The thrust of the course? Downtown Stillwater Revitalization. Two political science and 15 master of business administration students learned what goes into community revitalization efforts and put their knowledge to work by developing revitalization plans for downtown Stillwater.

“It wasn’t the same old course,” says Jerod Millirons, who graduated with an MBA in May. “It wasn’t learning something and regurgitating it on an exam. It was real-world experience.

“I feel like when it’s a learning experience like that it sticks with you more so than memorizing something.”

That real-world application seemed to stick out in the minds of students. Salena Askew, Lyndsey Hoffman and Tracy Steed — who, like Millirons, each graduated this May with an MBA — all highlighted the course’s hands-on nature and the potential gains for Oklahoma State University and Stillwater.

Such practical experience was one of the goals and benefits of the course, says course instructor John Mowen, a Regents Professor, in the Spears School of Business. He also says the course was a chance for students to help the city of Stillwater and to develop creative ideas.

Unlike many MBA courses, the downtown revitalization course required no textbook or business cases — and only a few lectures from the professor. Rather, students heard “lectures” from city officials and others. Mowen set up meetings with the speakers and provided the students with what Hoffman calls “gentle guidance.”

Students also had much of their own research to perform, including critiquing a revitalization plan developed for Stillwater by consultants and visiting communities comparable to Stillwater, all so they could develop their own plans for revitalizing downtown.

“It’s exciting because it leverages the knowledge base of OSU in order to benefit the community,” Hoffman says.

And students feel that there is much to offer.

“There’s a lot on campus that could be used to help the downtown and the city as a whole,” says first-year MBA student Tyler Grissom. “It’s exciting to be involved in that.”

They’re talking about a partnership, one that several students feel could and should be strengthened.

“There’s a disconnect between the community and the school,” Steed says. “The more they can bring the two together and really facilitate the relationship, the better off the school will be, the students will be and the city will be.”

OSU also recognizes the importance of the partnership.

“Stillwater and OSU have a long history of working together to form a unique community and college experience,” says Marlene Strathe, interim OSU system chief executive officer and president. “This revitalization initiative strengthens that partnership, offering tangible steps to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Stillwater and our students.”

Split into four competing teams for the duration of the semester, each student group publicly presented its downtown revitalization recommendations at the Stillwater Public Library on April 25.

Common themes among the four teams’ plans include an amphitheater, a connection — whether a physical corridor or a formal partnership between OSU and Stillwater — and increasing living space downtown.

The course project itself helps connect the city and the university, Steed says. Mowen and the students also say they hope that the momentum created by students’ efforts will continue. Plus, student involvement helps students feel they have some ownership in the community, Grissom says.

“It makes me want to go down there and see what’s going on,” he says.

Seeing improvements in future years would also be welcome.

“I would like to come back five years from now, two years from now, and see something (and say) ‘Oh wow, that was from one of the plans,’ ” says Askew.

Students aren’t the only ones who hope to see such progress.

“I feel confident that when these students return to campus 10 years from now, they’re going to see many of the things that they recommended,” says John Fowler, Stillwater Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.

And having such an effect, even if small, is reason to be proud, Millirons says.

Along those lines, the project does appear to have created much interest within and positive response from the city, Mowen says.

“I have to say that Stillwater officials and business owners opened their arms to having the students talk to them, visit with them and share their ideas with them,” he says.

Hearing ideas from students’ perspective is exciting and important, Fowler says. He also says the experience helped students see the economic realities that good ideas have to face.

Cities visited by the groups included Blacksburg and Harrisonburg, Va., and Manhattan and Lawrence, Kan. — cities where revitalization efforts have been successful. While in these communities, students visited with city representatives about the essentials of revitalization. The university gave students an allowance to cover basic travel, food and lodging expenses. Spears School of Business Dean Sara Freedman made funding for the course possible.

The team that Grissom and Steed were on — along with Lauree Goodnoh and Vahik Chamras — won the competition by garnering the most votes from attendees at the public presentation. The prize to the team was $1,000. Still, students say the city will probably choose elements from each of the plans.

Whatever happens is ultimately up to the city commission and the voters of Stillwater, Mowen says. In any case, in the fall the Spears School of Business plans to offer an MBA course focusing on developing business plans for potential downtown businesses.

Changes in Stillwater or not, students say the experience has heightened their civic awareness, an issue Fowler says is important for future business leaders, who will be expected to engage in their communities.

“This gave us lots of hands-on involvement with the community that probably most students haven’t had,” Hoffman says. “So I think it will stimulate future interactions in our respective communities.”