BY BETTY JO LICATA
DEAN, WILLIAMSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
YOUNGSTOWN – While the pandemic forced us to move much of our teaching and service to a remote environment, our students continued to be involved with virtual conferences and competitions. This involvement is critical to our students’ professional development and to developing the skills necessary for career success.
We are focused on expanding our internship program; 245 students completed these career-related experiences in the 2019-2020 school year. A grant of $86,000 was received from the Raymond John Wean Foundation to place 10 nonprofit leadership students in paid, full-time internships and we continue to host the Ohio Export Internship Program.
Business is global and so, too, is the Williamson College education. Students are developing global competencies through class projects, study abroad, and short-term global learning experiences. Last year, these experiences took students to Japan and the Czech Republic.
One of the highlights of 2020 was the extension of our accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. This accreditation recognizes the quality of our programs, services, faculty, staff and students and places us in the top 5% of business schools in the world.
In summer 2020, YSU reorganized the academic colleges and Williamson was pleased to welcome to the college our colleagues from economics, communication, journalism and telecommunications.
Enrollment continues to hold strong. Our online MBA program doubled to more than 350 students. Awards and accomplishments include:
• Maeson Green, who won our inaugural John Burgan Entrepreneurship Prize and is using the $2,400 prize to expand his business, Relaced.
• The Student Investment Fund placed second in the Undergraduate Growth Portfolio Competition, sponsored by the Global Asset Management Education Forum.
• YSU Enactus students placed second in the nationwide Early Stage competition at the Enactus National Exposition.
• Our WCBA team placed second at the 2020 NASBITE International Student Case Competition.
• The Student Nonprofit Leadership Organization awarded $3,000 to the Reading While Laundering initiative at Youngstown Promise Neighborhoods.
Williamson College has 1,700 undergraduate and 400 graduate students and is supported by 58 full-time faculty, 45 part-time faculty and 17 full-time staff members.