BUS405 Students Bring Fresh Vision to the Meredith Campus Store

In a powerful example of experiential learning at Meredith College, students in the BUS405 Venture Management course recently partnered with Meredith marketing team members Vanessa Harris, Melyssa Allen, Charlotte McKinney, Zorah Olivia, and Emily Kelleher, the store manager, to reimagine the Meredith Campus Store experience. This collaboration illustrates how our curriculum transforms classroom concepts into real-world impact, while allowing students to see their ideas potentially implemented on campus.

Learning Through Real-World Application

The project began with a comprehensive approach to market research, as students designed and surveyed fellow students about what they wanted to see in their campus store. Rather than simply theorizing about retail management, these business students analyzed actual financial reports, created revenue projections, and explored the potential benefits of introducing new concepts like a pop-up shop.

This hands-on experience empowered our students with the skills to investigate a real-world business challenge and potentially create a lasting impact on our campus. The project, initiated by Kristi Eaves McLennan, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, allowed students to work directly with Meredith’s internal marketing team and witness the behind-the-scenes effort that goes into campus retail operations.

Innovative Solutions from Student Insights

What emerged from this collaboration was a wealth of creative ideas grounded in actual student needs. Survey responses revealed the desire for:

• New merchandise styles that better reflect current fashion trends
• Campus-exclusive items that can’t be purchased from other retailers
• Student-created art and merchandise showcasing Meredith’s talent
• A more inviting in-store atmosphere that encourages browsing

Perhaps most innovative is the human-driven marketing campaign conceptualized by the class. Students identified various campus “archetypes” representing the diversity of the Meredith student body, then styled unique merchandise combinations to showcase how any student can express their individuality through campus gear.

Looking Ahead

The Meredith community should watch for elements of this student-led vision to appear in the campus store in the coming academic year. The new imagery will soon begin appearing online, in email communications, and across social media platforms.

This collaboration between BUS405 students and the marketing department exemplifies the unique educational opportunities available at Meredith College, where students don’t just learn business concepts but apply them in ways that create value for our entire campus community.