C-Suite level positions are shifting as the older business professionals of yesterday are nearing retirement. With the onset of the pandemic, retirement options in the midst of company shutdowns was not unheard of. With openings in leadership roles for many corporations, small and large, the need for a new class of leadership is growing and some colleges and universities are throwing their hat in the ring to help not only prepare students, but business professionals with years of experience, for the ever-evolving development in C-Suite positions.
Michigan State University is helping to propel students and prepare them for a new era of business. The East Lansing university is offering students the opportunity to enroll in a class especially geared towards learning the in’s and out’s of C-Suite level positions in companies and organizations.
“I developed the course after conversations with alumni and C-suite executives. While knowledge, expertise and experience are important, effective leadership is about effective communication, building community and managing change. Leaders must be catalysts or change agents. We offer our students training in these c-skills to prepare them for the C-suite,” says Dean Prabu David who is over the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
The College of Communication Arts and Sciences heads a class at Michigan State University called Catalyst Thinking in the C-Suite, or CAS 837. Organizational leaders will become students as the course teaches unique tools learned through years of hands-on training and experience, the class is helping to lead a new legion of C-Suite employees while sharpening the skills of more seasoned leaders.
As an organization grows, its leadership must reflect the shifts in the tide. Technological advancements continue to develop and leaders must continue to gain knowledge on their area of expertise. To help encourage leaders to continue to take charge of the evolution of their careers, classes like
CAS 837 are in place.
An executive from Michigan-based cereal giant The Kellogg Company enrolled in the class in 2018 and, in a video, details her experience with the class.
“CAS 837 was one of the first classes I took when I started the program in 2018 and it set the bar so high for the rest of the program. There’s a couple things that set it apart and make it such a unique and great class. Number one, you’ve got Dean Prabu David teaching the class and he’s a perfect voice for that curriculum because he is, in my mind, the embodiment of servant leadership. He’s just got such a great leadership presence,” says Director of Global Issues and Crisis Management for the Kellogg Company, Andrea Clark, in a video detailing her experience with the program.
The course, which is offered in the fall, takes students through navigating C-Suite level careers. During the class, students will learn both leadership and communication skills as well as boosting their critical thinking skills. Students will also learn to examine organizational skills and issues within the system and ways to best solve them.
While the class is geared towards the knowledge of C-Suite level roles, the class is also available to graduate students looking to learn more about positions, skills and advancement in C-Suite level roles.
For those who may be interested in signing up for the course, the university’s website allows prospective students to explore a sample lesson in leadership styles. As a part of Michigan State University’s Strategic Communication master’s courses, CAS 837 is offered alongside other classes aimed at creating well-rounded business professionals. At the base of growing any business is knowledge and this class continues the flow of knowledge through its training.
For the first mock assignment, the class’s leader asks prospective students to answer thought-provoking questions such as their leadership style, their influence with those they serve as well as those who serve under them, and what legacy they want to leave behind for the organization and themselves.
While the course of business is changing, educational institutions are doing their part to ensure they are a part of the business fabric moving forward. While
MSU is not the first college or university to offer its students additional guidance towards C-Suite, but it does join an increasingly growing list of schools building out this unique learning experience.
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