CONSULTING PROJECT
Student Consultant, DePaul University
10‑Week Capstone Consulting Engagement
This project focused on strengthening Odyssey of the Mind, a global creative problem‑solving program facing long‑term challenges related to school retention, volunteer dependency, and limited funding. Our team developed a comprehensive, scalable strategy designed to modernize operations, unify training, and expand OM’s reach nationwide.
Our Main Insights
Inconsistent School Retention
"Many schools try OM for a few years but eventually drop out. Why? Because there is no structured support system to train and retain educators who facilitate the program. Without consistent leadership at the school level, participation fluctuates, making it difficult for OM to maintain long-term engagement."
Limited Funding
"OM’s flat $135 fee per team has remained unchanged for over 20 years. While this affordability is a strength, it also restricts financial growth, preventing OM from investing in marketing, sponsorship outreach, and infrastructure. Competing programs like DI charge significantly more, giving them the ability to expand and attract new schools."
Weak National Expansion
"Tennessee is classified as a 'Start-Up Association'—meaning its OM presence is minimal. Without strategic investment, Tennessee and other emerging states will struggle to grow into large-scale OM hubs. The lack of a clear expansion framework makes it hard to replicate success in new regions, limiting OM’s reach and influence across the country."
OM operates through a decentralized, volunteer‑driven model, resulting in inconsistent school retention, limited educator support, and difficulty expanding into new regions. These structural issues hinder OM’s ability to sustain growth and deliver a consistent student experience. Through competitor analysis, stakeholder research, and organizational mapping, we identified:
A lack of standardized training for coaches and judges
Minimal marketing presence and limited brand visibility
An outdated operational model unable to meet modern school needs
Untapped opportunities for corporate partnerships and educational alliances
Major Issues Contributing to the Problem:
Our Solution’s
National OM Headquarters & Training Facility
A centralized facility to provide year‑round training, certification, leadership summits, and innovation space. This creates consistent program quality and significantly strengthens national identity.
Corporate Accelerator Program
A new sponsorship model engaging NASA, Microsoft, Tesla, and Juilliard to fund challenge categories, offer scholarships, and integrate real‑world industry problems into OM competitions.
Vanderbilt OM Hub (University Partnership)
A flagship partnership with Vanderbilt University to offer teacher training, student mentorship, competition support, and community engagement. This model serves as a blueprint for future university alliances nationwide.
Our Hopeful Future
The National OM Headquarters & Training Facility, the Corporate Accelerator Program, and the VanderbilOM Hub work together to create a powerful, interconnected growth engine for Odyssey of the Mind. The national headquarters establishes a consistent, professional foundation where coaches, educators, and students can train year‑round, strengthening program quality and giving OM a recognizable home that attracts new participants. Corporate partnerships then build on that foundation by bringing in high‑visibility sponsors like NASA, Microsoft, Tesla, and Juilliard, whose involvement elevates OM’s reputation, introduces real‑world challenges, and draws in students who might not have considered creative problem‑solving competitions before. Meanwhile, the Vanderbilt OM Hub demonstrates how universities can become regional anchors that train future teachers, mentor students, and host events—creating a scalable model that other universities can adopt. As these pieces reinforce one another, OM gains stronger branding, broader reach, more trained coaches, more engaged students, and deeper community partnerships, ultimately creating a self‑sustaining cycle that steadily increases the number of schools, families, and sponsors who want to be part of the program.