Connecting Bauer to Business 

“From day one, we focus on soft skills and how to translate them professionally when talking to a recruiter,” said Assistant Director of Experiential Learning Chris Porras, who co-teaches BUSI 3302. 

He added: “The classroom is 424 students, and almost immediately we have the students pair up during lectures to practice asking questions, getting feedback and being as hands-on as possible.” 

Typically, students take the course during their sophomore or junior year and use it as a way to select a major. Throughout the semester, students meet guest speakers and alumni from various business disciplines and conduct career match evaluations to decide which type of career is best suited for them. 

Finance and accounting junior Adil Baig took the course in Fall 2025. At the time, Baig was participating in an unpaid internship and said he didn’t have a baseline understanding of how to operate in the corporate space. 

“The class gave me an understanding of how different industries work,” Baig said. “Instead of having to do the guesswork for each company, I know what is expected across the board.” 

All semester long, students work in assigned groups of eight to prepare for the BUSI 3302 Case Competition. Groups have the choice to work directly with a company for a Bauer Connect Project or do an ethics-based project. 

If groups opt to work with a coach on the project, they are expected to bring project outlines, presentation slides and other deliverables to the meetings. Director of Experiential Learning Troy Hopkins, who teaches alongside Porras, said this assignment familiarizes students with the structure of entry-level business positions.  

“The nature of work is that until you become a manager or run your own company, you don't get to pick everybody that you work with,” Hopkins said. “You're going to have different personalities, different commitment levels and different schedules. Plus, a lot of our students have jobs on top of school. They have to learn how to work with each other, and there’s a real learning process to that.” 

“At the end of the semester, every group has to do a live presentation,” Porras said. “That gives students the push to focus on public speaking skills, and at some point, regardless of what career they're going into, they're going to have to give a presentation to some sort of client or their employer.” 

Baig’s group worked with nonprofit Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas for their project. The assignment led to Baig spreading financial literacy in the community, something he describes as incredibly fulfilling.  

“We gave back to a local high school that's down the road from UH,” he said. “We were able to walk students through how to build a budget, teach what credit is and make sure they understand what credit is. Working with a smaller, more community-involved organization was beneficial and enjoyable.”