On April 11, the Integrated Management Student Fellowship (IMSF) will host its first-ever Alumni Reunion, bringing together more than 300 graduates to celebrate a program that galvanized experiential learning at the Desautels Faculty of Management.
Led by Prof. Sabine Dhir, the IMSF is built on a simple premise: give undergraduate students the tools, mentorship and accountability to tackle real-world challenges.
“The IMSF was designed to give students the space – and the responsibility – to solve real problems,” Dhir said. “It’s not a simulation. It’s not a case competition. Students are working on live research questions and building projects that operate in the community.”
Unlike many experiential offerings, the IMSF integrates academic research, social entrepreneurship and structured leadership training into a single, year-long fellowship.
Three parts, one ecosystem
The IMSF is open to undergraduate students across all Faculties. The flagship Research and Impact Stream spans two semesters and six credits, anchored in three interconnected components.
The first is a faculty project. Fellows apprentice with one or more professors, contributing to active research or project development. They examine why a question is being asked, how research methods are selected and how results are interpreted. This is a unique opportunity for undergrads to engage in cutting-edge research. Several go on to graduate school, have their names on publications and learn to apply theoretical concepts to pressing research concerns.
“The first step toward solving problems is understanding the universe in which they operate,” Dhir said. “Research strengthens critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making.”
The second component is the Impact Initiative. Working in small teams, Fellows identify a social challenge aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, design a solution and attempt to implement it within the program’s time constraints.
The third is a leadership course that runs alongside the other two elements. Through tools such as impact gap assessments and theories of change, students reflect on their managerial competencies and leadership styles as their projects unfold.
“Self-reflection is key,” said Dhir. “Students need to pause, think about how they lead and understand the choices they are making. That awareness is what turns an experience into real growth.”
Since Dhir became Academic Director in 2021, IMSF students have completed more than 100 unique research projects and launched dozens of impressive Impact Initiatives. Last year, one team developed a Chrome extension that measures water usage from ChatGPT sessions. Another collected used soap from across Montreal, sanitized it and redistributed it to local shelters.
“There are guardrails,” Dhir said. “But within those guardrails, students must understand and define the problem themselves. That ambiguity is intentional. Leadership requires comfort with uncertainty.”
From fellowship to finance
For Izabella Tyc (IMSF ’23, BCom ’23), the openness of the program was both challenging and formative.
“There is something very overwhelming when Sabine says, ‘The world is your oyster,’” Tyc said. “There are really no limits to what you can look into.”
Through her Impact Initiative, HYGIA, Tyc and her team initially struggled to find direction before pivoting toward a financial analysis of hydro-electric development on Indigenous lands. They developed a cash flow model estimating the potential economic impact of not having benefit-sharing agreements in place.
“At first, we didn’t know exactly where the project would land,” Tyc said. “But the IMSF teaches you to investigate deeply. If something doesn’t make sense, you double-click. You read the footnotes. You ask better questions. IMSF forces you to keep digging – to talk to stakeholders, test assumptions and refine your scope.”
Tyc’s research project examined mentorship and structural supports aimed at improving retention for equity-deserving students within Desautels. Together, the two streams shaped her professional interests in sustainability and inclusion.
Today, Tyc works as a Sustainability Advisory and Finance Analyst for a major financial institution, at a time when corporations are increasingly looking to foster Indigenous financial inclusion in major projects. She has drawn directly on insights from HYGIA in conversations with stakeholders.
“It’s surreal,” she said. “As a junior analyst, I’ve been able to say, ‘I’ve actually modelled this.’ The IMSF project gave me a foundation that’s directly relevant to what I’m doing now.”
Continuity is key
For Dhir, that continuity is what distinguishes IMSF from other experiential programs.
“We’re not asking students to submit a report and move on,” she said. “We’re asking them to build intellectual and ethical capacity they carry into their careers.”
As its Alumni Reunion approaches, the Fellowship’s growing network reflects that ambition.
“Our goal,” Dhir said, “is to graduate well-informed leaders who don’t wait for permission to make a difference.”