School of Business Feature: Mary Hartwick '15

     Undergraduate research is more than case studies, experiments, and research; it is an experience. Mary Hartwick is continually reminded of this as she works closely with Dr. Paul Thurston researching the recent merge of Gilda’s Club and the American Cancer Society in the Capital Region. Mary is in the process of writing a case study, which she hopes to get published, about the merger of these two companies. Her case study will include the challenges nonprofits face with developing their sustainable revenue sources that help in their efforts to accomplish the mission of the organization. She hopes that her case study can be used by both students in strategic management classes as well as leaders of other nonprofit organizations. Previously, Mary worked on a different case with Dr. Thurston that studied Mother Myrick’s  Confectionary which has been accepted into the NACRA conference in Victoria, British Columbia this fall. To Mary, undergraduate research has been a learning experience. Throughout her experience she has learned how to conduct interviews, sift through archival data, take enormous amounts of information and write case studies out of it, and how to get case studies published. She also learned how to go through the proper channels in non-profit organizations to get the information she needs. According to Mary, “Undergraduate research is a valuable experience because it allows you to gain experience in a field that you might want to pursue after college and it allows you to gain connections in that field, or come into contact with people that can help you get to the field you want to be in”.

American Cancer Society photo is from www.dbqfoundation.org

Gilda's Club Photo is from: www.angelasbridal.net

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