Some things never change. And for the University’s College of Business Administration, the constant is a good thing.
The College of Business Administration has recently been recognized by Princeton’s Review as one of the best business schools in their 2009 edition of the “Best 296 Business Schools.” It is the fifth time in a row the college has been recognized by the New York-based publication.
“Our goal as a college is to innovate students and provide them with as many opportunities as possible,” Dean of the College of Business Administration Rodney Rogers said. “It’s great to be recognized in this review because, unlike other reviews, this is 100 percent student feedback.”
Rogers, who has taught in France and has been a consultant for Nike, has been with the University for two and a half years now. He said he felt little pressure with keeping the outstanding recognition of the college because the achievements go beyond him as an individual.
“These rankings are not a result of one individual in a program,” Rogers said. “There are many staff and students who are responsible for the achievements the business college has accomplished.”
Schools are selected by the Princeton Review based on rankings of academic experience, quality of services offered and opinions of students, Rogers said. The University has been chosen all five years the Princeton Review has published the “Best Business Schools” edition.
Junior Kristopher Payne – an accounting major on pace to graduate a semester early – felt the College of Business Administration deserved the award for all the hard work they’ve put into the school.
“I feel this is well-deserved because everyone in the [business] college works hard to make sure students are prepared for a career after graduation,” Payne said. “There are many opportunities for internships and a lot of resources for career development, they’ve really given me all the tools I need to succeed in the future.”
Along with being listed as one of the best business schools, the University also ranked sixth out of 10 in the “greatest opportunity for minority students” category of the Princeton Review.
“The reason I came to the University is because it’s so diverse,” junior Craig Gibson said.
The college actively works to recruit those of different backgrounds, Rogers said. From the College of Business Administration, approximately $132,000 in scholarship money is given to students of all ethnicities, he said.
Gibson received the Historically Underrepresented Scholarship and is now an accounting major in the College of Business Administration. The scholarship makes classes less stressful for him because he doesn’t have to worry about money all the time, he said.
“The diversity of campus is a good way to get students to come here,” Gibson said. “There’s an emphasis on the students here in the business college because all the professors are extra willing to help and other staff members help make sure we get internships.”
The College of Business Administration is always working and changing to make sure students are well prepared for the future. Expanding Study Abroad programs, changing curriculum to enhance preparation for careers and focusing on developing innovation within companies are things the business staff work on.
“We created a program with the Career Services Center called Passport for freshmen business students to start giving them career advice early,” Rogers said. “It gives students an opportunity to get engaged early in the academic community and it prepares them to know what they want in a job when the time comes.”
