Improving Student Learning Outcomes During Challenging Times

State funding in most all states, including Alabama, has declined by more than 30%, while enrollments have increased. Like many in industry, we in the academy are being asked to provide higher levels of outcomes (in our case economic stimulating education and research) in an environment of reduced basic funding. And like many in industry, UAB and the UAB School of Business have found creative and innovative ways to expand the quality of outcomes.  How has this occurred, and what are the expectations for the future?   And more importantly, how will we continue to improve the learning outcomes for our students?

We see three keys to our success in the last few years and to our continued success in student learning and quality research: 

(1)   We are becoming more intensely focused in our selective missions. Our focus is simple and twofold but always a challenge to implement: 

(a)   Provide students with market-driven skills that prepare them to be immediately productive while having the problem solving insights to be future leaders. To that end, we are moving to an even greater focus on experiential learning based on internships and service learning.   

(b)   Engage in research that touches “big problems.” Our faculty are taking on challenges of discovery that are cross-discipline and dealing with real concerns facing our society and community. And they are “pulling” and mentoring students into this process of research and discovery. This form of “learn by doing” nurtures students to be directly involved in problem defining and problem solving, requiring the mastering of key discipline-based skills.

(2)   We are stressing innovation in how we achieve our key focused missions.  

Technology is quickly altering the process of student learning. Our faculty members have embraced technology, as a way to enhance and expand their critical role of mentoring and assisting students.  I am very pleased to report that our faculty members and staff have made many sacrifices of time to master the art and science of using 21^st Century learning technologies blended with old fashioned effective one-on-one personal mentoring. I am proud of their ongoing efforts to appropriately bring technology into the learning process.  I am also proud of the efforts of our faculty to engage in research which touches on key social/community and industry problems. Our faculty members are being invited daily by many parts of the UAB community (e.g. medicine, nursing, engineering, computer science, and public health) to participate in funded research and the commercialization of creative new ventures flowing from UAB Intellectual Property.  We have plans to engage more of our students in these entrepreneurial efforts - more of that focused “learn-by-doing.” 

(3)   We are being very entrepreneurial in how we seek, obtain, and wisely use new sources of revenue. 

While state funding supporting the School of Business has declined by over 30% in the past four years, our total “revenue” from all sources in the same timeframe is up over 20%. The net increase in revenue has come from a rise in credit hours taught, a significant increase in private donor support (and we say thank you for your support!), and added cross disciple  support for our participation in sponsored research grants.  To meet our focused goals, we have used our added resources to hire 29 new teacher-scholars in the last four years (a net gain of 13 faculty members, net of retirements or departures) and to add to the school’s funding dedicated to student scholarships.  

In summary, the UAB School of Business is thriving in challenging times.  I see evidence of the successful efforts by faculty and staff, and I am filled with pride as graduates step into their next phase of life prepared with real and valuable growth.     

Our Key Mission – Transforming Lives!

Our students come to UAB seeking a door to economic and social success in a rapidly changing world. They are often worried about how to compete in a tough world with high unemployment and increasing demands by employers for relevant skills. Our exceptional faculty use their well refined academic skills and genuine desire for the success of each student to help transform these folks into confident professionals– confident in their technical skills, confident in their critical thinking skills, confident in their communication skills, and confident in their ability to compete with graduates of any other university. They also gain assurance that the leadership skills learned and practiced in business classes can be directly applied to the leadership needs of not-for-profit organizations and government entities.

Our main focus is on experiential learning or “learn by doing” and gives students hands-on experience through paid internships, service-learning projects, simulation projects, international travel involving class projects, and direct class involvement by exceptional business and community leaders. Not only does experiential learning provide students with experience to build their resumes, but also allows them a first-hand look at what their future career may entail. We have industry focused advisory boards that provide critical input to our curriculum and to our unique experiential learning opportunities.

At the School level, I have appointed a “Council of Directors” to serve like a board of directors to the School. As a former CEO of a public company, I find it very constructive to have accomplished business and community leaders who can look the dean in the eye and tell me what I need to hear. We are blessed to have exceptional volunteers serving on the School’s Council of Directors to help keep us on track with our mission. See Council of Directors