Members of the Business Analytics Student Experience program are putting their skills to the test by working on real-world data projects for nonprofit organizations. Now in its third year, the student group, known familiarly as BASE in the College of Business and Economics, offers vital support to local groups. The program began in the fall of 2022 after a student approached Christie Fuller, professor of information technology management, with the idea of starting a student data analytics group.
“Students come to us wanting hands-on experience, and they get it,” Fuller said. “They learn how to meet with clients, communicate effectively and work through the kind of unstructured problems they will face in the real world. This generation is very community-minded. Our students love that they can help nonprofits while gaining critical experience.” Typical tasks include using an agency’s available data and building visualizations for employees, clients and potential donors and training agency staff to interpret their data and keep it current.
What began as a small venture with 10 students has grown to include over 30 participants, with each academic year seeing an increase in projects. In the 2024-2025 school year, the group expects to complete 10 to 12 projects, up from nine the previous year. This fall, students will work on a project with Boda Girls, a nonprofit in Kenya, in addition to local partners like Jannus, Downtown Boise Foundation and the Boise Bicycle Project.
Travis Dart, a senior majoring in supply chain management and information technology management, originally from Lodi, California, spent six years in the Navy before starting his studies at Boise State. He has been part of the BASE program for three semesters. “BASE has been a huge opportunity for me,” Dart said. “Not only has it helped build my resume, but it’s also given me life experience and references that will be invaluable when I graduate. Plus, I’ve learned so much about working with data, something I want to continue doing in my future career.”
Dart’s first project involved helping a local organization supporting survivors of abuse and violence by cleaning duplicate data. He then worked with the Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline to develop two dashboards: one for internal statistics, such as daily call volumes and reasons, and another simplified version for public use. His most recent project with Ronald McDonald House involved creating a volunteer dashboard to visualize data for generating reports. “It was a big shift from working with spreadsheets full of numbers to providing easy-to-read graphs,” Dart said.
Stephanie Meredith, volunteer manager at Ronald McDonald House, described partnering with Boise State as a “win-win.” Nonprofits often lack the budget for data analysis, and students bring both their skills and fresh perspectives. “I’ve loved getting to know the students,” Meredith said. “Some have put in extra hours or checked back in. They care about us, and they know we care about them.”
Fuller said that BASE has brought in Boise State alums to act as mentors for some of its projects, increasing student networking opportunities. While the program attracts mainly analytics majors and those pursuing analytics certificates, it is open to all students.
“Just bring a willingness to learn,” Fuller said.