This fall, students at Fairfield University’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business will be seen playing with blocks! A business course is giving them the tall order of building six iconic Manhattan buildings out of Legos.
.jpg) |
J. Michael Cavanaugh, PhD, associate professor of management, explained the LEGO® project stems from a new, cross-disciplinary course, tentatively titled “MG340: Management Theory In Vivo: An Off-Line Experience.”
“[It will be] time for seniors to put all their management courses to work,” said Cavanaugh. “This is about working in a hands-on problem solving environment, and that is what ‘doing’ business is all about.”
As Cavanaugh wrote in his syllabus, the course is, in part, based on the belief that business practice “not unlike workbench science, engineering, medicine, or piloting a commercial airliner, is an innately collaborative and interdisciplinary craft” where acquiring knowledge demands doing.
“In this controlled transition from university to career, students will alternatively demonstrate and reflect upon their budding grasp of what managers actually do including: peer-to-peer project planning and management; real-time analysis and design; facility in interpreting, organizing, and effectively communicating information; critical thinking and problem solving and capitalizing on opportunities for emergent leadership…”
The structures will likely include monuments like the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building, and One World Trade Center—America’s tallest skyscraper, among others.
Each will be erected from about 12,000 LEGO blocks to stand 6 feet tall. They will be collaboratively designed and constructed by senior Dolan School students majoring in management.
The immediate challenge for Cavanaugh is finding the 100,000 Legos necessary to construct the towers. The blocks most needed are 4-, 6-, and 8-peg blocks in grey and black, but Legos of any color and shape would be appreciated.
Since Legos are now recyclable, they are harder to find. Cavanaugh hopes that local businesses will sponsor a building. But if you are interested in donating Legos, contact Cavanaugh at cavanaugh2@verizon.net.
PHOTO CAPTION: Sodexo, Fairfield University Dining Services hosted an “Exam Break—Lego Building Contest” in support of Dr. Cavanaugh’s class. Students let out stress by building things with Legos, and the Legos were later donated to be used in MG340. Two $50 Fairfield University Bookstore Gift cards were awarded.
Photo contributed by Rebecca Shaw, of Sodexo. Area Marketing Coordinator—Hicks District Sodexo Education
Fairfield University’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business is a leader in Jesuit business education, creating a strong learning community, enlivened by a rigorous liberal arts and business core, which develops career ready students’ potential to be ethical business leaders for a global future. The learning environment is enhanced by the school’s top-notch faculty, building on real-world business experience and accomplishments in their academic disciplines. The school is ranked among the best undergraduate and graduate business programs in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report, and Princeton Review. Its degree programs have been accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) since 1997.
Sounds like a fun and effective to teach a variety on important workplace skills, like delegation and teamwork, but I hope the course involves more than just this!