars’ achievements and reminding current students of the opportunities available at CSU.
“It is a highlight of all of our scholars who graduated and who are here, who really are a family, and that’s what this is about,” said Nelson.
The Glasscock Academic Center is open to all business students and is located in Room 219 on the second floor of the Ahuja College of Business and Entrepreneurship.