The dean’s message on the website of Howard University’s School of Business imparts a clear message: “As we continue in our quest to maintain academic excellence, we must adjust to the changing economic environment. The recent downturn in the global economy continues to [have an] impact on opportunities for our students and many of our alumni,” Dr. Barron Harvey wrote, adding that the business school is taking “aggressive steps” to stay competitive, including increasing its focus on international programs and entrepreneurship.
Harvey’s candid assessment illustrates a proactive stance that many historically Black business schools have taken during this period of economic uncertainty.
Dr. Jessica Bailey, president of the HBCU Business Deans’ Roundtable, which includes 52 of the 104 historically Black business schools, thinks the institutions are “expanding their missions” to place more emphasis on globalization, entrepreneurship and, most importantly, ensuring that their graduates are versatile and multifaceted.
“Students must have the ability to adapt,” Bailey said in a Diverse interview. “Their degree has to give them a certain amount of flexibility so that if the job they’re in today were to vanish they would still have the skills to move into other occupations.”
As dean of Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University’s School of Business and Economics, Bailey said her institution was doing just that — “moving toward giving the students a broad enough background so that they have not just the skills for a particular career but the ability to take advantage of new opportunities that may arise.”
Those opportunities may be — and likely will be — outside their areas of concentration. “Let’s say, for example, a person takes a job in manufacturing. They may have to switch to retailing. They’ve got to be nimble, and their survival skills need to include a broad foundation in business.”
She also said logistics and supply-chain management were key subject areas —“how cheaply can you ship it from one part of the world to another?”
