The students participating in this course are a mix of highly motivated Seniors in undergraduate programs and first-year Master’s students with foundational experience in business analysis, research, and problem-solving. While most have not yet developed a formal business policy, they bring strong analytical skills, an understanding of business needs and functions, and a desire to apply these skills to real-world scenarios. These students are eager to collaborate with industry partners to research complex organizational challenges, explore ethical considerations, and propose actionable policy recommendations.

The learning objectives for this collaboration include:

This collaboration is structured as a live case, providing students with the opportunity to apply ethical reasoning, policy design, and professional judgment to real-world organizational issues.

Industry partners share an authentic business, public policy, or ethical challenge, and student teams research, analyze, and propose actionable policy recommendations.
Partners benefit from objective insights, new perspectives, and practical deliverables that can guide strategic or ethical decision-making within their organization.

Why participate:
Partnering with SUNY Potsdam’s Policy, Issues, and Ethics course connects your organization to emerging business leaders with the curiosity, creativity, and analytical rigor to explore today’s most complex professional challenges. 

Outcomes include: 

Project Scope: Define an authentic organizational, ethical, or policy challenge that aligns with course goals.

Engagement: Participate in an initial kickoff meeting, midpoint review, and final presentation.

Feedback: Provide timely guidance and feedback to student teams throughout the term.

Accessibility: Assign a project contact to facilitate communication and access to background materials.

Confidentiality (if needed): Establish NDAs for sensitive topics prior to project launch.