As the largest department on campus, the business department is always looking for ways to expand their course offerings to ensure thorough real-world preparation.
The new school year brought some sizable changes to the department. In addition to taking the public relations major under their wing, the department has added an entrepreneurship minor and remodeled the agricultural business major.
Growing trends in entrepreneurship prompted the department to consider adding the minor. However, there are many steps to get new courses, minors and majors approved; the department had to create syllabi and course descriptions for the required courses as well as conduct market research of other colleges and survey students to monitor interest.
In addition to doing their own research, the department had to pitch the idea to a number of boards and committees on campus to gain approval.
The entrepreneurship minor is accessible to any student on campus, no matter the major.
“We wanted to find more ways to connect with other majors across campus to offer courses of interest to students that would help fulfill their calling,” said Erica Vonk, professor of business and economics.
While the minor just became available this fall, there are seventeen students in the introductory course. Many of these students have entrepreneurial dreams in their respective fields, whether they are theatre, sports management, or criminal justice majors interested in owning their own businesses.
The courses that entrepreneurship minors are required to take, in addition to their major requirements, are Principles of Financial Accounting, Principles of Management, Project Management, Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship & New Venture Initiation.
Students can then customize their minor by choosing more credits from options like sales, economics or legal classes, to name a few.
An entrepreneurship minor might be a good addition to an agricultural business major, which has been revamped to accommodate prospective students and changes in the economy. NW’s agricultural business major differentiates itself from competitors by focusing on the business aspect of agriculture.
Popular careers out of this major could involve being an ag loan officer, grain trading, working in the ethanol industry or running a family farm. Prof. Vonda Post, co-chair of the business department and accounting professor, will be taking the lead on the remodeled major.
Students in either the new entrepreneurship minor or the revamped agricultural business major can look forward to taking classes from a variety of professors within the department who are eager to help.
“It is our goal to challenge our students to grow personally and academically by providing them with high quality, specialized teaching, giving them practical, hands-on learning experiences and developing skills that allow them to be market leaders, all while enabling them to understand their role in helping the marketplace flourish for God’s kingdom,” Vonk said.
“By continually evaluating the programs we offer and introducing new ones that fit the demands and interests of society, we are better serving our students, thus enabling them to further their impact for the Kingdom,” she said.
