Driving Visitor Acquisition and Engagement for a New Museum Celebrating the History of Disabilities

The authors summarize the efforts and results of students in an undergraduate Capstone course at Molloy University’s School of Business. In the Fall 2023 semester, 15 students worked in three teams to help The Viscardi Center plan for a one-of-a-kind national museum celebrating the history of disabilities. Viscardi is an acclaimed Long Island (NY) based nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, employing, and empowering children, adults, and veterans with disabilities or similar needs. To help executives with planning, students conducted research on attracting institutional visitors and individuals, families, and tourists; and, developed themes for compelling exhibits with supporting educational content for use in- and outside of the Museum. Students then delivered research findings and recommendations in business reports and presentations at the end of the semester. Recommendations were based on industry, comparison museums, and organizational research, and included implementation plans, potential benefits, risks and mitigation efforts, and more. Viscardi is a repeat Capstone client which demonstrates an appreciation for the high-quality work of Molloy business students. Capstone is a required culminating course for all Molloy business students in their final year or semester. It involves a mixed methods approach using the flipped classroom with community-based experiential learning projects.