The Edwin L. Cox BBA Leadership Institute, directed by Paula Strasser, provides leadership and communication skills that are essential to business organizations. Through three-hour classes Cox BBA students learn and practice key fundamental skills in topics such as: business presentations, leadership styles, accelerated learning, business writing, team building, integrity/trust, persuasive team presentations, internal/external communications, marketing/media communications, sales and interpersonal relations.
While business education traditionally focuses on established classroom teachings, the Cox School of Business conceived the BBA Leadership Institute to take students beyond textbook theories and into real-life business situations. The classes are designed and facilitated in conjunction with corporate professionals who represent leadership expertise from some of today’s progressive companies such as: SBC, EDS, Nortel and Susan G. Komen Foundation.
The BBA Leadership Institute assists students in enhancing personal and professional effectiveness as a student, as well as creating life long benefits for future careers. Students who actively participate in the BBA Leadership Institute understand the difference between those who lead and those who manage.
Since the inception of the BBA Leadership Institute in Fall 2002, more than 1275 BBA students have participated in BLI offerings. The Contemporary Business Topics course focuses on improving students’ presentation skills and developing an effective standard presentation structure. To help students further assess their overall delivery skills, presentations are videotaped and coached by a certified instructor to enhance presentation skills. This three-hour course also includes teambuilding, leadership styles, integrity, accelerated learning, creativity, interpersonal relations, conducting an interview with a corporate leader, and culminates with a Capstone Project as a final examination.
Another three-hour BLI course, Business Communications, develops students business skills in written communications, critical and difficult conversations, business terminology and report writing, communication differences, persuasive team presentations and communicating through technology.
A new BLI offering introduced in Spring 2006, Integrated Communications, explores specific strategies and tactics that are best suited to communicate with media/public, customers/prospects and employees. Students develop relevant business writing and influencing skills. In addition, student teams develop complex communication exercises.
The Edwin L. Cox BBA Leadership Institute sponsors the SMU-COX Toastmasters chapter of the national public speaking organization. In addition to weekly meetings, the SMU Toastmasters Speaker Series, supported by Ernst & Young, gives students the opportunity to deliver speeches to corporate leaders for a chance to win two awards: $5,000 for "Best Speaker" and $2,500 for "Most Improved Speaker." Since it’s inception in Spring 2004, approximately 400 students have actively participated in the Toastmasters organization.
