Major changes to take place in the business department

Sometimes change is positive, sometimes it’s not. For the Woodbury School of Business, change has meant the reduction of some of its program features due to budget cuts, but also has meant a new minor, new MBA program and more office space in the near future.

Last week, the Board of Trustees discussed the proposal to offer a new minor in entrepreneurship next year.

“It will provide an opportunity for anyone at the university who’s interested in getting some entrepreneurship background,” said Ian Wilson, Dean of the Woodbury School of Business. “If you’re in Theatre and you’re interested and say ‘I don’t want to just act, but I’d like to run a theater also,’ they’ll be able to take a minor in entrepreneurship that will give them skills in business plans, marketing and things like that.”

New office space is also in place for the Entrepreneurship Institute. Wilson said they are looking into expanding the role of the institute to include more economic analysis, business research and assistance to medium-sized businesses.

Although new things are happening for the entrepreneur program, some of the activities and positions that have been around for several years have been cut, such as the high school “Be Your Own Boss” camp and the Entrepreneur in Residence position.

Ian Wilson, Dean of the Woodbury School of Business, sees these cuts as temporary losses and expects to have previous positions back when new resources are found. Others on campus view the position cuts differently.

“Cuts are cuts,” said Peter Robinson, UVU professor of entrepreneurship. “It’s hard to get positions back once they’re cut.”

Robinson said the process to obtain new positions is difficult. He also indicated that because a new dean will be hired next year, the school could potentially face further difficulties in restoring jobs since that person may have a different goal and vision for the school than the existing administration. This may or may not include the reinstatement of the cut positions.

The Entrepreneurship Institute is not the only program affected in the business school; other positions have been cut as well. Wilson said the school is looking to replace them with adjunct faculty and that they are currently hiring a new full-time position to replace a recent retiree. He also said the new MBA program is something to look forward to.

The new proposed MBA program is tentatively set to begin Fall 2010. The proposal will go to the Board of Regents during the summer for final approval. A couple of new positions for the program will be announced later this week.

“We’ve got a bright future for the program,” Wilson said. “[The Woodbury School of Business] is doing very well.”