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A Year of Excitement and Change – 2007
The Saunders College of Business is changing dramatically in response to changes in students’ needs and aspirations as well as in response to changes in the global business environment. Our goal: to deliver the best educational programs for developing business innovators.
Some of the changes here are readily apparent. For example, just take a look at our physical facilities. The Lowenthal building has a facelift. Outside, a new patio welcomes students and visitors. Inside, concrete walls have taken on a warmer feel, with new oak panels and railings. Students and faculty now interact in glass-walled areas that bring the outside in – minus the wind chill! The new atmosphere helps to convey the attitude of the Saunders College of Business faculty and staff – accessible, warm, and inviting. Perhaps this transformation has contributed to a remarkable 50% drop in the Freshman attrition rate!!
Our programs are changing dramatically, too. Although, our “rapidly changing business environment” has become a trite catch-phrase, it’s more true today than ever. Technology has driven change in every business function, with dramatic results. Perhaps this is nowhere more so than in Finance. Business publications continually remind us of subprime mortgages, shrinking liquidity, the falling dollar and the debt crunch. Saunders College students can now develop valuable skills as financial engineers able to recognize and reduce risks that threaten the financial well-being of individuals and corporations. We have implemented new undergraduate and graduate programs. The undergraduate program in Consumer Finance looks at financial innovations from the perspective of the consumer. Students who graduate from this program can expect to land jobs such as financial planners, wealth advisors or retail bankers. Graduate students in the MS in Finance program will learn about financial innovations and ways to assess their risk through sophisticated models.
Our students are changing, too. In their junior year students become more committed to planning their careers, and that is a time when they are inclined to seek current, useful information about companies and business trends. To help meet this need, this year the Saunders College initiated a new program – a one-year free subscription to a popular business periodical, Business Week. Here are comments from some of the students:
• “I read the articles to help keep up on current business events.”
• “Having a free Business Week show up at my door every week is phenomenal”
• “It is providing a real world supplement to my course work and I greatly appreciate it.”
• “It has helped me tremendously when I speak about global issues or international affairs.”
Our students also give a lot of thought to their future roles as business and community leaders. The Saturday before exams, a group representing various student organizations at the College and led by Student Senator Carlos Cornejo, met for four hours to create a corporate social responsibility statement. They discussed the various responsibilities a corporation has to its owners, employees, suppliers, customers and society. Over the next few months this group of students plans to discuss their ideas further with business leaders and Saunders College of Business faculty.
2007 was a year of change at the Saunders College, and in 2008 you’ll see even more changes. There will be a few cosmetic changes, including a new look to our web page. And there will be far-reaching substantive changes, such as a redesign of our curricula. The Saunders College is an exciting place to be. Visit the college and join us on Facebook !!
