Center for Business Outreach

The Center for Business Outreach (CBO) provides stimulating, real-world learning opportunities for students throughout their college career. The center connects with the greater Newport community by linking business owners, civic and nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs and the public sector with students, faculty and alumni from the Jean and David W. Wallace Department of Business and Economics. 

Our mission is to build relationships between employers, alumni and students in preparation for the business world. Our vision is to enhance career readiness, deliver dynamic experiential opportunities, offer entrepreneurial planning for the future and provide the foundational skills needed for the ever-changing business world.

Through experiential projects and internships, our students use the skills they acquire in the classroom to offer research and solutions to help business owners expand their reach. Students develop business plans, marketing strategies, customer surveys, cost analyses and more - culminating in a report with valuable recommendations and resources.

We network with business owners throughout the U.S. and abroad through roundtables, panel discussions, workshops, guest speaking opportunities, mentoring, mock interviews and more. We also engage alumni and business leaders who serve as entrepreneurial advisors, offering professional expertise to enhance students’ perspectives and understanding beyond the classroom.

Connecting Students with the Community

1,559

Students who have worked with real clients through the CBO.

205

Companies that have benefitted from student research and planning.

95,993

Hours spent on research and solutions to real-world issues.

501

Networking activities including speakers, tours and workshops.

Opportunities for Students

The CBO provides resources and opportunities for students to address real-world situations and business issues. Using various platforms, students enhance their classroom experience through special projects, internships and job shadowing, allowing them to gain knowledge and insight for starting, operating and marketing a business.

Ways to Get Involved
  • Request a speaker from our "Ask the Experts" or "Ask an Alumni" speaker series.
  • Check in with our executive in residence and entrepreneur in residence.
  • Get to know us by attending "Pizza and Professors" and "Snack Chats" if you're a first-year student or sophomore.
  • Include your experiential learning project on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • Connect with speakers and alumni on LinkedIn. Ask to chat or meet up for coffee.
  • Attend networking events on campus and inquire about activities off campus that will help define your career goals and introduce you to more people.
  • Consider a study abroad program and join student organizations such as Options Trading Club, American Marketing Association, Accounting and Finance Club and Enactus.
  • Visit the Center for Advising, Career and Life Design for resume assistance and job-hunting advice.
  • Volunteer with the Center for Community Engagement and Service.

Internships

Internships with the CBO are ideal for students who are interested in working with entrepreneurs, nonprofits and small- to mid-size businesses.

Our interns:
  • Connect with business owners who are interested in collaborating on classroom projects or in need of future interns and potential new hires.
  • Attend meetings both on and off campus to help coordinate programs within the center, thus building their own relationships and network.
  • Work independently, with the ability to use their creativity and ideas for marketing strategies, projects, survey design and resource materials.
  • Utilize skills such as writing, marketing, customer service, market research, interpersonal communication, project management, event planning, collaboration, problem-solving and more.

Seahawk Tank

Each semester, students enrolled in the Strategic Management Business Planning Capstone course work in teams to identify a potential business opportunity, develop mission and vision statements, conduct SWOT analyses and accomplish market research. They develop strategic marketing, human resource staffing, operations plans and financial projections to support the venture. Teams present their proposed business plan and compete for a spot in the annual Seahawk Tank – a pitch competition held each May in which the top-ranked teams pitch their ideas to a panel of judges and compete for bragging rights and the first-place cash prize.

Salve Regina's Department of Business and Economics Seahawk Tank pitch competition.

Opportunities for Employers

The CBO connects employers with students, faculty and alumni in a win-win situation for all. Students gain durable workplace skills and companies meet potential future employees.

Employer Value

Build a student network, receive a plan with recommendations and new resources, give back to your school or community, share real-world experiences and life lessons with students and gain visibility on campus.

Using various platforms, students enhance their classroom experience through special projects, internships and job shadowing experiences designed to help business owners take the next step, expand their reach and consider the feasibility of ideas.

Ways to Get Involved
  • Turn your idea into a classroom project.
  • Become a business plan panelist.
  • Serve as an entrepreneurial advisor.
  • Volunteer as an entrepreneur in residence.
  • Participate in our "Ask the Experts" speaker series.
  • Invite us to tour your facility.
  • Mentor a student.
  • Offer job shadowing opportunities.
  • Hire an intern or employee.
  • Connect with the Center for Community Engagement and Service.
  • Support or establish a business-related scholarship.