This spring, the 26-acre arboretum a at Cal State Fullerton has a new name – the Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton – emblematic of its stature as a recognized horticultural experience featuring plant life from around the world and agricultural cultivation.
Generations of Titans continue to enjoy the massive Ombu, a plant native to South America and Africa; the bamboo forests reminiscent of rural China; the conifers native to the Pacific Northwest; Louisiana’s native Bald Cypress trees; chaparral and desert plants native to California and the Southwest; as well as the home and office of one of Orange County’s first 19th century medical doctors.
But to provide the perfect backdrop to weddings, corporate retreats, get togethers with family and friends, and a quiet study spot for the Cal State Fullerton community, the Arboretum and Botanical Garden must also be managed as a business.
And in spring 2024, students in MGMT 464 – Entrepreneurial Leadership, under the direction of Management Professor Atul Teckchandani, are advising the arboretum on managerial best practices.
The collaboration is part of the College of Business and Economics’ commitment to service learning – applied internship and volunteer opportunities for students that benefit the surrounding community.
Understanding the Arboretum to Promote Efficiency and Resilience
When management students from the business college head out to the arboretum this semester, they aren’t just taking in the beautiful scenery and getting a much-needed reprieve from classes at one of the largest universities in the western U.S.
They are developing their skills as consultants, benefiting one of the most diverse and unique clients that includes aspects of the nonprofit, for-profit, social enterprise and academic fields.
Teckchandani explains:
“This semester, we are working with the arboretum on two projects: understanding the tasks each employee there spends on membership-related efforts, and then proposing a way to restructure the tasks and who does what to improve efficiency and engagement, and understanding how the plant sales operations work, from the perspective of volunteers and arboretum staff, and how this can be improved and restructured if the arboretum was to begin working with a third party for plant sales.”
It’s a unique set of challenges and opportunities for a very unique client.
The arboretum is part of the university and a beloved part of the Fullerton community, yet it has many revenue sources, including facility rentals, native plant sales and donations.
Helping out are a wide range of workers, from paid horticulturalists and faculty advisors in the sciences to volunteers who range from retired older adults to students getting started in the workforce.
“Our revenue-generating programs can always be improved upon and the MGMT 464 student teams thoroughly analyze our programs, look at comparable programs and make recommendations. We’re so grateful for this collaboration,” says Harriet Bouldin, development/membership/volunteer manager at the arboretum.
The Student Perspective
Emily Lee ’24, the project manager for the student consulting group focused on plant sales, says these practical consulting tasks provide insights into the lesser-known aspects of organizational operations. This in turn will help students be prepared for success in the business world.
“We get to understand the operations behind the plant sales and the organizational flow, which is truly interesting to us given the botanical gardens are a separate entity yet still governed by the Cal State system, with state regulations,” says Lee. “We get to interview experts in the field and practice our professional networking abilities.”
The quality of mentors is also a beneficial aspect of the consulting experience.
“The mentors in turn introduce us to their contacts, and this leads to an exponential ability to network. So we’ve learned more about the arboretum while learning through hands-on experience with researching and interviews.”
Entrepreneurship Students Help Orange County Organizations Reach Higher
The arboretum is just the latest beneficiary of student consulting programs at the Cal State Fullerton business college.
Under the supervision of faculty and industry advisors, upper-division undergrads and graduate students conduct in-depth research, perform thorough analysis and develop practical recommendations to help organizations thrive in today’s ever-changing marketplaces.
These semester-long projects typically involve 100 to 500 hours of work, resulting in a detailed report of 100 or more pages that serves as a capstone for students and a lifeline to insights from the next generation.
Previous clients have included the Saigon City Marketplace, Orange County Fair and Events Center, the foundation at Fullerton’s community college, Huntington Beach’s Waterfront Hilton Resort, catering companies, restaurants and manufacturing firms.
Since 1991, these student teams have been national champions through the Small Business Institute on 15 occasions.
Learn more about how your business or organization can benefit from a CSUF Consulting Project by reaching out to entrepreneur-in-residence Charlesetta Medina ’10 at cymedina@fullerton.edu or 657-278-8243.
