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 The
UMD Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) has taken
great steps forward to truly become the School of First Choice
. . . for Education you can use Tomorrow!
Both our undergraduate and graduate programs are accredited by
the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International
(AACSB International), which provides the highest accreditation
available to Business Schools worldwide. Our faculty members are
dedicated teachers and scholars; over 90 percent have a Ph.D. in
their chosen field, and have experience in business, management
and research.
The Labovitz School of Business and Economics is part of a comprehensive,
dynamic university located in the city of Duluth, Minnesota on
the North Shore of Lake Superior. Abundant summer and winter recreational
opportunities are available.
The School is growing. Our enrollment has grown from 1,367 students
in the 1999-2000 academic year to 1,875 in the 2005-2006 academic
year. However, growth in our School is not only occurring in terms
of student enrollment. We have had significant growth in our program
offerings as well. Examples of this program growth include the
following:
- We have a Financial Markets Program, a one year program where
undergraduate students in cooperation with investment professionals,
manage a $400,000 investment fund. The program includes a fully
equipped financial markets lab with online data connections necessary
to keep up with current market information.
-
We have implemented a Health Care Management major in the fall
semester of 2005. The rapidly changing health care industry is
the nation’s second largest employer and the demand for qualified
managers in health services organizations is increasing. The Health
Care Management major focuses on the management, financing and
economics of the health services sector, preparing students for
careers in health care management or policy. Although this is the
first semester that we are offering this major, we have already
had 50 students declare this to be their major.
- We have hired a faculty member with a specialization in entrepreneurship.
She began teaching for us in the fall of 2005. We are in the
early stages of planning for an entrepreneurship center that
will involve
the use of a $226,000 endowment to promote entrepreneurship and
business education for our students.
- Our MBA graduate program in Rochester, Minnesota continues
to flourish. Several of the students in this program come from
high
technology firms in the area as well as the Mayo Clinic and IBM.
The combined enrollment of our Rochester and Duluth MBA programs
is 65 students.
- A recent grant from the U.S. Department of Education has allowed
us to add substantial internationalization and globalization
topics to our curricula. The grant has also allowed faculty
and students
to spend time at Universities aboard.
The
most exciting new development in our School involves the planning
for a new Labovitz School of Business and Economics building. Planning
efforts for this building have been underway for the last year
and a half. The prestigious and nationally renowned architectural
firm of Perkins & Will has completed the final design of the
building. The University of Minnesota Board of Regents has approved
the design and the architects are working on the bid documents
so that they will be ready to be sent out as soon as the legislature
and Governor approve the bonding bill. The cost of the building
is $25 million and if the bonding is approved, construction will
begin in the spring of 2006 with completion scheduled for December
2007. The building will seek LEED (“green”) certification,
the first such building for the University of Minnesota and only
one of five in the state of Minnesota. Materials used in the building
will be environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
Our School encourages students to participate in active learning
opportunities. In addition to offering student internship opportunities,
the School includes a large outreach organization, The Center for
Economic Development (CED), where students can work with area businesses
and also take part in faculty/student teams in the Student to Business
Initiative (SBI) Program. Currently over 80 percent of our seniors
are participating in some form of active learning experiences.
We have been very fortunate to have alumni and donors that provide
us with funding for scholarships, faculty development and technology.
Fifty-five scholarships were available to our students in the fall
of 2005.
Our Labovitz School of Business and Economics is a vibrant environment
for students, faculty and staff alike. We are deeply involved in
education, research and outreach. We are growing and we know our
future is bright!
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