It is not uncommon for members of the business community to knock upon business school doors seeking programs to educate their employees, and The Citadel isn’t any different.
Nearly two years ago, the School of Business Administration, backed by an anonymous contribution, set out to create a template to do just that. Dubbed, The Citadel Executive Institute (CEI), and with Helen Harloe at the helm as the director, the institute set out to find its voice in the business community as a means for focused, expedient, and convenient job-relevant workshops for busy professionals.
Harloe said it is aimed at drawing benefits for both the school faculty and local business. She said that by placing faculty in a business atmosphere sharing their expertise with professionals, “the collaborative effort brings professional development to both.”
The institute has developed customized training opportunities, and it offers the skills of talented faculty, the experience of retired top executives, and the perspective of nationally recognized consultants. It also has the ability to host corporate and professional groups which seek a state-of-the-art facility to conduct business away from office distractions.
School of Business Administration faculty offer programs in communication, finance, law and legal studies, management, psychology, economics, information systems, leadership studies, marketing and statistics. Also available to businesses are consultants from Fortune 500 companies, business authors, top level executives, and national award recipients.
The Executive Institute has had several noteworthy achievements, Harloe said, namely its ability to customize courses for businesses and cater to designated areas of expertise, like the Association of Professional Bookkeepers. More opportunities are knocking on the door; however, the institute is now in a transition period due to Harloe’s departure to pursue a degree in law.
“We’ve had some successes” Harloe said, although she envisions far greater things from the institute in the future. She said that one of the more difficult aspects of starting the organization was finding areas of emphasis that were effective. She said that during the end of her tenure with the institute, the Small Business Association in Columbia was interested in coming to Charleston to do seminars for minority business owners. There is a national allocation for small, minority-owned businesses through the SBA, and Harloe said she was interested in hosting these seminars to “teach how to get a piece of that pie.”
Harloe said that judging by the developments during her time with the institute, the potential for great success is within the grasp of CEI.
Dr. Earl Walker, dean of the School of Business Administration, said he feels the same. “We are enormously proud of the creation of The Citadel Executive Institute and the fine work of its founding Director, Ms. Helen Harloe,” he said. “Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, we have been able to create this institute and establish procedures at The Citadel so that faculty can contribute their time and talents to helping outside organizations prosper. Presently, we are undergoing a transition at CEI, with Helen leaving for law school. Our expectations are that The Citadel Executive Institute will continue to thrive in the decades ahead.”
