Saxbys, the Philadelphia-based coffee company, has brought its innovative Experiential Learning Program (ELP) to West Chester University with a new, student-run café.

The café opened on Monday, Aug. 6 at 701 South High Street.

Saxbys first introduced its ELP initiative in 2015 to embolden the next generation of entrepreneurs, providing undergraduate students with tangible experience as a supplement to traditional classroom learning. WCU is the sixth café location and fifth partner institution in Pennsylvania to offer the program.

Each café is exclusively student-run and helmed by a Student Café Executive Officer (SCEO) who is supported and empowered to develop their peers into team leaders, ideate and implement creative marketing initiatives, strengthen relationships with community organizations, and enact change with meaningful social impact outreach. All the while, the students are responsible for managing their peers, overseeing all café operations, and presenting profit and loss statements to Saxbys’ Executive Team.

“West Chester University actively promotes learning beyond the classroom by empowering undergrads and inspiring the entrepreneurs of tomorrow,” said Nick Bayer, Founder and CEO of Saxbys. “We are thrilled to expand Saxbys’ Experiential Learning Program with an institution that mirrors our company’s values and commitment to providing both education and opportunities through the lens of what we call the three pillars of successful organizations: Team Development, Community Leadership, and Financial Management.”

Kelly Ingram, a senior majoring in Business Management, will serve as the cafe’s inaugural SCEO, leading a team of 45 peers.

Ingram will be supported in her role by Chad Cohen, a Marketing major at WCU who will be Café Operating Officer and who has been working with Saxbys for six months while receiving full academic credit for his experience.

“Thank you to Saxbys for selecting West Chester University as its partner in this important entrepreneurial venture,” said WCU President Christopher Fiorentino. “WCU is quite pleased to be able to collaborate with such a visionary company in order to help students directly apply what they are currently learning in the classroom to a professional setting.

“By using critical thinking skills, problem solving, effective communication, and team building, West Chester University students working in the new Experiential Learning café will be able to tackle a variety of work situations upon graduation. This learning-working laboratory is the perfect complement to the university’s General Education Learning Outcomes, as well as the overall goals of our Division of Student Affairs.”