Programs

Consulting programs

Gain hands-on consulting experience as you work with real clients to solve problems. Our consulting programs equip you with tools, skills, and experience to enter any problem-solving environment.

Denison Consulting

Be part of a student team that serves as consultants for real-world business and nonprofit problems. Work on semester-long projects, guided by experienced partners in residence as you progress over a four-year path: consultant, senior consultant, manager, and senior manager. Each promotion leads to an increase in responsibility for client relations, team leadership, and support.

More about Denison Consulting

Project duration: Projects begin at the start of each semester and are usually 11-12 weeks in duration.
Teams: Denison Consulting teams consist of six students and one partner in residence.
Professional development: Students meet once a week for an all-team meeting focused on professional development. We cover project scoping, client confidentiality, project management, teamwork, using artificial intelligence to research and prepare deliverables, design thinking, client management, presentations, and more.
Partner in residence: Mentors with decades of experience in the consulting industry, our partners in residence (link) provide 1:1 coaching for Denison Consulting students while they consult on real-world projects.
One-on-one coaching: Students also meet once per week one-on-one with their partner in residence (link). Students in senior consultant, manager, and senior manager positions may also participate in weekly seminar-style professional development sessions.
Growth through progression: Denison Consulting students can earn promotions with more responsibility and authority. They progress from consultant to senior consultant to manager and to senior manager by the midpoint of their senior year. Based on performance and capabilities, promotions are challenging to earn.
Time commitment: Denison Consultants attend the weekly professional development meeting, meet each week as a team with their partner in residence, and once every week or two with their clients. Total time commitment is 8-10 hours per week.
Project scope: Students, with the help of their partner in residence, set the project scope and confirm the scope with clients before beginning deep project work.
Clients: Each semester, Denison Consulting teams engage with one Licking County business and one or more nonprofits in central Ohio with a proven track record. Clients also are welcomed from all over the U.S. and beyond.
Client meetings: Clients meet with student teams at least every two weeks during the project. Meetings are scheduled at project onset and are one hour or less. Students send a timed agenda for each meeting several days in advance. Engagements usually involve the internal project lead/team for the client and a company owner, CEO or other C-suite executive for the final presentation.
Client confidentiality: Students hold all client knowledge, data, information shared, findings, reports, etc. with the utmost confidentiality.
Majors in the program: Students in all majors are welcome to and have participated in the Denison Consulting program.
Success rate: Denison Consulting teams have completed more than 100 projects, with a success rate (client happy with results and receiving real value) of 94%.

RED Corps

The RED (Research, Engagement, and Design) Corps is a highly sought-after yearlong fellowship. As part of this team of student employees, you consult with campus clients who are making important decisions for Denison. You examine challenges and then provide solutions by exercising a variety of skills in research methodology, data analysis, and design thinking. Your insights and recommendations to Denison leadership are a great opportunity to leave your legacy on The Hill.

Knowlton Center Consulting Pathway

While Red Frame’s consulting programs prepare you for many career paths, we’ve seen increased student interest in consulting careers specifically. As a result, the Knowlton Career Center has created an immersion program specifically for students interested in a career in consulting, with a particular focus on preparing them for case interviews.

Design thinking

Harness empathy, divergent thinking, and rapid prototyping skills as you learn design thinking’s learn-by-building approach to problem-solving.

UX Design

Learn user experience (UX) design tools and skills in an immersive three-day workshop. Take advantage of nearby Columbus as you explore the workings of businesses and nonprofit organizations in the area.

Entrepreneurship

Where some see problems, entrepreneurs see opportunity. A significant number of current Denison students have developed businesses and nonprofits. Many graduates characterize themselves as entrepreneurs at some point in their career journey.

Red StartUp

Workshop your business ideas as you grow your skills and your entrepreneurial mindset. Mentors help bring your concepts to life — from identifying the right market to building a business plan and identifying funding sources.

Red StartUp culminates in a funded pitch competition that celebrates the hard work, community, and willingness to take risks that strengthen confidence for future endeavors.

Red Accelerate

With the experience of Red StartUp in your tool kit, here’s the program to take your business to the next level. You are matched with a mentor to evaluate your initiative and map out next steps to strengthen and position you and your business for success.

Faculty Collaborations

The Red Frame Lab collaborates with faculty to amplify their classes with professional development. For example, student teams designing a nonprofit organization to address a need in a distant country would receive visits from the Red Frame Lab and learn project management, effective teamwork, design thinking, and professional presentation tips. Collaborating departments have included anthropology, global commerce, data analytics, environmental studies, philosophy, and psychology.

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