News release from Huntington University:
HU debuts first student-led for-profit venture
HUNTINGTON, Ind. (April 30, 2015) — Clear Insights debuted this spring as Huntington University’s first completely student-led for-profit venture.
Clear Insights is a part of the new Fast Forward Business Seed Accelerator, made possible by the Lilly Endowment funds granted to HU in 2014. The main goal of the Fast Forward program for HU students is to encourage entrepreneurship at the collegiate level by cultivating ideas and providing applied work experience.
Clear Insights offers accounting and bookkeeping services, business development, marketing services, social media, event planning, graphic design, videography and basic technology services.
The mission of the organization is to provide businesses with affordable, high-quality services. By enlisting HU students from a wide range of disciplines with a variety of skills, Clear Insights can properly match students to meet organizations’ needs.
“We believe HU students already possess a number of skills and abilities that are needed in the marketplace,” said Troy Irick, assistant professor of business and vice president of HU Ventures, the university’s for-profit subsidiary. “Clear Insights serves as the entity which helps connect potential clients with students eager to put their skills to work.”
Irick; Dr. Ann McPherren, professor of business and economics and vice president for strategy and graduate/adult programs; and Brock Zehr, assistant professor of business, serve as faculty advisers for the organization. It also has two student leaders, Tyson Kalischuk and Amy Hetrick. Kalischuk, a junior accounting, management and economics & finance major from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, serves as managing director, and Hetrick, a junior marketing and management major from Fort Wayne, Indiana, serves as marketing director.
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When projects come in from a client, Hetrick and Kalischuk use the Clear Insights database to find students who are willing and able to fit the client’s needs. Then they interview and choose students for project teams based on the students’ skill sets.
“I think it is a great way for students who are looking for work to get relevant experience as well as an on-campus job,” Hetrick said. “My favorite part of working with Clear Insights is getting some hands-on experience to go along with the principles we are learning in school. I personally know that I am a hands-on learner, and I believe many other students are the same way.”
Clear Insights is mainly serving business in the Huntington, Indiana, area and is looking to expand into the Fort Wayne market.
“Our students have a variety of skills, and we are eager to help,” Hetrick said. “It also is a positive way to influence the community and encourage a student’s entrepreneurial efforts. This type of experience is very valuable for students. It also allows for a great connection to the university as well as the future workforce.”
For more information about Clear Insights, visit https://clearinsights.org/. To contact the organization, email info@clearinsights.org or call (260) 359-4351.
About Huntington University
Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest, and Forbes.com has listed the university as one of America’s Best Colleges. Additionally, Princeton Review has named the institution a “Best Midwestern College.” Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in northeast Indiana. The university is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
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