UNCW
Spring 1990
A publication for alumni, parents
and friends of the university.
Cameron School Means Business
A byte isn’t something you eat.
Facts aren’t FAX. And junk bonds
aren’t things you’d find at a yard sale.
The business world has undergone
profound changes in the last 20 years.
Technology, global awareness, and un
precedented competition have created
a labyrinth of business systems and
methods.
Today’s successful businessperson
must have solid analytical skills, an
understanding of economic issues, a
knowledge of management, and strong
computer skills.
UNCW’s Cameron School of Busi
ness Administration, the largest aca
demic school on campus, is preemi
nent in its education of business stu
dents whether they be aspiring entre
preneurs or executives.
"It’s nice to pick up the business
section (of the newspaper) on Sunday
and see our graduates among the ad
vancements and promotions," said
Norman Kaylor, dean of the business
school. The school’s graduates include
several bank vice presidents and part
ners in major accounting firms, as well
as many business owners.
Two of the school’s MBA graduates
are in Ph.D. programs now. And one
faculty member in the school of busi
ness, Allen McDowell, earned a bach
elor’s degree in business from UNCW
before earning his doctorate at North
Carolina State University. Not bad for
a business school that started in 1979.
The success of UNCW’s business
students can be largely attributed to
the excellent faculty, strong curricula,
and special programs within the school
of business. "Our undergraduate pro
gram is second to none," said Kaylor.
"And I think we have a stronger com
mitment to the community than any
business school I’m familiar with."
The graduate program in business
administration, established in 1982,
has strong offerings as well. One of
these is its Current Issues Series.
These one-hour courses concentrate on
three major areas of business develop
ment - technology, international busi
ness, and trends in management. "This
is not a textbook course - we work with
cutting edge literature," said Denis
Carter, associate dean of the Cameron
School of Business Administration and
advisor to the Master’s in Business
Administration program.
As part of the MBA program, stu
dents meet with leaders in industry,
conduct annual surveys of job markets,
visit major manufacturers, and provide
feedback to the dean regarding course
development.
There’s been tremendous growth
among the nation’s business schools,
said Kaylor and Carter. In the last 15
years, students have become more ca-
reer-minded, wanting to combine a
good business education with a solid
foundation in the liberal arts.
Kaylor pointed out that today’s busi
ness students are more socially con
scious and less willing to take risks.
"The students want career opportuni
ties that will provide them with a good
living, security, and marketability.
They want to make a contribution and
will sacrifice income in return for the
quality of life they find in a place like
Wilmington. A large percentage want
to stay here or in the southeast," said
Kaylor.
The most remarkable change within
the school of business has been the in
crease of women graduates, Kaylor
said. "I came here 19 years ago and
we graduated about 30 students in ac
counting, two of whom were women.
Today, over half of our accounting
grads are women " In 1989, 45 p>er-
cent of undergraduate and 53 percent
of graduate business degrees at UNCW
were awarded to women.
UNCW and the Cameron School of
Business Administration greatly im
pact Wilmington and New Hanover
County. The students and faculty offer
a wealth of human resources to exist
ing and incoming industries. "Two or
three firms have moved to the area be-
Mi il II
m ^
Cameron School of Business Administration
cause there’s a university here and a
good business school," said Kaylor.
But the school’s primary role in the
community is one of support, Kaylor
noted. "We work with the Committee
of 100, the Chamber of Commerce,
and individual companies - it’s just
good citizenship," said Kaylor. "We
grew up in this community - we have
community support and that’s impor
tant to us. If we have some expertise
we c£in share, we do. It’s a two-way
street."
The bottom line is if the community
grows, the university prospers. A
strong local economy gives way to a
healthy market for UNCW graduates.
The business school’s level of excel
lence is greatly enhanced by private
funds. This money provides scholar
ships and supports stipends to recruit
top faculty members. Seminars and
workshops, research programs, student
assistantships, and computers are pro
vided for also. "Every student is ex
posed to computers and computers £U'e
used in the classroom," said Kaylor.
Business Week is perhaps the best-
known program in the school. Every
March, approximately 60 speakers are
invited to campus to give seminars to
students. Leaders in business, govern
ment, and industry present classes on
"real world learning". The objective is
to broaden the minds of the students
and to prepare them for productive
participation in the challenging world
of business.
UNCW’s Cameron School of Busi
ness Administration has cornered the
market in business education. An edu
cation here is a sound investment.
Allison Relos
Business Week Yields High Learning
UNCW’s Cameron School of Busi
ness Administration devoted a week
in March to the eighth annual Busi
ness Week. Planned around the
theme "Preparing for Tomorrow To
day," Business Week ’90 focused on
"real world learning."
Students kicked off the week with
the tenth annual Commerce Cup
Challenge, originally called the
Business Bowl. Designed in 1980 to
give business students the opportu
nity to demonstrate their academic
learning, the Business Bowl was so
successful that the school of busi
ness decided to implement a week’s
activities devoted to business stu
dents.
By bringing in representatives
from local and national businesses,
industries, and corporations, the
school of business will bridge the
gap between academic theory and
the real world of business, said Lee
Sherman, associate professor of
management and marketing and
chairman of Business Week for the
past seven years.
UNCW is hoping to increase its
number of high caliber business stu
dents by introducing them to busi
ness professionals. "Business Week
is an opportunity for these students
to broaden their minds through their
classroom learning and practical ap
plication," said Sherman.