“Competitiveness doesn’t sound like a health and wellness topic, but truthfully, I believe it is very much one,” says Professor Charles Skuba, the instructor of the First Year Seminar titled Patterns of Global Commerce. Perhaps many of Professor Skuba’s first-year students would have agreed with the first part of his statement when they began the course which focuses on the competitiveness of communities, nations, and individuals.. However, thanks to the Engelhard intervention, students were taught to be aware of the “grind culture” that is pervasive in corporate America, particularly in finance and consulting, and global business more broadly. Specifically, the course explored questions such as, “what kind of environment should a company establish for its workers?”, and “how do [students] see themselves fitting into that?” Professor Skuba shares this message with faculty who are hesitant about adding an Engelhard component with their course: “When I first started teaching my course as a part of the Engelhard program, I was skeptical about whether it would fit, because the course is complex,it integrates a lot of content and there's a lot of synthesis in it already. Now, however, I'm realizing it actually does fit in quite well. I believe there was a student need and appreciation for it.” “In the 2021 class, I’ve been moved by the deep introspection about what it means to be happy in your work and in your life that this has stirred among the class.”
“Competitiveness doesn’t sound like a health and wellness topic, but truthfully, I believe it is very much one”
