WT, SBDC Team to Offer Business Intensives for Amarillo, Canyon High Schooler

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Students at four area schools will get hands-on educational opportunities at three upcoming seminars to be hosted by West Texas A&M University.

WT’s Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business and America’s Small Business Development Center at WTAMU will team for three Buff Business Summits, offering hundreds of high school students a day full of interactive business education opportunities.

“Our hope is that no matter a student’s chosen career path, they realize that an understanding of business operations can help make them far more successful in their endeavors,” said Gina Woodward, SBDC regional director.

Each seminar will feature two sessions.

Engler College of Business faculty members will lead morning sessions that teach students about all aspects of business from marketing to cybersecurity.

“They will be able to interact with the faculty and understand how each area of business may be relevant to their chosen career,” said Dr. Robert King, associate dean of undergraduate business programs.

During the afternoon sessions, students will work in teams to solve a problem faced by participating local businesses, then pitch their solution to a team of judges made up of the business owner, Engler College of Business alumni, a faculty mentor and a staff member from SBDC or the WT Enterprise Center.

“This gives the students a chance to understand the workings of small business and complete impactful work that can legitimately help the business,” Woodward said.

Buff Business Summits are scheduled to be held Feb. 25 for Canyon and Randall High School students; Feb. 26 for West Plains High School students; and March 4 for AmTech Career Academy students. Each summit will be held in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus.

Students also will get insight into the business education opportunities available to them at WT, learning more about the majors offered through the Engler College of Business’s Amarillo National Bank School of Accounting, Economics and Finance; the Department of Computer Information and Decision Management; and the Department of Marketing, Management and General Business.

Providing a nurturing yet rigorous educational environment for learners of all levels is a key principle of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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