Roanoke College has plans to implement a graduate program for the first time in more than a century.
Roanoke College President Mike Maxey, who will retire in July, is leaving one more indelible mark on his legacy: a graduate program for the first time in more than a century. It will require approval by the Southern Association of Schools Commission on Colleges, but that is often just a formality.
The faculty is solidly behind the master’s degree in business administration (MBA), which would represent the first graduate program at RC since the 1920s (chemistry courses). Maxey says, “The faculty worked hard on the proposal and created an excellent final product. … It is a great step forward for Roanoke College and our students.”
The program adds a year to Roanoke’s four-year undergrad program and will require summer and regular term courses. They will consist of 11 courses annually, taken by 20 students. The groups will contain four teams working on projects that will culminate in a comprehensive team project.
According to a college press release, “The MBA degree provides in-depth knowledge and application in the core areas of business: accounting, leadership, ethics, economics, management, marketing, finance, and data analysis.”
Dr. Richard Grant, interim vice president for academic affairs, spearheaded the movement, as did a variety of faculty and staff members including Prof. Sharon Gibbs, interim associate dean for academic affairs and student engagement; Dr. Michelle Hagadorn, associate professor of business administration and economics; Dr. Gail Steehler, associate dean of academic affairs and administration; Dr. Shannon Anderson, associate professor of sociology and public health; and Dr. Charlene Kalinoski, professor of modern languages.
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). He has authored eight books, including the upcoming novel out in Summer 2022, NEWS! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005). His new novel is NEWS! from Propertius Press.
