Testimonials

Student Testimonials 

“In the first semester, the program pushes you to think beyond the classroom through the literature written by seminal management theorists. The exposure to these articles and the discussions that come from them foster a critical thinking environment.”

Kaitlyn Amundsen (BSBA '08)

Rita Rodriguez (BSBA '12)

“Having received a management position as a Director of Operations directly out of college, there is not a day that goes by that I have not utilized some of the knowledge I gained in the Sbona honor program. I highly recommend the program to anyone interested in succeeding in business.”

Sponsor Testimonials

“SJSU's management honors students did an outstanding job in helping the Mercury News plan an important new venture. They were able to take high level direction and deliver invaluable information without a lot of guidance. They were perfect in their follow-up on meetings and commitments, and always delivered everything on time.

“The Sbona Honors Program practicum is an outstanding program and is a true win-win for students and businesses alike.”

Regan Sekarik
VP, Interactive
Bay Area News Group/MercuryNews.com

“I wanted to express what a pleasure it has been to work with such capable individuals. Despite a number of challenges, they remained flexible, considerate of our needs, and dedicated to seeing their project through. 

“This team is certainly a great credit to your class and your institution.”

Ashley Wollam
Coordinator, Member Services & Marketing
International Leadership Association

“In my opinion their results were 100% on target with what is possible is a short time period with conflicting requirements. Many smart people have accomplished less in a longer persiod of time on the same topic. This project will have national impact.”

David McFeeley
Director of Industry Solutions and Grant Programs
SolarTech

Case Study: IBM Research

In Spring 2011, a team of four management and international business students worked for researchers at IBM Research in Almaden. They provided a business perspective to the scientific team of computer scientists, social scientists and engineers on the Splash project, part of IBM’s larger Smarter Planet intiative.

“IBM’s goal is to be very customer oriented... (The student team) could represent the customers’ views very well.”Susanne Glissmann
IBM Research - Almaden

“These guys are making me think about things I wouldn’t otherwise think about.”

Ron Mak
IBM Research - Almaden

“The SJSU student team took on the challenge of scoping, investigating and framing a business ecosystem for an early capability being developed by our research team. They were required to come together as a functioning team amongst themselves and use the aggregate of their formal and informal educational experiences to work with a small team of researchers to understand the problem and deliver a solution.

“Along with delivering a solution, and providing the Splash team with fresh ideas, the students were self motivated and professional -- it was great experience working with them.”

Cheryl Kieliszewski
IBM Research - Almaden

“Doing this project was the most difficult thing we’ve ever done. The challenge of it being unstructured forced us to stretch our boundaries.”

Kevin Dines (B.S.B.A. '11)

Previous Sponsors

Previous sponsors for O&M honors projects include:

  • Accenture
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Cisco
  • City of San Jose
  • College of Business Alumni Association
  • Creative Labs
  • Eclipse Foundation
  • IBM
  • International Leadership Association
  • Live365
  • NASA (Ames Research Center)
  • Nike
  • Oracle
  • Public Press
  • San Jose Mercury News/Bay Area News Group
  • SolarTech
  • Walgreens