freshmen slam down a grand for foundation

Students in The College of New Jersey’s Freshmen Business Colloquium raised $1,000 for the Grand Slam We Care Foundation during the fall semester as they learned that, in the corporate world, giving is just as important as getting.

“All too often, the public views corporations as strictly bottom-line revenue gatherers,” said School of Business Executive-in-Residence Jim Conroy. As executive-in-residence, Conroy supervises the class and provides students with advice on the corporate world, drawing from his own 27 years experience working for a firm on Wall Street.

Approximately 250 students dressed in business attire meet once per week for the required class. During the semester, business leaders from diverse trades expose the class to their experiences developing from college student to corporate success story.

One of the many lessons the students learned was the importance of corporate giving. To practice this lesson, the students were assigned to raise money for a cause.

Greg Coleman, general manager of the Trenton Thunder, a minor-league baseball affiliate of the New York Yankees, proposed that the students raise money for the Grand Slam We Care Foundation, which provides community education, grants, and scholarships. The School of Business partnered with the Trenton Thunder and the foundation during spring semester 2006.

Coleman, a TCNJ alumnus, gave the students six weeks to raise money for the foundation, and the freedom to do so creatively.

The students decided the best method was to explain the mission of the Grand Slam We Care Foundation in a letter, which was then sent to family, friends, and local businesses.

Of all the students in the class, Matt Baumann raised the most money.

"I now understand the hard work, time, and dedication needed in order to make a project a success. It’s not something you can work on half-heartedly,” said Baumann. “You have to put 100 percent into what you’re doing.”

Baumann will be honored at the Trenton Thunder’s opening day. All students who participated were rewarded a chance to see a Trenton Titans hockey game in a luxury suite.

Will students in future editions of the Freshmen Business Colloquium get new fundraising assignments? Conroy said yes, but did not reveal any plans. With the benefits reaching both students and the community, the magnitude of this assignment is great.

"This was an excellent way to start off my college career, and I look to build on that into the future," said Baumann.

To learn more about the Grand Slam We Care Foundation, visit www.grandslamwecare.org.