Ranked in the top 10 nationally by the Wall Street Journal, the increasing popularity of UB's business school is no surprise.
Cutting its minor degree program while the university is working to expand on strategic strengths, however, has left many questioning the school's understanding of supply and demand.
Diane Dittmar, assistant dean for the School of Management, said that the decision to cut the program-even though many students have been actively working towards the program's demanding and costly prerequisites - has been a long time coming.
"Over the last ten years, we've had tremendous growth within the major," Dittmar said. "Unfortunately, classroom and faculty size has not grown."
As a result of increasing interest in a business degree and limited resources, the program is now forced to make cuts to accommodate majors, according to Dittmar. Eliminating the business minor reduces overcrowding, especially in upper level classes.
The bachelor's of science degree in business is the single largest program on campus. As interest in the program continues to rise, the School of Management has struggled with limited resources in an attempt to accommodate students.
"If we could, we'd like everyone to be able to take business courses," Dittmar said. "This is a decision driven by our necessity to accommodate majors so they can graduate in a timely fashion."
Dittmar said that in the past there has been little room even for the best students.
"It would be more honest to suspend the program than to deny excellent students admission," she said.
Students like Scott Williams, a sophomore geography major and Jacob Richman, a sophomore sociology major, were surprised when they were denied admission to the minor after completing all of their prerequisite courses. Both intended to pursue a minor in business and were never notified that the program had been suspended.
"I went to the Alfiero Center to apply for my business minor because you're allowed to do it the second semester of your sophomore year," Richman said. "I asked for an application to apply for my minor and they said they didn't have applications anymore because the program was cut the week before."
Despite formally suspending the program earlier this semester, the School of Management gave no formal notification that students would no longer be able to pursue a minor. To some students' dismay, time, credits, costly textbooks and countless hours spent studying were completed in vain.
"It's not nearly as frustrating to know that I have a $120 accounting textbook I can't return because it's an old edition, but that the credits I gained from it can't even be used towards anything," Williams said.
There are six prerequisite courses needed to apply for a business minor, which totals 20 credit hours and averages $600 in textbook costs. With wasted credit hours setting students behind more than a semester in some cases, undergrads like Richman and Williams are left to wonder what the academic future holds for them.
Paul Allaire, director of the career resources center for the School of Management, said that although the cut was necessary, the loss of the minor program is a disservice to undergraduate students.
"If a non-management student were to pick up some of the management classes, or the minor, that would increase their marketability," Allaire said. "But this is a space, staff and resource issue. I think the business minor would be beneficial to have, but it got to the point where there were no seats in classes."
Additionally, the School of Management will not accommodate those who have worked to complete prerequisites. Those who have already been admitted into the program will be able to complete their degree.
With plans to increase student enrollment by 10,000 by the year 2020, questions as to whether this is a realistic ambition are brought into perspective as UB struggles to accommodate the current student population interested in the business programs.
Although students can no longer complete a minor in the School of Management, Dittmar said that the lower level classes are open enrollment, as are some of the upper level classes offered during the summer.
"This set of courses doesn't make up a minor, but gives students a bit of background in business," Dittmar said.
Allaire suggests students completing prerequisites solely for the purpose of the business minor reconsider their course load accordingly. He said the decision was made so that freshmen and sophomores aren't given false hope that they will be able to complete the minor.
"With a lack of class space and staff, why offer something the school can't provide," he said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
