The self-proclaimed cheerleader of the College of Business and Economics Dean Paul Barrett puts his scholars first and will use any excuse to “hang out with students.” Barrett was very quick to say that being a dean of anything is no easy task; he could teach if he could find the time. He even went on to joke, saying he might skip meals so he could have time to teach a class. Clearly, there is more to being a dean than just shaking hands and getting a picture taken.
Barrett has been at Longwood for five years. He came straight from the business world without having any teaching or administrative experience. Moving his family from their home in Baltimore was not an easy decision, but upon seeing and visiting the campus, he and his wife fell in love with what so many students fall in love with: the atmosphere at Longwood. Perhaps his first hand knowledge of the business world is what has helped the College of Business and Economics at Longwood be one of 650 business schools accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Yes, you did read that correctly. Longwood's business school is one of only 650 accredited by the AACSB. That in itself is a huge accomplishment. Barrett and the business school faculty and staff work hard every day to mold new citizen leaders. “Good leaders know when to shut up,” Barrett said about one of the key aspects of being a leader. Good leaders also let ideas from others be heard, and can spend a lot of time understanding what the population wants.
The College of Business and Economics, like any college at Longwood, gets money from the university to allocate resources to help students become more successful. Essentially, what the student wants to learn is what the student gets. Each student who is interested in entering the business college must complete “core” classes, and then apply and be accepted to the school. The business school has put forth a rigorous course load in order to make good students into great members of society once they leave Longwood.
The internship program, which is known as Longwood's standard requirement, is a way to help, not only business students, but students from every college on our campus to figure out “who they are and where they want to be,” according to Barrett. He added, “The internship helps validate students” in the choices they make while at Longwood.
With approximately 550 students in the College of Business and Economics, this number includes students, not only from Virginia and the United States, but also many visiting Chinese and other exchange students. Many of the Chinese students on campus are studying business in the 2+2 program. This program is designed so exchange students from two different universities in China will attend two years at their home university and two years here. Then, after four years, they will have a degree from Longwood as well as from their home university. Not only are students exchanged, but professors are as well; Longwood professors travel to China to teach there in English and also to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture. The same goes for Chinese professors (currently there are three Chinese professors at Longwood).
Big things are coming for the College, not only for the College of Business and Economics, but also for Longwood University as a whole. Next year, the College of Business and Economics will offer a very scarcely known Cyber Security major. Now this by itself may not seem like much, but as of last week, Longwood University is one of only four universities in the United States that has been accredited in the field of Cyber Security by the Department of Defense.
Longwood University is the only higher education institution in the state of Virginia to earn this accreditation and honor. All the credit goes to the newly completed Cyber Security center which opened its doors last year. This will bring new “awareness to Longwood,” according to Barrett. With this breaking news, the College of Business and Economics is helping to celebrate new beginnings while keeping our 175 years of tradition alive.
