c r e at i v e e n e r g y
“The great thing about
Shenandoah is that creative
spark is all around us,
from the arts programs
to right here in
physical therapy,” said
Schrank. “Every day,
physical therapists
have to use their
creative energy in order
to engage their clients.
They’re doing things people
may not like to do very much,
so they have to make things fun
and exciting on a day-to-day basis.
That might be something as simple as changing a single exercise, or
it could involve using their own brand of creativity to create a shoe
orthotic out of duct tape.”
The Business of Creativity
Last spring, senior business administration, criminal justice
and political science major Collin Sack participated in the
Undergraduate Business Plan Challenge in Richmond, Va.,
with five other business students and Associate Professor of
Management and Director of the Institute of Entrepreneurship
Alesia Slocum, Ph.D. Sack and the Shenandoah team presented
their business plan for Catch-A-Ride, a website the students
designed to connect students with each other and with major
travel hubs such as Dulles International Airport and the closest
subway train and bus stations.
For Sack, the competition challenged his creative thinking in the
development of the business plan, and it gave him the opportunity
to meet and interact with academically gifted students from all
over Virginia.
“The competition was a great learning experience,” said Sack.
“I’ve taken the fundamentals of class and the business plan
competition, and I’ve used them in the day-to-day operations of
my entertainment company, SACCO Entertainment. I’ve created a
business plan and a mission statement, and I’m marketing my own
elevator pitch designed specifically for my business.”
Sack’s company is truly a family endeavor, with operations run by
Sack; his twin brother, Ashtin; his mother and fellow Shenandoah
student Julie Basile. Sack describes the company as providing an
“all around entertainment environment,” including disc jockey
(DJ) services, live band, professional sound rental, catering and
sound-and-light reinforcement.
Although he started the business before becoming a Shenandoah
student, Sack credits the business school faculty and his experiences
at Shenandoah with giving him the inspiration and creative energy
to pursue his lifelong passion and build it into a lifetime career.
“Shenandoah University has given me a knowledge of business I
didn’t have before I came here. The faculty have inspired me in
so many ways, helping me become a diverse and well-rounded
student. Shenandoah has taught me to never give up, to strive
for excellence, to be aware of my surroundings and to look at
situations from different perspectives.”
According to Miles Davis, Ph.D., dean of the Harry F. Byrd,
Jr. School of Business and associate professor of management,
creativity is a core focus in preparing business students to become
flexible and strategic leaders who are adept at connecting new ideas
and discovering unexpected solutions.
“Creativity means we think not just about preparing students for
jobs immediately after graduation, but that we also consider that
the future work they do may not
yet be invented,” said Dr. Davis.
“Creativity and innovation are
the cornerstones of economic
development. This requires
that we engage students
in acquiring the
knowledge, skills
and ability to be
successful today,
and that we serve as
facilitators who help
students ‘learn to learn.’”
Creative energy is the
lifeblood of the Shenandoah
experience, the electric current
that continually drives the university community
to discover exciting connections, explore new ways of thinking
and build a vibrant future. Whether pursuing a career in
customized, eco-friendly fashion design, teaching online courses
that prepare today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders in
health professions, celebrating the diversity of worship experiences
or applying creative thinking and business planning experience to
create a lifelong dream, Shenandoah’s faculty and students