Business Education: From Employability to Creativity In a letter to the Telegram published in July 2018, a reader argued that Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) should close programs that do not “match” the Newfoundland and Labrador labour market. The usual suspects were highlighted: German, Spanish, Russian, ancient languages, classics, ancient worlds, humanities, gender studies, sociology, and fine arts. In an articulate reply to this letter, MUN music graduate Michael O’Keefe, now Rhodes Scholar for Newfoundland and Labrador at Oxford University, warned us against thinking “myopically about the future” and argued that the province needs a “comprehensive and visionary university” rather than over-focusing on the match between programs and labour market needs. As the Dean of MUN’s Faculty of Business Administration (FBA), I watched this debate with great interest. The placement rate of our graduates is evidently an important metric for us, but it is not the only one. When Michael O’Keefe claims that the global job market “increasingly values the creativity and passion, resourcefulness and perseverance inspired by the arts and humanities,” he is perfectly in line with what we hear from top business schools around the word. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the FBA’s accrediting body that represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide, considers that liberal arts are very relevant for preparing the future generation of business leaders. Recognizing the importance of creativity for business success, top schools such as the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business or Babson College forged stronger relationships with fine arts or humanities departments across their campus, so that business students can learn to improvise, to write songs or paint.1
By having access to a pool of graduates with such a sensitivity, Newfoundland and Labrador companies may get a better chance to expand internationally or participate in global supply chains. In addition to preparing our students to meet the demand of the local labour market, why not train them to create new jobs, redefine the rules of business success, and invent the industries of tomorrow? This is precisely what we do at MUN. We encourage our students to be as creative as possible and we provide them with a safe space to explore business ideas that may sound a little crazy at first. And things are promising. Emily Bland, former member of Enactus Memorial and now CEO of SucSeed Social Enterprises, was recently awarded the Satchu Prize at The Next Venture Day in Toronto. This award recognizes the potential to lead Canada’s next generation of high-impact entrepreneurs. Combining his passion for music and his newly-acquired business knowledge, undergraduate business student Edward Rumsey founded NE1 Beatz with one of his music friend. NE1 Beatz is a production team that works with Hip Hop artists to provide them with instrumental compositions which are then distributed through all major streaming platforms. They come up with beats that other artists can use in their own music. Edward Rumsey and his business partner are able to seize the opportunities that are created by a music supply chain that is constantly
ISABELLE DOSTALER evolving due to new technologies. As an AACSB-accredited business school, the FBA aims to have more and more stories like these to share in the coming years. Fine arts and humanities courses provide valuable support to our quest to train a generation of creative and sensitive business leaders. It would be an error to close down programs that might not lead directly to local employment given the valuable part that they play in developing business leaders and entrepreneurs that will change the world. Isabelle Dostaler, PhD Dean of Business Memorial University of Newfoundland idostaler@mun.ca
SAVE THE DATE! Corner Brook I October 15-17, 2018 I Civic Centre www.diversitysummit2018.ca
A contributor to the AACSB blog recently argued that interdisciplinary business curriculum drawing on the liberal arts is much needed to help future professionals to develop the cultural sensitivity that they will need to work in a global context.2 1 http://communications.aacsb.edu/ q/12EitGcRPliA6rDnGzZje1qP/wv 2 https://www.aacsb.edu/blog/2016/october/ integrating-liberal-arts-into-business-education
6
I
FALL: 2018
