Learn more about this 2026 Madison Trust Project.
Business Bound
Presenters
Anthony Green | green3ac@jmu.edu Academic Advisor, Advising and Support Center, College of Business Taylor Williams | willi2tr@jmu.edu Academic Advisor, Advising and Support Center, College of Business
Abstract
Business Bound is a community-based learning program for first-generation students pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. The purpose of the program is to engage first-generation students beginning in the summer before the start of their first year. The program centers on developing academic skills and the social capital needed to be successful in college, with the hopes that engagement in the program will improve academic achievement and attainment for the students who participate.
Project
The College of Business (CoB) First-Generation Business Bound Program begins with an intensive, five-day residential program designed to support first-generation college students in their transition to university life. The inaugural year of the program took place August 10–14, 2025, with a cohort of 23 participants. The program combines academic workshops, personal development sessions, and community-building activities to strengthen students’ confidence and preparedness for college. Participants engaged in math, Microsoft Excel, critical thinking, professional communication, and career exploration workshops while also developing resilience, stress-management strategies, financial literacy, and personal goal-setting skills. Beyond academics, students built a strong support network through peer mentoring, faculty and advisor connections, and interactive activities such as scavenger hunts, ropes courses, campus tours, and networking events. These experiences were tailored to address the unique challenges faced by first-generation students, fostering a sense of belonging, increasing familiarity with campus resources, and equipping participants with the tools needed for success. Initial assessments indicated notable gains in both students’ sense of belonging and their Excel proficiency, highlighting the program’s impact in preparing them for a smoother, more confident transition to college life. Beyond the summer, the program allows students to take courses together as they progress through the College of Business lower-level curriculum. For the 2026 program, we aim to expand to 30 students for the Business Bound program, which the College of Business has committed to funding. However, first- generation students often need more support than can be provided during a five-day
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program. Because of this, we aim to expand the program throughout the student’s time at JMU. In building on our existing program, we aim to provide first-generation students with access to tutoring which often has cost prohibitions, career mentoring which is vital to landing a job following graduation, and additional opportunities to build on their sense of belonging. This program's expansion will require additional funding beyond what the College of Business has committed to. However, we believe that with success the College of Business, or the larger university community, will commit to making this program a staple for the College of Business and potentially other colleges within the university. This program takes an innovative approach, as it addresses many of the issues that researchers have identified as preventing first-generation students from being academically successful. First, first-generation students are often less academically prepared to enter college than their continuing-generation peers. Through academic workshops at the beginning of the summer, we aim to address common areas of concern as identified by College of Business faculty. Second, since first-generation students do not have parents who attended college, these students often have no social capital when they encounter new or difficult things in college. By building a program that is community based, we aim for the students to have peers, peer mentors, and faculty and staff members that they are comfortable with prior to the start of classes. By continuing the community-based model during the semester, we aim to provide students with a support network that helps them feel as though they belong at JMU. As the program grows through new cohorts, we hope that the previous cohorts will become peer mentors for the new students. Specifically, we will actively seek out high performing students who make it into COB 300 from the initial cohorts to come back to serve as paid peer mentors to help provide newer students with some insight into how to navigate JMU and the College of Business. Beyond developing an internal program, we also aim to help students understand the importance of being informed and engaged citizens. We plan to partner with other College of Business organizations to conduct local community-based service projects. Beyond developing a sense of civic engagement, the aim of these efforts is to provide the students with the opportunity to give back.
Benefit to JMU
Currently, James Madison University ranks 420 out of 433 in terms of social mobility, according to US News and World Report. Additionally, the new Carnegie Classification System ranks JMU as having low access. Through this program, we aim to improve both measures. We hope to improve social mobility by getting more first-generation students through the College of Business, which currently has the second highest starting salary when ranked by major. For access, our program offers students a small scholarship, that is currently funded through the College of Business, which we hope can attract more first-generation students to help improve access to JMU.
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Projected Budget
Personnel:
$1,250
Travel:
$2,500
Supplies and Materials:
$1,600
Postage and Printing:
$500
Other Programming:
$9,400
Total:
$15,250
With partial funding, we will still be able to provide additional networking and community-building activities for our students. Additionally, a partial budget will allow us to provide additional material needed to expand the workshops we offer. • Personnel include tutors for math, economics, accounting group tutoring sessions, and additional hours for peer mentors during the Fall semester engagement • Travel includes travel to and from professional networking and community building events • Supplies and Materials include planners for time management workshops • Postage and Printing include increasing demand for promotional materials to early and regular admits • Other Programming includes Workshops, Etiquette Luncheon, Community Building, Professional Networking Events, Alumni Mentoring, Other related events
Project Team
Taylor Williams and Anthony Green are primary role academic advisors in the College of Business and serve are coordinators for the Business Bound Program. In addition to Taylor and Anthony, the Business Bound program is supported by the Advising and Support Center, the College of Business Dean's Suite, faculty members, and two peer mentors. As coordinators, Taylor and Anthony are well equipped to lead the program. In addition to being an advisor, Taylor is also pursuing a master's degree in Human Resource Development. In addition to being an advisor, Anthony is currently pursuing a educational doctorate in Higher Education Administration. In the initial year of the program, the support team oversaw a successful program.
Supplemental Materials •
Business Bound - Summer Bridge Program website: https://www.jmu.edu/cob/prospective-students/summer-bridge-program.shtml
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