Fresno State’s Craig School of Business (CSB) is looking to refresh its curriculum in the coming months in an effort to better equip students as they enter the workplace.
Talks of updating have been taking place for about a year and have involved collaborations from within the school and beyond.
“There were a few focus groups where students had completed internships and they were pulled in to help identify skills that should be durable, and they’ll be consulted periodically,” said CSB Dean Julie Olson-Buchanan. “Faculty are leading it and…[they’ve] consulted with the business community. There’s a lot of agreement on what those key skills are.”
She says those key elements include applied experience, adaptability, communication skills, data-based decision-making, digital fluency and cross-cultural competence.
“I would appreciate a stronger connection/gateway to firms post-college,” said Fresno State accounting major Ryan Trang. “Many UC schools and Ivy Leagues have top [firms] recruiting graduates or offering internships.”
The school’s curriculum hasn’t seen a vast upgrade in roughly three decades, and Olson-Buchanan says these new updates are meant to better keep up with our ever-evolving world.
“With everything going on in the world, including the business context, we want to make sure that our students are ready for change, to be nimble,” Olson-Buchanan said. “To really have the skills to navigate the uncertainty that’s out there, [like] changes in technology.”
Specific changes have yet to be decided, but Olson-Buchanan said they could include adding or removing classes, more efficient teaching styles as well as internships and project-based initiatives.
“I feel like there aren’t enough opportunities and it’s hard to land an internship because there are few offered in my option,” said Fresno State finance major Celia Hernández. “And the ones that are offered are highly sought after, which makes it very competitive to land one.”
Another point Olson-Buchanan emphasized was mental health.
“One area that we are paying attention to is wellness and well-being,” Olson-Buchanan said. “We want to make sure our students have the skills to take care of themselves and make ethical decisions. That’s something that right now we can’t really point to in our curriculum…but it’s increasingly important in the workplace.”
The implementation of these changes would happen gradually as professors begin to sprinkle it into their classes.
“I think it was time to revisit what core curriculum should be taught to give our students the best competitive edge in their professions,” said Fresno State business professor Jacquelin Curry. “I will always believe in making instruction [as] engaging and entertaining as possible, so I will stay consistent with that style but look for new ways to incorporate the new curriculum.”
And if any changes are made to the roadmap, the time of transition from old curriculum to new wouldn’t leave current students behind as everyone will be able to take advantage of newly added materials.
“I like to keep comparing it to cleaning out your closet,” Olson-Buchanan said. “You can clean your closet or you can take everything out and decide what to put in. We’re taking everything out and deciding what should be in here to make our students prepared.”
