New Immersive MBA cohort thrives during busy fall schedule
Experiential learning and networking highlighted a very busy fall semester for the third cohort of the Arthur Graduate School’s Immersive MBA pathway. Classes began in August and then the group of 18 moved beyond the classroom. They visited Spirit AeroSystems in Kinston, then traveled to New York City, where they connected and networked with former IMBA cohort members, alumni and business leaders.
2026 IMBA cohort members Beecham Hartsell (left) and Albert (AJ) Lytton ride an escalator to the NYC subway system after visiting Truist. (Contributed photos)
In addition to classes and travel, each student has worked with team members on one of three community service projects. One group is working with the Community Crossroads Center, which serves the homeless and those at risk of being homeless. Their efforts are focused on better operationalizing donors and volunteers. Another team is transforming an unused room at the Ronald McDonald House, which serves families with sick children, into a space that is kid-friendly and interactive. The final community service project has paired with students at North Pitt, South Central and Ayden-Grifton high schools to demystify the college experience and help bridge the gap between high school and college. This group will help with the college application and selection process as well as discuss what the first year of college life is like.
Along with their classwork and community service project responsibilities, each student will also be paired with a partner company for an internship during the summer of 2026.
A Semester of Experiences
The goal of the IMBA pathway is to provide students with meaningful work experience by matching them with companies looking to fill leadership training and management-track positions. The students take their classes together with select faculty and complete their MBA in one year. The curriculum includes the same core courses required of all ECU MBA students. Each IMBA student receives a scholarship for in-state tuition and a paid graduate assistantship position. They receive additional compensation for their internship.
While the the two previous IMBA classes were composed of ECU undergraduates, last year, the program received its first non-ECU application. Devaye Stackhouse, a UNC Greensboro graduate from Charlotte, is the first non-Pirate undergraduate to participate. Stackhouse learned about the ECU IMBA program while attending a UNCG career fair where she met Leonard Mansfield, assistant director of the Arthur Graduate School. The immersive learning experiences and cohort model aligned with her goals.
“The opportunity to grow alongside a supportive group while gaining hands-on exposure to real-world business environments is ultimately what inspired me to apply,” she said. “Being several hours away from my family and friends has definitely been an adjustment, but the support and warm welcome from my cohort members, faculty and staff has made the process much easier. Their encouragement and sense of community have helped me feel at home and confident in this new chapter.”
Learning In and Out of the Classroom
While in New York City, this year’s students had the opportunity to connect with IMBA alumni Ted Sielatycki ’24 and Emma Gebel ’25. The alumni shared their IMBA experiences with the current students and offered advice on how they can make the most of their time in the program.
Sielatycki works as the creative director for Broke Records in New York City. A member of ECU’s track and field and cross country teams, he did his internship with Fastenal.
Gebel spoke about her experience with IBM Power in Armonk, New York, during a group presentation and mingled with the cohort afterwards. The current students also toured IBM’s AI center. Gebel scored an internship with the company over the summer, which led to a full-time job.
In addition to meeting Sielatycki and Gebel, students had the opportunity to visit and engage with organizations including Ogilvy, Spectrum, Truist, Celonis and the New York Stock Exchange. They also enjoyed a group dinner at Carmine’s in Times Square, explored the Empire State Building and attended “The Outsiders” on Broadway.
ECU students, faculty and staff visited a Spirit Aerosystems facility as part of the trip.