Executive Summary id="executive-summary"
About the Heavener School of Business
The Heavener School of Business is the undergraduate division of the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. Heavener is one of the nation’s top-ranked undergraduate public business schools, offering bachelor’s degrees in Finance, General Business, Management, Information Systems & Operations Management, and Marketing to more than 4,500 students. Accounting undergraduates earn their bachelor’s degrees through the Fisher School of Accounting.
Heavener’s simple formula of combining talented undergraduate business students with renowned scholars and innovative academic and professional initiatives creates one of the nation’s most extraordinary business education environments.
From the Director
When I began my role as Assistant Dean and Director of the Heavener School in July, I was incredibly humbled to take over such a prestigious program. As a top 15 public undergraduate school, the Heavener School continues to be viewed among the best schools in the world. Our challenge now is to use that excitement as a catalyst to fuel growth in experiential learning and enhance the undergraduate experience.
My new role and responsibilities have created an increased appreciation for the students in the Heavener School. I’ve been able to have a role in every aspect of the student experience, ensuring that our students are the priority in everything we do. That will always be the case as we continue to expand, innovate, and invest in the future of our Heavener students.
As you’ll read in this report, 2021 was another unique year for us, as I’m sure it was for many of you as well. We continued to pivot and find better ways to engage with our students while prioritizing their safety. We are always evaluating how those changes can shape our future as we hope to redefine our normal and reestablish homeostasis in 2022 and beyond.
I’m energized by the future of business education – both on the Heavener School campus and around the world. We are entering a pivotal time in the way our students are educated, and it’s our obligation to serve, prepare and grow our students in the most effective way possible. I’m grateful to share this important responsibility with you.
By the numbers
Student population served in 2021:
- Majors: 7
- Minors: 6
- Degrees conferred: 1,251
Students enrolled by major
Pie chart: General Business (2,123), Finance (1,650), Online Business (907), Marketing (778), Management (476) and Information Systems (429).
Degrees Conferred
Pie chart: General Business (311), Finance (239), Online Business (219), Marketing (205), Information Systems (162) and Management (115).
Minors Awarded
Pie chart: Business (221), Real Estate (68), Retail (44), Entrepreneurship (28), Selling (17) and Information Systems (1).
Academic Rigor id="academic-rigor"
Strengthening the Heavener experience
Whether in the classroom or learning around campus and the world, the academic experience is the foundation of being a Heavener student. Even though the pandemic might have made the experience look a little different, Heavener students still have access to one of the top public educations in the world.
Career Development id="career-development"
Where the best come to hire
Demand for hiring Heavener students never wavered during the pandemic. Some of the most well-known companies in the world continued to hire from Heavener while the Business Career Services team met with students virtually or in person to prepare them for their next step.
- Accenture
- ALDI
- Amazon
- Anheuser-Busch
- Bain
- Bank of America
- Barclays
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Boston Consulting Group
- Capital One
- Citigroup
- Comcast NBCUniversal
- Convergence Consulting Group
- Deloitte Consulting
- E&J Gallo
- Enterprise Holdings
- Ernst & Young
- Fisher Investments
- Gartner
- General Electric
- General Mills
- Goldman Sachs
- Honeywell
- IBM
- Johnson & Johnson
- JPMorgan Chase
- Kellogg
- KPMG
- L3Harris
- Lockheed Martin
- McKinsey & Co.
- Microsoft
- Northrop Grumman
- Oliver Wyman
- Oracle
- PepsiCo
- Procter & Gamble
- Protiviti Consulting
- PwC
- Raymond James
- Regions Financial
- RBC Capital Markets
- Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
- RSM
- Target
- The Home Depot
- The Walt Disney Company
- Truist
- Truist Securities
- UBS
- Wells Fargo Securities
Heavener sees increase in consulting hires
Heavener’s increased focus on consulting paid off in 2021. For the first time, Heavener had students who accepted a full-time offer and students who accepted an internship at the big three consulting firms – Bain, Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey. The full-time offers all exceeded $75,000.
These successes are thanks to a ramped up focus on consulting for Heavener students. The Business Career Services team created a no-credit course – the BCS Undergraduate Consulting Accelerator – for all students interested in pursuing consulting careers. This course includes nine modules that give students insight into career services, interviewing and many other helpful tips in the job search process.
The foundation for consulting success at Heavener has been built over recent years. The Business Career Services team spent time cultivating relationships with these companies, and with the increased resources available to students interested in consulting, Heavener’s presence in the industry will remain strong in the future.
Luke Carter (BSBA ’22, MSF ’23) will be interning with McKinsey & Company in the summer of 2022. He credited his time in on-campus leadership programs like the Undergraduate Consulting Club (UCC) for connecting him with consulting opportunities.
“My freshman year with UCC, I did a pro-bono consulting project for a Gainesville based start-up. This project taught me why I wanted to go into consulting — I was thrown into a completely new industry and had to work with a team to create a recommendation for the CEO of the company,” he said. “The number of skills and knowledge that I gained from this project showed me how great consulting is as a career. Additionally, as the President of the organization, I have gained leadership experience by helping younger students who are interested in obtaining a career in consulting. Both the project and leadership experience were instrumental for my resume and interview stories.”
For Claire Patterson (BSBA ’21, MIB ’22), her experience with consulting at Heavener turned into a full-time position with as an associate with Boston Consulting Group.
