Management 101 allows students to create and manage their own companies. Students assume roles in these companies, partner with local non-profit organizations to create, implement community service projects and design and sell their own product. The course was created at Bucknell in the 1970s and has since been replicated by more than 20 colleges and universities around the world. This unique experience combines trying to make a profit with the social responsibility that businesses face in the real world.
Company A
Students from Company A have partnered with HandUP Foundation. HandUP Foundation is a faith based, social entrepreneurship, non-profit organization that supports people impacted by hunger and poverty in the local community. Students from Company A are engaged in multiple projects with HandUP that includes building gardens, creating cookbooks and cooking videos and hosting a clothing drive. The main goal of these projects is to be sustainable with minimizing waste and focusing on using local resources.
The garden project was one of the main focuses for Company A. HandUP’s President, Doug Diven, was enthusiastic about having a sustainable garden sponsored by the students, saying that “I would love to be able to build a garden that can be used over and over.” The garden project consists of a large garden behind the HandUP building as well as six raised beds for a smaller garden. These gardens will produce fresh produce for HandUP’s food bank and increase the overall nutritional value of food offered at the food bank.
Another project Company A focuses on is the cookbook project. For this project, students are creating and distributing a cookbook full of recipes using ingredients from HandUP’s food bank. These recipes will enable the food bank to more effectively educate people on how to utilize the food in their everyday meals. The students are also making cooking videos to go along with the cookbook to ensure that people know how to properly prepare the meals.
Both of these projects are just some of the work that Company A is doing to try and better the local community. The projects also aim to be long lasting and sustainable for years to come. “Our contributions to HandUP should last long after we’re gone,” said the Service Division Vice President, Maisie McGowan ’27. For more information on Company A reach out to Scarlet Kashuba ’27, VP of Marketing and Fundraising, for more information about company A.
Company B
Students in Management 101’s Company B, Bison Building Homes, have partnered with the Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity and its associated ReStore. The students are dedicated to creating sustainable and affordable housing in the local community which lead to their partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Through the partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the students provide assistance in building sponsored homes and improving store operations. The partnership with ReStore aims to boost the sales of used home goods, appliances and building materials. All of the money made from ReStore will go directly to Lycoming Habitat for Humanity.
Many of the students have expressed the importance of this course to their education and community service. “This company holds importance for me because, unlike traditional courses, we actively contribute to our local community’s development and witness tangible progress throughout the semester. Simultaneously, participants gain practical experience in managing a business,” said Chase Ferguson ’26.
To raise additional money for Habitat for Humanity, Bison Building Hope is organizing a basketball tournament open to Bucknell students, alumni and residents on April 14th from 1:00-6:00 pm. The tournament is being held at Davis Gym and registration costs $25 per person. Teams can have up to four players who are allowed to participate in the 3v3 tournament for a chance to win box seat tickets to a 76ers game of their choice during the 2024-2025 season. This is a great opportunity to support a nonprofit and have a chance to win a great prize in the process.
Reflecting on time in the class CEO of Company B, Ferguson said, “Working with my company has been a great pleasure overall; all are willing to put in the work to achieve our many goals of assisting Lycoming Habitat for Humanity to become more efficient so they can change even more lives in the future!”
Visit Company B’s instagram @bisonbuildinghope to learn more about their work and fundraising.
Company C
The mission of Company C, CommuniTees, is to grow the local community, strive for long-lasting impact and connection with the community, and combat food insecurity. This mission statement led the company to partner with Lewisburg Community Garden and the Donald Heiter Community Center as its service partners. The main goal of Company C is to renew the Lewisburg Community Garden through facility enhancements and building stronger connections between the garden and the surrounding community.
One project for the company is restoring the fencing that surrounds the garden.“One of our service projects is restoring their fencing with new posts to help support their current fence,” Isabel Ramos ’26 said. “The garden donates more than 2,000 pounds of their fresh produce each year to food banks, as well as educates the community on sustainability, food access and how to make an impact.” Anyone can help Company C and volunteer at the community garden. In April, you can volunteer on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 7p.m.
