1. To: Adam Cohan - D'Amore-McKim School of Business Delegate
From: Sarah Fraser, Assistant Director of Student Transition Management
Date: 4 December 2015
RE: BUSN1102- Personal Skill Development for Business Observation
BUSN1102 is a one-credit course designed for first-year students at the D’Amore-McKim School of
Business at Northeastern University (NU). Throughout the course, students are given the opportunity to
reflect on their reasoning for choosing D'Amore-McKim, develop an interdependence mindset, and
achieve a better understanding of what it means to be a professional. Students are also prompted to
draw connections on how their academics, extracurricular activities, and practical experiences relate to
their individual goals. Students are asked to read the first three chapters of Carol Dweck’s “Mindset."
The class is held once a week for ten weeks and is co- facilitated by a D'Amore-McKim School of
Business Delegate, who is a high achieving upper level classman.
During the fall 2015 semester, I had the pleasure of observing D'Amore-McKim School of Business
Delegate, Adam Cohan, facilitate a BUSN1102 class. There were approximately thirty students in
attendance. When I arrived, Adam was already in the room dressed business casual with the proper
technology set-up and ready to go. As students filed, in he smiled and acknowledged them before
beginning the class session titled, “Global Mindset.” This lesson is one of the most important of the
semester where it reminds students to dispel stereotypes and capitalize on diversity. One of the best
traits of a Delegate is the ability to relate better to the students than an administrative person. Adam
definitely took advantage of this in speaking to the students as their equal, using tones and phrases that
resonated with them. Throughout the class, Adam used different tactics to get the students engaged
including tossing a Starburst their way if they shared a personal experience. I was impressed by the
dialogue among the students which is attributed to Adam’s listening skills and the way he connects
students’ stories together to show commonalities in the group. I noticed he was quite patient when
waiting for students to participate which is another reason they provided such thoughtful answers. Adam
took the time to reflect on each student’s response which will help them feel comfortable participating in
other classes where Professor’s expect a high level of participation. The main themes of this class were
diversity, culture, and disbanding stereotypes, Adam was able to relate
Adam came to class prepared to lead the Global Mindset discussion, and it was apparent he put careful
thought into the lesson plan. The students were comfortable asking questions and offering feedback. He
briefly shared some examples of his own experience at NU and on co-op, which helped the students
relate the themes of the lesson to other aspects of their Business education. Overall, it is clear that
Adam has a strong ability to organize, present and lead a class. His approach was thoughtful and
relatable, which assisted in creating an inviting and inclusive atmosphere for students to reflect on their
first-year experience as college students.
Sincerely,
Sarah Fraser