New program pairs Barton School of Business students with nonprofits, startups, government, and corporate partners for paid, hands-on projects
The Barton School of Business at Wichita State University has launched a transformative applied learning initiative called IMPACT – Innovative Mentored Projects for Applied Career Training. The program provides students with career-relevant, paid work experiences while advancing meaningful projects across the Wichita community and beyond. IMPACT is an initiative housed under the Office of Career & Professional Development (OCPD), reinforcing the Barton School’s commitment to connecting students with high-impact experiential learning opportunities.
Many Barton School students work while attending Wichita State to keep their debt levels low, but too often those jobs are unrelated to their field of study. This disconnect can limit students’ ability to demonstrate professional experience and diminish their competitive edge when entering the job market.
“IMPACT changes that by giving students the chance to develop on-the-job expertise while paying for school,” said Dr. Alexander Ziegler, Executive Director of External Relations and Partnerships and faculty member in Marketing at the Barton School of Business.
Tina Khan, Executive Director of the Office of Career & Professional Development, emphasized the program’s dual impact: “Our students can provide tremendous value to businesses, and we want to ensure that organizations seeking this talent are connected to it. IMPACT benefits students by providing career-relevant experience, while employers gain access to a direct pipeline of exceptional graduates who are ready to contribute on day one.”
For the inaugural semester, eighteen students have been selected to participate in IMPACT projects, collaborating with a diverse mix of partners including nonprofits, startups, government institutions, and a major corporation. These first projects highlight the wide range of professional challenges students will encounter—while earning both compensation and an applied learning credential.
Assignments include website development, marketing communications planning, and database management—projects that reflect the skills most sought after by today’s employers. Each project is student-led and faculty-mentored, allowing students to take ownership of outcomes while receiving expert guidance and coaching.
Through these collaborations, students apply classroom knowledge to real-world problems, gain exposure to diverse organizational settings—from the agility of startups to the scale of corporate environments—and build portfolios that demonstrate career-ready expertise.
“IMPACT connects institutional expertise and classroom learning to real work for real organizations,” said Dr. Justin Keeler, Clinical Associate Professor, Director of the MSBA program, and IMPACT faculty mentor. “This kind of experiential learning transforms students from knowledge consumers into knowledge creators, preparing them not only for their first role, but for long-term career success.”
The initiative is housed in the Barton School’s Office of Career & Professional Development and supported by Applied Learning funds provided by the State of Kansas. For the current academic year, the Barton School received $150,000 in funding to support student wages and program development.
“Paid applied learning is central to the Barton School’s mission of preparing career-ready graduates,” said Dr. Larisa V. Genin, Dean of the Barton School of Business. “With IMPACT, we’re connecting students with real organizations and real outcomes—empowering them to apply classroom knowledge, build professional networks, and achieve stronger post-graduation success.”
The Barton School plans to expand the IMPACT program in future semesters, further strengthening Wichita State’s leadership in applied learning, community engagement, and innovation-driven education.