TCAC

Index of Commentaries

Types of Faculty Collaboration in the Three-campus System--Appendix 4

Tri-Campus Business Program Interconnections

March 31, 1999

In response to your request for information regarding inter-campus interaction, I want to add the following with respect to the three campuses' business programs.

Academic programs:

We have had an interchange of faculty to teach specific classes within our MBA program, including primarily a few UWB faculty teaching environmental management or management of technology (e.g., Kevin Laverty and Ken Walters). As far as I know, no UWS campus regular faculty have taught on other campuses, but it would not surprise me to see it happen in the future.

Executive (non-degree) programs:

There has been some participation of faculty from UWB in some of our UWS executive program offerings (e.g., Sundar Balakrishnan has agreed to participate this spring in our Washington Software Alliance executive program, Softtrat). I expect this activity to increase as opportunities emerge under the leadership of our new assistant dean for executive programs, Ann Lightbody.

Special programs:

Michael Verchot, director of Seattle campus' Business and Economic Development Program (BEDP), which uses teams of business students to assist small businesses in economically distressed areas of Seattle, has encouraged UWT to develop a similar program for the Tacoma Empowerment Community. Under Director Patricia Fandt, UWT is conducting a year-long study to see if such a program will be feasible.

Under the auspices of UWS's Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). An annual workshop of Northwest regional business educators convenes each winter quarter. In addition to sharing curriculum materials and ideas, some of these educators receive grant money from CIBER either to do research or improve their curricula and knowledge regarding international business. Faculty from all three campuses have participated in the workshop and received grants.

Some of the individual business departments and programs on the three campuses have special colloquia series to which faculty with similar interests are welcome. For example, the Marketing & International Business Department at UWS has frequent research workshops and an annual "Marketing Camp" to which marketing faculty at UWT and UWB have been invited. UWB has a research seminar series to which UWS faculty (and I presume UWT faculty) are invited.

Administration:

Each quarter, the UWS Business School dean and/or associate dean have tried to meet with the business program directors at UWT and UWB with the purpose of exchanging information, ideas, plans and activities on the several campuses. Although these meetings have occurred on the UWS campus in the past, we have instituted a practice of rotating them around the three locations.

Accreditation:

The business programs at UWT and UWB are accredited under the UWS Business School's umbrella. Our self-study year for AACSB re-accreditation begins in autumn of 1999 and the visitation by the evaluation team occurs in autumn of 2000. Both UWT and UWS have hired the services of an accreditation consultant to be sure we understand what will be necessary to gain re-accreditation. Additionally, UWS Accounting Department Professor Gary Sundem has agreed to oversee the self-study effort.

Philosophy:

When the business faculty at UWT and UWB were hired originally (you will recall that I chaired the business program recruiting committee at that time), we had the common view that each of those campuses were expected to grow in different directions according to their unique circumstances and people resources. This was deemed a strength in that creative new programs were expected to emerge over time that were interdisciplinary in character, not strictly aligned with the traditional functional areas of business represented on the UWS campus. However, it can also engender a weakness in that interests of faculty may not continue to be parallel across the three campuses. Perhaps this will not be a problem that leads to misunderstanding or miscommunication. I hope not, since I have always viewed the business programs as providing a rich new source of ideas and colleagues for the UW Business School.

TCAC Index of Commentaries