BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Students at Western Kentucky University (WKU) are stepping boldly into the future of finance — as teams from the Gordon Ford College of Business (GFCB) teamed with U.S. Bank for the “Idea Jam,” a high-intensity innovation challenge that tasked them with answering: “How might we build the bank of the future to help new and startup businesses sustain their business?”
After a full afternoon of ideation, persona-creation and strategy sessions, the winning teams were awarded scholarships from U.S. Bank totalling $8,750.
WKU’s Gordon Ford College of Business has long emphasized real-world, hands-on learning for its students — and the U.S. Bank Idea Jam is a fine example. This event, held in partnership with U.S. Bank, gives students an opportunity to apply their classroom lessons in entrepreneurship, management and global business to tangible, competitive tasks.
In this year’s edition, local students from Bowling Green and surrounding regions pivoted away from theoretical projects and dug into a question that matters: how banks can better serve new businesses and startups. By creating user-personas, identifying customer needs and crafting strategic interventions, they bridged academic theory and entrepreneurial practice.
Because WKU already has an established partnership with U.S. Bank — including campus debit-card programs and financial-goals coaching for students — this challenge builds on that foundation.
“The U.S. Bank Idea Jam was an impeccably organized event geared towards providing a hands-on problem-solving experience for the students,” said Dr. Subarna Pandit, Visiting Pedagogical Assistant Professor of Management. “It provided an exceptional opportunity for the participants to utilize their curriculum learning from entrepreneurship into skill-based application required in the competitive professional fields today.”
“The goal of classroom learning, amounting to practical, real-world application skills, was the main takeaway conveyed by the students,” Pandit added.
“The U.S. Bank Idea Jam is a powerful example of how our partnerships with business organizations help us live out the mission of the Gordon Ford College of Business,” said Dr. Whitney Peake, Department Chair of Management. “By engaging students in creative problem-solving around real-world challenges, we are preparing them to be innovative leaders who drive business vitality and strengthen our community.”
1st Place: Erin O’Neill, Hadley Pearl and Will Brooks
2nd Place: Bailey Davis, Derek Easterday and Ellie Burdette
3rd Place: James Stevens, Leeann Blacklock and Salvador Leon Golib
These scholarships not only reward wining ideas but also inject real support into the growth of student innovators in the Bowling Green region. With $8,750 awarded, the stakes and the opportunity are meaningful.
As the curtains closed on this year’s Idea Jam, one thing was clear: the next generation of bankers and entrepreneurs isn’t waiting for the future — they’re inventing it. With student teams from WKU boldly rethinking how banks serve startups and local businesses, and with scholarships that help fuel those ideas, Bowling Green is seeing a fresh wave of innovation take root.
