When I left Illinois State University for a post at Bentley University three years ago, it raised a few eyebrows among the liberal-arts colleagues I was leaving behind and at the business university where I would become their dean of arts and sciences.
Bentley University’s preparedness research documents a desire by employers for millennial graduates who can make an immediate impact with their professional and technical qualifications while also demonstrating creativity, problem solving, and interpersonal skills, all of which are required in senior level leaders.
Easier said than done, some believe.
How can it be that in 2013, women currently hold just 10 to 15 percent of the senior leadership (C-Suite) positions in corporate America?
And why haven’t we made more progress, given that women now represent 58 percent of our college graduates and hold 50 percent of middle-management positions — with 40 percent holding positions that include purchasing authority?
All handwringing over the plight of the millennials notwithstanding, this is a great time to be graduating from college. The Great Recession is receding. Major stock market indices are achieving all-time highs. And the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that unemployment among college graduates is down to 4 percent, close to the level considered to be full employment, even as unemployment for those with a high school education and no college remains >8 percent.
What’s the benefit of a specialized university?
For a young person drawn toward a particular field of study, such as engineering, or music, or business, a specialized university offers more advantages than you might think.
Once dismissed as vocational, top professional schools nowadays operate on the premise that the best career preparation includes a deep embrace of the liberal arts.
Just because the economy has gone south, careers don’t have to follow suit. So says Barbara Hyle of the Center for Career Services, which has launched a biweekly electronic newsletter for Bentley graduates. Bentley@Work features job openings submitted by alumni, companies and recruiters.
It’s not often that a college football team has the same quarterback for several years running. But Bentley head coach Thom Boerman and his Falcons are counting experience on their side as graduate student Bryant Johnson leads the offense for a third straight season.
What a season. The 2011-2012 Bentley women’s basketball team tallied 31 wins and came within one victory of the Division II National Championship game, falling in the semifinals to Ashland (Ohio) University. It was a second consecutive appearance in the Division II Elite Eight for the squad and coach Barbara Stevens – and the program’s best finish since 2002-2003.
When people think about educating artists, they often focus primarily on the technical artistic skills. But given the current economic climate, simply being able to write, sing, or sculpt isn’t enough. Tomorrow’s most successful students will come from programs and schools that recognize the importance of integrating business training into their arts education.
Imagine this scenario.
You’ve just started your first job out of college and you get this inter-office mail from your new boss: “Has our client answered the questions we had for our report?”
Panic sets in. You’re working on a number of reports. Which one? And how should you respond? You hardly know the new boss — would an in-person update be too informal? Is inter-office mail too slow?