“I think that the leadership and involvement opportunities offered by Heavener were a key factor for my consulting success thus far,” she said. “Academics are of course important, but I think the experiences highlighted on my resume helped me stand out in the application process. Also, Heavener’s career resources were invaluable when preparing for the intense case interviews that these consulting firms are known for. I relied heavily on the CAP Mentors, especially those who had already secured competitive consulting internships, for guidance and mock interviews. My success is largely due to the amazing resources Heavener offers its students, and I’ve really enjoyed serving as a CAP Mentor myself this year to help other Gators break into the consulting industry.”
Heavener continues to strengthen diversity efforts
The Business Career Services office has prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion events throughout the Heavener School. To emphasize this focus, the team came up with their diversity statement to drive them.
“Business Career Services at the Warrington College of Business is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated and students of all identities feel empowered and supported during their career exploration journey. We work to create and sustain a community of students and stakeholders, where diverse experiences are valued. We encourage open dialogue that facilitates learning, growth, and student career success.
Growing Together, Stronger Together, Better Together.”
There are two signature annual events – Diversify your Network and Diversity in the Workplace. Now in its fourth year, Diversify your Network hosted 95 students at its fall event. Diversity in the Workplace has taken place the previous two years and is already scheduled for March 2022.
Heavener is also participating in a partnership with Forté Foundation Conference Series. This fall, all UF undergraduate businesswomen were invited to several conferences. Forté confirmed that UF’s 74 businesswomen in attendance were more than any other partner school.
In spring 2022, Forté will create an ambassador program with the Women of Warrington student organizations. All undergraduate women will also be eligible to complete a career ready certification that is sponsored by Forté and J.P. Morgan.
All of these events allow students to network and meet likeminded students with similar backgrounds. Outside of the events, students can also benefit from diversity recruitment programs like Seizing Every Opportunity (SEO) and Management Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT). SEO Career helped 18 Heavener students find internships in 2021 while MLT helped 40 students find internships this year. Students were able to find internships in consulting, corporate management, finance, operations and real estate.
Heavener students get jobs
Average post graduate salaries:
Sign-on bonus:
International Studies id="international-studies"
Impacting the world of business
As study abroad opportunities began to ramp up in 2021, demand at Heavener reached all-time highs. Some students were able to travel during 2021 while others completed virtual internships with companies around the world. As things slowly return to normal, Heavener students are eager to learn around the globe again.
Heavener students benefit from remote internships
Remote internships are an important part of the Heavener experience. As the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated international travel in recent years, Heavener students have shifted to doing remote internships.
Annie Butler is one of the many students who participated in a remote internship with an international company in the summer of 2021. Butler (BSBA ’22, MIB ’22) interned with an EdTech startup company called Cerebriti Technologies. Based out of Madrid, it’s an educational platform for elementary school students that helps them learn school subjects through playing games. Through morning meetings with the CEO and other tasks during the internship, Butler felt like a valued member of the team.
“My two main responsibilities during this internship were U.S. market research, as well as connecting and engaging with potential users of Cerebriti,” Butler said.
Even in a remote internship, she was still able to learn about the culture in Madrid and work with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
“I was able to meet people from around the world during this internship through Zoom,” Butler said. “I was particularly excited to practice my Spanish throughout the summer. Although Cerebriti is a startup company and the team is very small, there were people from Spain, Sri Lanka, England and a few other countries. I got to hear from many people around the world, and it was a great experience despite being remote.”
After graduation, Butler is hoping to get a job with an international company that will allow her to live abroad.
Students gain international experience in uncertain world
As international travel slowly returns to normal, Heavener students have been traveling for study abroad opportunities around the world.
During the summer of 2021, 51 UF students participated in a Heavener study abroad program. Although Heavener students account for only 12% of the undergraduate student population at UF, Heavener study abroad programs accounted for 60% of all students who studied abroad with a UF program in the 2021 summer semester.
And the momentum continues to grow. In the spring of 2022, Heavener sent out its largest study abroad cohort ever.
“It truly speaks to the work our team has done,” said Jason Ward, Director of International Programs at Heavener.
From Vietnam to Heavener
When Heavener students had their China trip cancelled in 2018, Heavener Director of International Programs Jason Ward was scrambling to find an alternative. That’s when he was connected to Alex Salamanca, a UF alumnus in Vietnam.
Salamanca was already trying to find ways to remain connected to UF as an alumnus living internationally. The alumni association connected Salamanca and Ward to provide an immersive study abroad opportunity for students in Vietnam.
“I wanted to find a way to give back,” Salamanca said. “It’s easy for students to think their pond is the ocean. There’s a lot more out there than what we see. We don’t know what we don’t know. It’s great for students to get international experience.”
Salamanca and Ward stayed connected after the Vietnam study abroad opportunity, and while Vietnam was under strict COVID-19 lockdowns, Salamanca decided to return to the United States to be closer to his family in Miami. That led to Ward inviting Salamanca to join the International Programs team at Heavener, where he currently serves as an international programs advisor for Heavener students.
Even though it’s a time-limited position before he returns to Vietnam, Salamanca has enjoyed his chance to build relationships and help Heavener students study abroad.
“I’ve seen a lot of student hesitations about going abroad before because I had them myself,” Salamanca said. “Understanding your own culture is important, and understanding how your culture is unique is important. Studying abroad helps students understand that.”
When Salamanca returns to Vietnam, he will continue working with a spice company that prioritizes a holistic view of health.
Leadership id="leadership"
Leading with excellence
Heavener students are recognized among their peers as some of the brightest in the world. Whether proving it in case competitions or by interning for some of the best companies in the world, Heavener students continue to set the bar.
