Whitman IMPRESS

WHITMAN’S
GAMIFICATION
OF EXTRACURRICULAR EDUCATION
EARN BADGES & POINTS
TO ADVANCE THROUGH LEVELS
0-600
POINTS
601-1000
POINTS
1001-1400
POINTS
1401-1600
POINTS
1601-1870
POINTS
THE GOODMAN IMPRESS PROGRAM
Most of us would agree there are more factors that determine the success
of a four-year college degree than just a strong GPA. In fact, most employers
will interview business school students with a threshold GPA of 3.0 or
higher—this level encompasses the vast majority of Whitman students.
However, employers are really looking for young people who can handle
multiple responsibilities and who exhibit self-awareness, confidence,
resilience, strong communication and social skills plus the ability to
synthesize classroom content into the broader global context. We believe
these characteristics and traits also lead to more universal success in
life—beyond the paycheck.
PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
MAJOR & INDUSTRY EXPLORATION
CERTIFICATIONS
GLOBAL CONTEXT
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Every student collects points for participation and engagement in activities
such as leadership workshops, roundtables with visiting speakers, bonding
exercises and competitions, community engagement, and certifications,
such as Excel, SAP and Bloomberg.
MEET OUR HOUSE MASTERS
ADAMS
John Petosa
Professor of
Accounting Practice
HARRISON
Alex Kostakis
Professor of
Entrepreneurial Practice
LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL
1 ST
YEAR
BY COMPLETING CHALLENGES
BASED AROUND
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
MAJOR &
INDUSTRY
EXPLORATION
2 ND
YEAR
3 RD
YEAR
PERSONAL &
PROFESSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
4 TH
YEAR
MPRESS
STAR
CERTIFICATIONS
Because of this belief, a heterogeneous group of 40 Whitman stakeholders—representing
faculty, staff, and stellar young alums—came together in
October 2013 to brainstorm ways to develop our undergraduate students
into competent, engaged and ethical business professionals with strong
leadership skills. Focusing particularly on “soft skills” and extracurricular
experiences, our goal was to develop a program that would ensure our
undergraduates leave Whitman with a sustainable competitive advantage
throughout their lives and careers. The Goodman IMPRESS program was
born.
The Goodman IMPRESS Program is named in honor of Kenneth Goodman
’70 to recognize his generosity in helping the Whitman School mold future
generations of professionally prepared business leaders.
Since fall 2014, every freshman admitted into the Whitman School
becomes part of one of four “houses:” Adams, Harrison, Marshall and
Waverly. Each of these houses has its own insignia and is led by a faculty
house master, chosen for excellence in teaching, communication and
student engagement.
Every point a student earns goes toward his or her personal point total and
also toward the point total of the house to which the student belongs. In
this way, there are two ongoing challenges for every student—a personal
challenge and the house challenge.
At the end of each year, the house with the greatest points is awarded the
Goodman Cup at celebratory event. In addition, the dean honors the
top”44” IMPRESS scorers from all houses.
Students are encouraged to earn a minimum number of points over four
years, however they also have the opportunity to earn as many points as
they can to increase their IMPRESS score – the cumulative number of
points earned each year will represent the student’s level of engagement.
Points are counted and logged into a “gamification” technology system. The
system captures the student’s progress on a daily basis and creates a
culture of healthy competition between the students and the four houses.
The student's point total at the end of each year determines his/her
IMPRESS level.
MARSHALL
Ray Wimer
Professor of
Retail Practice
WAVERLY
Will Geoghegan
Assistant Professor
of Management
The four house masters work together to create and maintain
consistently high standards of student behavior and engagement.
In addition, an IMPRESS program manager oversees
the entire initiative.
COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
GLOBAL
CONTEXT
The four house masters guide students through their first business course
at Whitman and encourage them to become engaged in multiple extracurricular
activities for which they will be rewarded with points. Activities for
which students may earn points will be centered on five learning objectives:
When a student is looking for internships and job opportunities, the
employers will be able to see two scores on his/her resume—a GPA and an
IMPRESS score.