The Chandler Chamber of Commerce believes business and education need to have a better working relationship.

"If business and academia are going to get together, they need to be involved in each other's work," says Becky Jackson, executive director of the Chandler, Arizona, chamber.

While known as a business organization, the chamber also counts among its members the superintendent of the local school district, the president and CEO of a nearby community college and the director of enrollment at a private university.

That business-education connection led to a venture that is the first of its kind in the state—CEO (Creating Educational Opportunities) Program. It connects students with local CEOs or top executives for a five-month mentoring/shadow program. The first students and CEOs graduated from the program last spring.

"It really opened their eyes on many choices for them," Jackson says. "We plan for it to become a staple program of the chamber."

Around the country, businesses are working with higher education institutions for a multitude of reasons—better trained employees, greater awareness of their particular company and sometimes consulting work done on the business' behalf by college students.

Howard Epstein, a director at Freed Maxick & Battaglia, a Leading Edge Alliance firm, sits on the board of the University of Buffalo's School of Management Alumni Association.

"It's a good way to network and get our name out," he says. "We sponsor programs for accounting students."

In addition, Freed assists the school's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership by speaking at its various programs. Epstein explains that identifying the right opportunity to speak to a group also enables the speaker to dictate what the attendees are going to hear and gives them a chance to get involved with the company.

"You hope you're brand building," he says.

For the University of Buffalo's relatively new bioinformatics program, Freed experts speak on international trade and cross-border tax issues, a specialty of the firm considering Canada is a close neighbor.

"With that we get in front of groups within the university as well as industry," Epstein says.

"A big university enables us to get close to these (industry) people and we often work with them to go (do business) in Canada," he says, adding that Freed can use its existing Canada connections to help the U.S. companies enter the market.

Another advantage to working with a university is that it is the place where most research and development is happening. "It's a growth area," Epstein says. "The university is an appropriate place to expand that service and stay closer to the people."

Becky Osborne, human resource director at SS&G Financial Services, a Leading Edge Alliance firm, sees several benefits to staying connected with local universities and colleges.

Employees who are familiar with professors and professors who are familiar about the company can make a great team. "The professor can talk about your firm and knows students and can forward their resumes.

"It's helpful interaction," she says.

The professor also can ask the company, "Hey are we educating students well?"

Trends that may yet be realized in the classroom but visible in the workplace can be shared and curricula or approach altered to train the students even better for the workplace.

In addition, SS&G employees participate in "Meet the Accountant" nights at four colleges in its region and speak on a variety of topics to Beta Alpha Psi, an honorary academic accounting fraternity.

"We encourage people to stay involved in their schools," Osborne says. "We hire a lot of our permanent employees from interns who come from colleges."

Staying or getting involved with young adults begins at the one-on-one level in the Chandler Chamber of Commerce CEO Program, which is sponsored by Henry & Horne, a Leading Edge Alliance firm.

Jackson says the program allows high school and college students to shadow a CEO or equivalent. They are matched by interest. For example, one young adult who was studying to be a dietitian was paired with the CEO of Arizona Nutritional Supplements. Another student interested in business was paired with Motorola's general manager in the region.

These are not gopher or assistant relationships. Jackson says the pairs agree to meet at least two times a month for four or five months. Their time is spent talking and doing what the executive is doing. They are asked to review company financial plans or statements together, work on projects and go over the student's resume.

If they complete all the criteria of the CEO Program, the student qualifies for college credit. In an effort to help students realize those credits, the charitable arm of the chamber, Chandler Chamber Foundation, has agreed to offer scholarships to cover the cost of the tuition for the credits to be earned through Chandler Gilbert Community College.

This past school year was the first for the CEO Program. Jackson says 18 CEOs signed up at the kickoff breakfast in fall 2004 that was attended by Arizona governor Janet Napolitano. The pairings were made in January and by the May graduation, 14 CEOs and students had completed the program.

"The CEOs and students were committed. They all showed up at the graduation breakfast," Jackson says. "They see the value for students. Unless you know someone you wouldn't get an opportunity like this." e