Columbia Business School has partnered with Columbia College to develop a two-year pilot suite of business courses for undergraduates. The courses, which debuted this semester, will be complemented by a faculty lecture series targeted to undergraduates as well as a mentoring program through which undergraduates can pair with MBA students to learn about business school admissions and student life.
Paul Glasserman, the Jack R. Anderson Professor of Business and then senior vice dean, proposed the partnership last year in conjunction with the School’s Executive Committee. "Here we are, right next to one of the best undergraduate institutions in the country," Glasserman says. "We should be taking full advantage of that."
The program allows Columbia College students to take such introductory courses as Introduction to Marketing and Leadership in Organization. Developed by the School’s faculty members, the courses are designed to offer undergraduates an overview of the topics studied in business school.
"We wanted," Glasserman says, "a miniature version of the MBA core curriculum."
Claudia Fong, program manager in the Dean’s Office at the School, believes that Columbia College students in search of exposure to the business world will welcome the courses. "A lot of Columbia College students are interested in business," Fong says. "I think it would be beneficial for them to learn more."
Glasserman is confident that students who enroll in the courses will learn skills and concepts applicable to any area of study. "Management skills and leadership skills," he says, "are valuable skills across many different fields and are certainly valuable educational components."