Business booming for UWF students
For the University of West Florida College of Business, life is good. Students in the program have placed first in national competitions, scored nationally on the ETS Major Field Test in Business and are being recruited by corporate giants like Shell Oil, Exxon, General Motors and Home Depot. On top of that, the College of Business recently had its Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International accreditation renewed. Fewer than 15 percent of business schools worldwide have earned this symbol of the highest standard in management education.
“We are very proud of our students and faculty and the notable and highly successful alumni of the College of Business,” said Ed Ranelli, dean for the College of Business. “The UWF College of Business offers an excellent, student-oriented learning environment involving a strong team of motivated students, an engaging faculty and a caring group of advisors and departmental personnel.”
The UWF College of Business currently offers degrees in accounting and finance, management and management information systems and marketing and economics. When compared to undergraduate students at other business schools, UWF College of Business students have consistently scored in the top 20 percent nationally on the ETS Major Field Test in Business, a comprehensive undergraduate outcomes assessment designed to measure the basic, critical knowledge obtained and understanding achieved by students.
“The ETS Major Field Test in Business is administered to more than 60,000 U.S. business students at 300 business schools,” said Ranelli. “The fact that our students have been scoring in the top 20 percent for the past three years, confirms that the UWF College of Business offers a high quality undergraduate business education and that UWF business graduates can compete with the best students anywhere.”
Last semester, the UWF Logistics Team placed first at the Operation Stimulus National Logistics Case Competition in Denver. Through analysis, utilizing qualitative and quantitative models, problem identification, decision-making and overall presentation design and delivery, the students outperformed some of the top logistics programs in the country. The competition included Michigan State University, the University of Arkansas, Syracuse University, Texas Christian University, Brigham Young University, the Denver University, Colorado State University, Georgia Southern University and the University of Houston.
Proving not only to be an asset to the university, business students are making an impact on the community through internship opportunities and participating in Pensacola Young Professionals.
“This summer 25 UWF students are interning with regional businesses and participating in a professional development and leadership seminar jointly sponsored by the Pensacola Young Professionals, Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and UWF,” said Ranelli. “In this Pensacola internship program, these students are gaining practical work experience, developing their leadership skills and preparing themselves for successful careers in business.”
For more information, contact Ranelli at (850) 474-2348 or e-mail eranelli@uwf.edu. For more information on the UWF College of Business, visit uwf.edu/cob.
By Megan Tyson, University Marketing Communications
