Overview

The Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Scholars Program is a distinguished initiative developed to recognize and engage the top students enrolled in the MBA Program at the Spears School of Business. Each year, up to ten outstanding students are selected based on an application and interview process. Selected individuals will receive a $5000 scholarship awarded over two semesters and, at the end of the academic year, a plaque recognizing their service as a CIE Scholar. Selection criteria will include previous academic performance and achievements, leadership experiences, extra-curricular or community engagement activity, and unique life accomplishments. Students with academic interests in any aspect of business (e.g., accounting, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources, marketing, general management, management information systems, strategy, supply chain management) are welcome to apply.

The CIE Values

The CIE Scholars program is intended as a recognition and celebration of being the best. The core values that underlie this program include excellence, innovativeness, creativity, responsibility for change, engagement in one's surroundings, personal integrity, and strong moral character. These values are central to all aspects of the CIE program.

Student Eligibility

To be eligible to serve as a CIE scholar, students must be enrolled in the MBA Program of the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. Both full- and part-time students are considered, but students must be available to actively participate in all CIE-related activities and programs.

First and Second Year Selections

A CIE Scholar is selected and serves for an academic year. Any student who serves as a CIE scholar in their first year of MBA enrollment is eligible to subsequently apply for the second year. No student can serve more than two year

s. Approximately half the CIE Scholars will be first-year students, with half in their second year.

CIE Scholar Responsibilities

If chosen as a CIE Scholar, the student must fulfill the following responsibilities:

Participate in one three-hour course during either the Fall of Spring semesters that centers on experiential learning through engagement with creative, innovative and entrepreneurial projects;
Serve as ambassadors for the Entrepreneurship Program and the Spears School of Business;
Organize the annual CIE Scholars Forum. The forum in a given year can take any form determined by the CIE Scholars at the outset of the year. It can be a guest speaker, a field visit, a demonstration of student work, a symposium, a debate, a talent show, or any other sort of event that reflects the interests and capabilities of our most talented MBA students.

The student makes a commitment to fulfill these responsibilities at the time they are selected as a CIE Scholars. Any student who fails to meet these responsibilities will be removed from the program.

Selection Process and Committee

The CIE Scholars is a competitive program. Between April and July of each year, students will be invited to apply to become CIE Scholars. Application forms are available from Jan Analla in the MBA Office, Spears School of Business. A committee that includes Jan Analla, the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, the Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship, the Executive Director of the Riata Center, at least one former CIE Scholar, and (when available) our benefactors will select from the pool of applicants a set of students for interviews. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis depending on when the student applies. All selection decisions will be made prior to the commencement of the Fall Semester each year.

Program Benefactors

The CIE Scholars Program is made possible through a generous donation from Dan and Tiffany Howard, both of whom are alums of the OSU MBA Program. Tiffany is the CEO of DitchWitch/Charles Machine Works and Dan is a prominent attorney in Oklahoma. In addition, the support of the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship and the Spears School of Business is integral to the ongoing success of the program.

For More Information

If you have questions or would like additional information, please feel free to contact Jan Analla at (405) 744-2951 (email: jan.analla@okstate.edu) or Michael Morris at (405) 744-5357 (email: mhm@okstate.edu).