ASI's ERP "Externship" benefits Colorado State University Classroom

Last quarter ASI partnered with CSU’s College of Business and discovered that internships are not limited to students or recent graduates, but can apply to professors as well.  ASI’s inaugural “externship” program began with a partnership between Margarita Lenk, an associate professor in the Department of Accounting in the College of Business at Colorado State University and ASI.  Lenk took a sabbatical for the fall semester of 2012 and spent the final two months of it working as a valued team member at Accounting Systems, Inc, ASI. Lenk shared her expertise in business sustainability and process improvement as well as her passion for accounting in all forms.

The goal of the externship was to transfer this knowledge of the expansive ERP and accounting software industry into lessons for Lenk’s classrooms and for Lenk to share ideas for progress within ASI.

Chris Melson, one of ASI’s consultants thought “Margarita was an inspiration.  She taught me the value of engaging my audience in active discussion during a product demo. I knew her vast accounting knowledge would be beneficial, but I didn’t realize her wealth of teaching experience would also help me become a better consultant.”  Jenn Christon, fellow consultant agrees with Chris, stating that “Margarita’s problem solving skills and ability to stay in touch with fundamentals made her an invaluable resource. She helped me dig into the gritty details of an implementation with an erudite approach that brought fresh perspective.”

Professor Lenk worked side by side with ASI’s sales and consulting teams to learn more about the specific Enterprise Resource Planning packages that ASI represents as well as to better understand the issues, opportunities and current business climate experienced by business leaders and technical users selecting, purchasing, and using various ERP solutions today.  “It was a pleasure to have Margarita be a part of the sales discovery process.  As an educator, every conversation Margarita participated in left the participants wanting more of her extensive knowledge and expertise.  It was a benefit to ASI to have been able to make such a positive impact with future and existing clients,” said ASI President Bredt Eggleston.

In addition, ASI benefitted greatly from the expertise that Lenk brought to the office every day. “Margarita made significant contributions at every level of the business for which we will be forever grateful,” commented Jenny Eggleston, ASI General Manager. 

ASI is very encouraged by the success of their first externship program and hopes to incorporate more opportunities like this in the future. 

ASI was founded in 1991 by a core of CSU alumni and continues to foster a strong partnership with the College of Business.  To learn more about our intern and externships contact us here.