McColl School Students Deliver Strategic Solutions for Novant Health

Graduate students from Queens University of Charlotte’s McColl School of Business recently partnered with Novant Health, offering fresh perspectives on navigating cultural and organizational shifts during a period of rapid institutional growth. Enrolled in the McColl School’s field-based consulting project course, student teams were tasked with developing innovative corporate strategies to tackle high-stakes, real-world business challenges.

Under the guidance of Joseph Pieri, Ed.D., senior director of academic operations, and Oscar “Figu” Barzuna Hidalgo, D.B.A., former assistant professor of entrepreneurship and data analytics, a dozen Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science in Organization Development (MSTOD) students stepped into the role of corporate consultants.

Designed for advanced students with a strong foundational grasp of accounting, finance, and marketing, this experiential learning opportunity was intentionally structured for those looking to accelerate their current career trajectory or pivot into a new industry.
The hands-on nature of the class resonated with students. Since its inception as a five-student pilot last summer, which developed a go-to-market plan for a local entrepreneur, enrollment nearly tripled for this second cohort.

“We wanted to give our students the opportunity to work with a real client while still having access to professors who care about their success and can provide academic guidance throughout the process,” said Pieri.

Navigating Corporate Challenges

To mirror genuine corporate team building, students selected two of their teammates, while the professors assigned the remaining members to ensure balanced, complementary skill sets. Throughout the semester, Pieri and Barzuna Hidalgo stepped out of traditional lecturing roles and into the shoes of career coaches, meeting one-on-one with students to discuss their personal contributions, leadership growth, and team dynamics.

Divided into three teams of four, the students were tasked with assessing Novant Health’s various organizational cultures, identifying potential friction points across frontline and executive staff, and designing a strategy complete with performance metrics for the next 12 to 24 months.

Because the project dealt with live, shifting corporate environments, the curriculum had to match that fluidity.

“We try to prepare students for the final presentation by encouraging them to expect the unexpected,” Pieri explained. “This is a course unlike any other class they’ve taken, and it doesn’t follow a rigid schedule. It requires flexibility, and expectations must be managed. And that’s how life is.”

That ability to adapt under pressure did not go unnoticed by the team at Novant Health.

“One of the things that stood out most was how quickly these students immersed themselves in a complex organizational challenge,” said Tanya Fitzgerald, vice president of talent management at Novant Health. “Their recommendations reflected not only strong business acumen, but also a genuine understanding of the human side of culture, change and leadership.”

The caliber of presentations was forged through intense team collaboration, a sentiment echoed by the students themselves.

Student Spotlight: Nadya Stolarczyk ’27

For MBA student Nadya Stolarczyk ‘27, the course was a chance to step far outside her comfort zone.

“I saw an opportunity to immerse myself in a field that simultaneously piqued my interest and was completely foreign to me,” Stolarczyk said. “It allowed me to experience what it would be like to work in the world of healthcare consulting and the challenges that come with it.”

While corporate consulting can be daunting, Stolarczyk found that the unique team structure of the course completely redefined her perspective on collaborative work. Alongside her teammates, she discovered that intense business challenges can strengthen incredible team dynamics.

“Working with my team really changed how I felt about group projects,” Stolarczyk shared. “The value of being a team player served as the core nature of our group dynamics, which led to our success and our team having the ‘most impressive presentation,’ according to Novant Health.”

Stolarczyk echoes her professors’ advice on remaining flexible for future graduate students considering the challenge. “This course is unlike any traditional academic course that you will take,” she said. “Figu and Dr. Pieri were very supportive throughout this process, and I am very grateful that they provided such an amazing learning opportunity.”

The partnership also offered a firsthand look at the next generation of business talent for Novant Health vice president and Queens alumna Katie Lloyd, MBA ’15. “We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Queens University students and are excited to see how these future leaders will shape organizations and communities in the years ahead,” she said.

Looking to the Future

This fall, Pieri will team up with Stephen Cox, Ph.D., professor of marketing, to lead a field-based consulting project in tandem with Ally Financial.

But Pieri’s long-term vision for the course is even more expansive.

“What I envision down the road is that we can have simultaneous, different projects running in one class,” Pieri said. “Four or five different projects at once, giving students a direct choice of exactly who they want to work with.”

By connecting students directly with regional business challenges, the McColl School continues to demonstrate that the most effective way to understand modern corporate dynamics is to solve real problems for actual clients.