Executive Guide to Academic Engagement

Build Meaningful Connections Between Your Company, Universities, Professors, and Students

Share real-world expertise, inspire future business leaders, support credible research and strengthen understanding of the direct selling business model by partnering with professors, researchers, and students.

Whether you engage through the Direct Selling Education Foundation or build relationships with universities independently, every partnership expands knowledge of our channel and your company, creating lasting value.

Partner with DSEF

DSEF makes academic engagement easy by connecting your company with an established network of professors, researchers, and universities through our DSEF Fellows Program.

Whether you’re interested in speaking to students or partnership on a research project, DSEF can help identify the right opportunities.

Executive Speakers Bureau
Visit university classrooms — virtually or in person — to share your company’s story through the lens of marketing, innovation, ethics, sales, and other topics.

These conversations help students:

  • Connect classroom concepts to today’s business challenges
  • Learn about entrepreneurial and corporate career opportunities
  • Gain a better understanding of the direct selling channel
  • Engage with experienced business leaders

Learn more about participating in Executive Speakers Bureau events.

Academic Research Partnerships
Independent, academically rigorous research expands knowledge and understanding of the direct selling channel while providing practical insights for your company and the broader business community.

DSEF collaborates with leading researchers to produce studies, articles and other scholarship exploring entrepreneurship, sales management, consumer behavior, business strategy, innovation and the economic and societal impact of direct selling. Companies can support these efforts by:

  • Providing appropriate company or industry data
  • Collaborating on case studies
  • Identifying emerging research topics
  • Supporting industry-wide research initiatives

Learn more about research partnerships.

Build University Partnerships on Your Own

Many of the strongest academic relationships begin locally.

Whether through alumni connections, community involvement or professional networks, executives can establish meaningful partnerships that benefit both their companies and nearby universities.

Consider these ideas:

  • Volunteer as a guest speaker in business, marketing or entrepreneurship courses.
  • Invite professors or students to tour your company or attend corporate events.
  • Participate in university career fairs and mentoring programs.
  • Partner with faculty on company case studies or applied research projects.
  • Sponsor student organizations, scholarships or entrepreneurship programs.
  • Serve on university advisory boards or industry councils.
  • Introduce faculty members to DSEF’s to expand our Fellows Community and future collaborations.
  • Even small engagements often lead to long-term relationships that benefit students, companies, and our channel.

Identify Existing Academic Connections
Many companies already have employees with valuable university relationships—they simply haven’t been identified.

Consider surveying employees to learn about:

  • Alumni connections
  • Relationships with faculty members
  • Existing university partnerships
  • Opportunities for future collaboration

DSEF provides a sample Employee Academic Engagement Survey that can be adapted for your organization.

Let’s Work Together

Whether you’re interested in speaking to students, collaborating on research or building long-term academic partnerships, DSEF can help connect your company with the right opportunities.

Contact DSEF’s Senior Director of Academic Partnerships and Strategic Communications to start the conversation or fill out the online form below.

Get Started
DSEF Academic Engagement

Complete a brief survey to help us identify academic or university connections companywide.

This survey will help us learn more about:

  • The various partnerships each department has with a professor, college or university.
  • The existing connections that our employees may have with a university.
  • How our team can better support or align with these relationships.

Please provide us with the following contact information:

Do you or your department have an ongoing professional partnership or personal relationship with a university, college professor, program or department?