Black
colleges nurture business students Virginia’s
business schools adapt to help students compete in a
global market
by
Heather B. Hayes
Virginia Business January
2005
Like
a growing number of employers, officials at PricewaterhouseCoopers
recognize the benefits of having a diverse work force.
Yet, that’s not the primary reason they recruit
as many as eight students each year from Hampton University,
one of Virginia’s historically black colleges
and universities. Rather, says Derrick Roman, a partner
with the firm, it’s because the curriculum is
outstanding. “We’ve found that any student
that comes through that program successfully has consistently
been able to deliver for us and meet our expectations,”
he says.
That
doesn’t mean their new employees will neatly fit
into some preconceived mold. Assimilation is not something
that’s taught at Hampton. “We teach our
students a lot of the things they need to do to succeed
in the business world, but giving up their culture is
not one of them,” says Dr. Sid Howard Credle,
dean of the School of Business at Hampton. “We
teach our students that it’s okay to be themselves.”
That acceptance, combined with a progressive curriculum,
fosters a sense of confidence in African-American business
students. “I’m going to come to my new job
with different ideas,” says Pearly McQueen, a
Hampton MBA student who recently accepted a program
management position with Dell Computer Corp. “But
that’s a good thing because those ideas are ultimately
going to help move the organization forward.”
In fact, Hampton’s program of “targeted
nourishment” provides a balance of rigorous academics,
a supportive environment and an abundance of structured
activities that allow students to learn the tiny details
and big ideas that promote success in management circles.
Students within the school’s five-year MBA program,
for example, work in at least three internships. In
addition, the school’s Leadership Application
Program gives students the chance to act as a daylong
tour guide for executives from major firms such as PepsiCo,
Nike, Dell and Fannie Mae who come to campus to give
presentations. “By the time students graduate,
they’ve talked with enough executives that they’ve
internalized a certain comfort zone around those types
of people,” Credle says.
At Virginia Union University, officials prefer to use
the word “nurturing” to describe their approach.
“Many of our students haven’t had a lot
of exposure to the way the world works, and so it has
to be a process where we keep the comfort level high
while also gradually introducing them to how the business
world works,” says Dr. Jessica Bailey, dean of
the Sydney Lewis School of Business at Virginia Union.
Like Hampton, Virginia Union fosters well-rounded graduates
with a demanding academic program that weaves professional
and ethical development topics throughout its curriculum
and requires students to participate in lessons on business
etiquette, mock interviews and one-on-one sessions with
executives that come to campus. The approach is clearly
effective: By the end of the summer, all of May’s
business school graduates had been placed in jobs “and
we hear nothing but positive feedback,” Bailey
says.
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs),
including Virginia State University in Petersburg and
St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, have always
been geared towards the needs of African-Americans.
But Dr. H. Martin Shane, dean of the School of Business
at Norfolk State University (NSU), explains that all
students benefit from an environment of smaller classes,
personal attention, high-quality curriculums and extracurricular
programs like NSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship,
which encourages students to assist local small businesses
in market research and product launches. And that’s
important since, nationally and individually, HBCUs
are experiencing a steady growth in the enrollment of
white students, along with Hispanics and other minorities.
