By Anna Ostmann

Each year, top students from Lindenwood and other universities throughout the St. Louis area  are selected to participate in the Regional Business Council’s Mentorship Network. The Regional Business Council (RBC) is an organization of business leaders from  top companies in the St. Louis area who have come together to promote the economy of the St. Louis region. Their primary goals focus on developing and advancing the wellbeing of the region, which includes efforts to reform and advance education, to promote a diverse and minority-friendly business community, and to invest in the professional development of the St. Louis community.

Part of the RBC’s  mission is to develop and retain talented young professionals in the St. Louis community. This is where students from Lindenwood and other regional universities get involved with the council. The Mentorship Network pairs talented college students (primarily from business programs but some STEM students are involved as well) with high-level  business executives. The program lasts about a year,  during which these students have the opportunity to participate in large group resume workshops and networking sessions, as well as work one-on-one with their mentors to experience the day-to-day business operations and to get advice on career planning , networking, and job applications. This year, the entire program is being conducted virtually, but mentors are still ensuring that they spend quality time with student participants.

Over the years, Lindenwood students have been paired with executives from RBC affiliated companies like Regions Bank, Maryville Consulting Group, and Boeing. Top-performing students are selected by Lindenwood’s Business School faculty and are then asked to complete an application to be reviewed by faculty and submitted  to the RBC Mentorship Network program.

Dr. Molly Hudgins, interim dean of the Robert W. Plaster School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Lindenwood University, explained that while not every student recommended by the faculty ends up participating in the program, that “we have been very fortunate in the last few years to have all of our students accepted.” This means that,  annually, eight to ten Lindenwood students have been accepted into the program with the region’s other top business students in recent years.

The program provides an opportunity for Lindenwood students to learn about business in a real world setting and to network with not only their own mentors but with other executives involved in the program as well. Dr. Hudgins stated that  “we have had several students land jobs after this. Through  either a connection with someone else in the RBC or their mentor, they have had the opportunity to network and find their first job out of this program.” Lindenwood’s partnership with the RBC Mentorship Network allows students to get real experience in the field of business and create connections that lead to future career opportunities.