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Students Receive Rave Reviews From Top Companies

Fall 2007

Students in professor Charles Metzgar’s Leadership in Organizations class received rave reviews last fall after externing with some of Richmond’s top companies.

To better understand leadership and develop leadership skills in the context of organizations, students in the class did research in an organization in Richmond – and then figured out how to create and develop an organization from scratch.

Their research included breaking into groups of two or three and observing Capital One Services, Inc., Play or Mercer Human Resources Consulting during the first part of the semester. They observed the company’s leadership style through employee interviews, attending meetings and reviewing the company’s vision, mission and value statements. This allowed them to see leadership in action and see firsthand if there are alignments between what leaders say and what they do.

For the mid-term exam, the students presented their findings to sponsors within each of the three companies. At the end of the semester, the students presented their idea for their own organization to representatives of their host companies, Metzgar and University of Richmond faculty and staff.

Representatives from each of the organizations applauded the students’ insights, efforts and ability to work as a team.

“We saw real value in having an external group from Jepson, with fresh eyes and ears, assess our organization,” David Hilborn of Mercer said. “They did a great job and we were very impressed. We are currently working on a plan to address a number of the opportunities identified in their study, and it is our intent to fully act on this plan.”

Andy Stefanovich, co-founder of Play, said the students were also able to offer valuable insights for his company.

“Not only did their experiences at Jepson offer more context for their commentary, but their passion for learning and sharing was infectious,” Stefanovich said. “They were fearless in their commentary on suggestions to make us a better organization.”

The class consisted of seniors Jordan Quaglia, Lauren Harris, Carson Raymond, Mary Gardiner, Michael Connelly and Ignacio Bosch, and junior Xenia Schneider. Harris, Raymond, Gardiner, Connelly and Schneider are all majoring in leadership studies. Bosch, an exchange student, is a business major from Buenos Aires. Quaglia is pursuing an interdisciplinary major titled Positive Organizational Leadership.

“I don’t know of many undergraduates who have interviewed the CEOs of very successful companies,” Lauren Harris, ’08, said. “I found it hard to believe that a 21 or 22-year-old really could impact these organizations like we did.”

Hilborn said he was so impressed by the students and their observations during their time at his company that he recommended that corporate recruiting interview all three who externed there for jobs.

“The students were outstanding. They were good listeners but also offered useful, actionable insights and recommendations. They were sharp, well prepared, confident, poised, and professional,” Hilborn said. “Their insights were right on target.”