Six months ago I had occasion to attend a luncheon hosted by Loyola’s Joseph A. Butt College of Business. The keynote speech was given by the College’s then-new Dean, Dr. Bill Locander. I was captivated by the first words he spoke: “Our goal in the College of Business is to awaken, enlighten, and transform students.”
This vision is articulated quite nicely on our College of Business’ website. And, I think it’s a rare vision among the best business schools in the U.S. While all of Wall Street is scrambling to make sense of itself and fundamentals begin finally to creep back into the economy, Loyola teaches business in the very best Ignatian traditions (do-reflect-do-reflect). Loyola’s business classes provide guidance in ethical decision-making, and always have. We teach the contexts of decision-making and the effects of actions. If we’ve learned anything over the last year, it is that a well-reasonsed, deliberate approach to business is always best.
Of course, we expertly educate students on the fundamentals of the markets, accounting, and management, but we do it in a way that our College of Business easily connects with our other program offerings. Unlike at other places, Business is not in a silo at Loyola; rather, it in integral to what we are and what we ask our students to become. It makes a point of being interdisciplinary in the way it teams up with our great Music Industry program, is flavored by a wealth of potential international experiences for students, and how it seeks to address social problems through initiatives like micro-finance. You can read about these stories and so many more in the COB’s Loyola Executive magazine, which was released in December.
There are some great stories about faculty in the magazine, too. And, click here for more information on faculty activities. This is The World is our Blackboard, supersized.
One of the most important things I can tell you about our College of Business is its accreditation with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. This designation, essentially a mighty stamp of approval, has been awarded to less than 5% of the business programs in the United States. If a school does not have this certification, you might consider looking elsewhere.
Judging from some of the alumni I have been meeting over the last few months, our Business College produces some outstanding financiers, fund managers, marketers, CEO’s, CFO’s, entrepreneurs, accountants, and economists. But, more than that–lead by Dean Locander’s transformative vision–it produces great citizens of the world.