The Donald Heiter Community Center is a non-profit organization that provides before and after school care for kids from kindergarten through 8th grade. The company is running an event to help the center called “Dine and Donates”. All of the money raised from the events will go towards the Heiter Center for new raised garden beds.
Students in Company C reflected how taking Management 101 impacted them: “For me, my experience in Management 101 has been really beneficial for the fact of time management and communication,” said Ramos. “This has been through talking to all the other 27 people plus everyone else, organizing everything and making sure everything is done in a timely manner. It’s also helped me branch out as a person and get better at just starting conversation and trying to get people to do their tasks, and talking to people overall.”
“I think Management 101 has been a really huge help for me because it gives me an opportunity to really be in the driver’s seat for my own projects and with the resources and support that I normally wouldn’t find in other courses or other extracurricular activities,” said Colton Jiorle ’25.
Considering the unique structure and aspects of the Management 101 class, as well as benefits it provides for students, Paige Iacobellis ’27, Project Co-Manager (Service Project Coordinator) shared, “The structure of MGMT 101 has been beneficial for me because of the collaborative working environment the board has created with my company. It allows us to form connections with our classmates that make us feel supported by one another. Being able to collaborate with each other as we approach our different service projects, fundraiser activities and business sales allows each of us to understand what it’s like to manage a company.”
For more information on Company C visit @communitees on instagram
Company D
Students from Company D, Designed To Grow Minds, have partnered with Donald Heiter Center to improve the overall well being of the Lewisburg community. The mission of Designed To Grow Minds is to be committed to improving the mental well-being of all students, but specifically those at Donald Heiter Community Center. Their main goal is to reduce the stress on the staff of the center and help close the learning gap caused by Covid-19.
Company CEO Ally Lipschitz ’27 explained some of the thought process and ideas behind their business plans. “For our product type, we conducted extensive market research to find out what the preferences were of our target market. The navy crewneck option was immensely popular in the surveys we sent out to the public, and that guided us towards choosing that product type,” Lipschitz said. “We wanted a graphic that would be unique to our company, but also connect with our mission (Student Mental Health and Well-Being) and service project (Donald Heiter Community Center). We had remixed a previously designed logo made by a company member for a coalition presentation to align with our mission, and changed the colors so they would align best with Bucknell. Once we had combined the two, we added a gray crewneck option to try and appeal to as many people as possible!”
Lipschitz opened up about her experience thus far in Management 101. “As a first year student, the idea of taking such a taxing class intimidated me, I wasn’t sure what I was signing myself up for. Nearing the end of the semester though, I can confidently say that Management 101 has been incredibly beneficial to me as a student and as a person,” Lipschitz said. “I got to learn the inner workings of assembling and running a company firsthand, whether it was designing the product, putting together the individual departments or even running for executive positions. As a person, I have met so many great people within my own company and within the other management companies.”
Agreeing with Lipschitz on nerves before taking the class as a first year, Rebekah Brody ’27 shared, “There have been many opportunities to connect with the other students in our company as well as the TAs. This has been beneficial as it has introduced me to so many new people and many new networks. It is undeniable that the structure of the class is what makes it truly unique. I believe it will be one of my most valued experiences. We have the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them. I appreciate getting to make mistakes in Management 101 before I obtain an internship or job. This should benefit me in the future and help me not make the same mistakes then.”
“When I first realized how much group work would be involved in Management, I was a little nervous. I soon realized that the professor expected that from some people. That’s why we were immediately encouraged to create connections with the people within our groups,” said Madison Smith ’27 as she commented on the group work expected during the class. “We then were put into new groups and encouraged to form connections with those people. I am confident to say that I have spoken with everyone in my company and formed connections with them. This is unlike any other class. It no longer felt intimidating to work in a group setting because we all felt comfortable around each other.”
