The Southern Connecticut State University School of Business is pleased to announce a partnership with Get Virtual, a program that gives local businesses affected by COVID-19 the tools to adapt to the virtual landscape and extend their businesses online. As the east coast anchor of Get Virtual, the School of Business will pair local businesses seeking help with college students seeking experience.
Organizations have been facing a changing business landscape for several years, and the current global pandemic has intensified these changes. Disruptions in the workplace, technological changes, global effects, and social unrest have businesses and consumers interacting differently, and traditional business models no longer fit the landscape.
Founded by SCSU School of Business alum and former Tesla president, Toby Corey, ‘83, Get Virtual is a curriculum program that is free to businesses and provides course credits and internships to participating students. Get Virtual inspires entrepreneurship through web development, ecommerce, and online marketing to support local businesses in the critical transition to the online marketplace.
The connections students and businesses make by participating in Get Virtual go beyond the scope of the curriculum. Students have the opportunity to hear about and learn from business professionals while giving back to their local community and gaining practical, real-world experience. Businesses have the opportunity to provide high-quality internships, which are a powerful recruiting tool. Southern students make great interns. They are known for their drive, working an average of 27 hours a week in addition to their school and personal commitments, and are a great investment, as 85 percent of Southern students stay in Connecticut after graduation.
On October 6, Corey joined School of Business Dean, Dr. Ellen Durnin, and Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Garrett Sheehan for a panel discussion titled, “The Power to Pivot – Harnessing the Virtual Landscape to Maximize Business Success.” The panelists talked about how businesses can adjust and reinvent their organizations given this new landscape and discussed critical tools and resources available to help pivot and rebound to protect organizations and employees, and attendees had the opportunity to learn how they can partner with the School of Business and Get Virtual to adapt to the virtual landscape and extend their businesses online.
Corey says, “Businesses need to be where their customers are, and customers are online.” Adding, the goal is to “teach businesses to fish,” by providing inexpensive, easy-to-use tools that will provide quick results to businesses who know they need to pivot, but aren’t sure where to start.
Durnin says, “We are proud to partner with SCSU School of Business alum Toby Corey, and believe that Get Virtual can help entrepreneurs pivot from a bricks-and-mortar setting to providing virtual experiences for their customers. This ability is essential in our new economy.”
Local Connecticut businesses interested learning more about Get Virtual can go to getvirtual.org, and to find out how your organization can participate in this exciting program, contact Amy Grotzke at GrotzkeA1@Southernct.edu.