Undergraduate Programs

Honors Cohort

About The Program

The Business Administration Honors Cohort program is the Fisher College of Business’s preeminent leadership program that is offered to 70 select students with varying business majors.  This diverse group of students participate in a MBA-like experience during their junior and senior year where they are pushed to develop their critical thinking skills, grit, perseverance, resourcefulness, confidence, and the ability to collaborate and innovate.

Download Graduation Requirements (pdf)

Honors Cohort vision

The Honors Cohort Program will be a program of national prominence with global reach offering an unparalleled undergraduate academic experience. This vision will be achieved by leveraging the scale of The Ohio State University, the depth and breadth of the Fisher College of Business, the vast network of Cohort alumni throughout the world and the active participation of the program’s highly engaged and motivated students, faculty, staff, and partner organizations. No other undergraduate program in the world will offer a more intimate, tailored and holistic approach to developing tomorrow’s leaders.
 

The Honors Cohort program focuses on four pillars of success.

 

The program relies on several key stakeholders to successfully execute the two-year experience.

Mi Kyong Newsom

Professor Newsom teaches the core operations management course within the Cohort Program during spring semester junior year.  She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Operations & Data Analytics. She rejoined Fisher in 2016 and leads the coordination and implementation of research-based best practices for the undergraduate core operation management courses. Dr. Newsom is the Lean Six Sigma Academic Director in the Executive Education Program where she designs and delivers Lean Six Sigma Hybrid training that successfully prepares executives and managers for the Black Belt Certification.  She also teaches Lean Six Sigma in Fisher’s MBA program that prepares MBA students successfully for the Green Belt Certification. She received Fisher College of Business Teaching Awards, the Student Athlete Advising Board Faculty Recognition and multiple letters of commendation from the Dean for outstanding teaching performance.

Steffanie Wilk

Professor Wilk teaches the core organizational behavior course within the Cohort Program during autumn semester junior year.  Wilk received her PhD from the University of Minnesota and was formerly at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  Her research focuses on worker mobility and workplace boundaries.  Wilk was the recipient of a 2008 and 2014 MBA Teaching Award and a 2010 Undergraduate Teaching Award.  She also received a Pacesetter Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching in 2009.

Bruce Bellner

Professor Bellner teaches the core strategic management course within the Cohort Program during autumn semester senior year.  Prior to teaching, Dr. Bellner enjoyed a career in financial services and commercial banking. Bellner earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Toledo; a Master of Business Administration from Ashland University; and a Master of Science and Doctor of Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University.  Bellner was the recipient of the Pacesetter Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2017.

Ty Shepfer

Professor Shepfer teaches the two-year long seminar course that is the cornerstone of the Honors Cohort Program.   He completed a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Master's degree in Labor and Human Resources at Ohio State. Prior to returning to Ohio State, Ty worked at Royal Dutch Shell holding various positions in Houston, Texas, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and most recently in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Ty is an alumni of the Honors Cohort Program and was the recipient of the Pacesetter Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2017.