The Faculty Senate is currently looking at a motion to either pass the College of Business’s prospective new major, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, or revise the major’s curriculum.
Senators discussed the new major at the Oct. 2 meeting.
Faculty members from multiple colleges expressed concern with the curriculum, most specifically the electives offered for the major and minor within the degree.
Bill Templeton, professor of finance, said the concerns raised were for courses offered in the minor curriculum, which has already been approved.
Faculty Senate members wanted courses that are in the minor to also be in the major.
“We are against that,” Templeton said. “We want the minor to only be offered to students outside the College of Business and the major to be business courses only.”
Craig Caldwell, associate professor of management, said the problems were mostly procedural issues and the revisions will clarify the matter.
“I don’t see these discussions being a major roadblock,” Caldwell said. “There’s a process that has to be followed. It’s a community decision, and we have to make sure everything works out for what we want and what works for the rest of the university.”
James McKneight, instructor of management, was on the entrepreneurship work group, which put together the prospective major, researched it, made recommendations and wrote its potential curriculum.
McKneight said the work group surveyed 14 other schools, including Texas Christian University, Wake Forest University, Gonzaga University and Indiana University. He said Butler University was the only school that did not have a major like this.
“I don’t think there will be a problem with getting the revisions made, whether it be an added elective or not, and this should be voted through pretty rapidly,” McKneight said.
McKneight will also be teaching a class, Entrepreneurship Finance, that will be offered in the spring if the major is approved. He said the major will be offered for COB students only, but the minor can be utilized by any college on campus.
One of the aspects of Butler’s Shared Strategic Vision calls the university to “pursue innovation in program offerings.”
“This innovation aspect of the major fits the vision that President (Jim) Danko has for our school,” McKneight said. “We think it will be a perfect major and double major for any student in the College of Business.”
