Catholic
students with a background in the liberal arts are well-suited to lead
successful careers in business, even as they continue to live out their
faith, two prominent educators told The Cardinal Newman Society in
interviews this week.
Sometimes Catholic students who have immersed themselves in the
truth, beauty and goodness of the liberal arts can discount business as a
career, or even look down on the practical realities of the private
sector. But they might be mistaken on both accounts, educ
ators say.
Catholics can live out their vocations in the world of business “by
applying the principles of solidarity, subsidiarity and respect for
human dignity to their everyday decision making,” Stewart McHie,
director of the Master of Science of Business Analysis (MSBA) program at
The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., told the
Newman Society.
Dr. Andrew Abela, dean of the School of Business at CUA and an expert
in business ethics, concurs that Catholic values are directly
applicable to a career in business. “All of business, including
accounting and finance, is properly understood to be oriented to serving
the human person, whether that person be customer, employee, supplier,
investor or neighbor,” he said.
Recent reports indicate that business leaders think the liberal arts
is a great background for the industry. This is good news for students
attending the faithful Catholic colleges recommended by
The Newman Guide, many of which challenge students with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum rooted in the Catholic tradition.
In order to help liberal arts students determine whether a career in
business might be right for them, the Newman Society and CUA are
co-hosting a “Catholic Business Career Discernment Day” on May 11 in
Washington, D.C. To learn more or register, visit the event page
here.
Liberal arts students should be interested in careers in business
because, as Dr. Abela said, “senior business leaders I speak to
repeatedly tell me that given the fast-changing nature of today’s global
economy, it is essential that anyone aspiring to a career in business
have a solid grounding in the liberal arts.”
He noted that the liberal arts enables students who go into business
to “understand the larger social, historical, philosophical and even
theological contexts that businesses operate within.”
Edgar Bronfman, former CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd., encourages students to get a liberal arts degree. He
wrote for
Inside Higher Ed, “In all the people who have worked for me over the
years the ones who stood out the most were the people who were able to
see beyond the facts and figures before them and understand what they
mean in a larger context.”
"If someone's studied literature, they know people and have insight
into themselves and customers," said Michael Fromm, CEO of Fromm
Electric, in an
interview
with CNBC. "I find people that have a liberal arts background have a
broader view of the world and will go farther in business."
Additionally, CNBC
reported that in a survey of 320 CEOs, “74 percent said they would recommend a 21
st-century
liberal education in order to create a more dynamic worker.”
Additionally, 95 percent “said they look for college graduates who can
think clearly and solve problems and be able to translate their ideas
with good oral and communication skills.”
At the undergraduate level, there has been a growing interest and
movement towards integrating liberal arts disciplines into academic
business curricula. Bloomberg
reports that
in March 2013 more than 35 business schools convened for the second
time to “discuss ways to make progress toward making liberal arts
education central to the business school experience.”
While the liberal arts may be in demand, it is not always easy for
Catholic students to comprehend how they can transition into the world
of business upon graduation. A popular choice for many students who earn
their undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts is to continue their
education in a specific field in graduate school.
For those wanting to enter business, CUA’s MSBA program may be an
attractive option. The MSBA program is geared specifically to students
with a background in the liberal arts to help them learn the tools and
disciplines that will lead to success in business.
McHie told the Newman Society that the MSBA program emphasizes “the
perspectives from Catholic social teaching so that when making decisions
business people will consider the effects of their decisions on all
constituencies; employees, customers, the communities in which they
operate.” Since “the world is moving and changing so fast today,
students need to have a broad perspective of the world, cultures and
experiences,” he said.
While the study of ethics may be segmented off into a separate course
in many business schools, CUA’s program integrates ethical
considerations into all coursework, McHie explained.
“Ethics is not so much a subject as a mindset. It is being cognizant
of the consequences of your decisions and actions,” he said. “It applies
to all areas of business, not just accounting and finance. So we ensure
these discussions are integrated into every subject area.”
“We want to emphasize the role of commerce is not to simply maximize
profits at the sake of everything else,” McHie continued. “Don't get me
wrong, money is important and vital to helping improve the human
condition. How profits are earned and how deployed is what we want our
students to appreciate.”
Catholics can live out their vocations in the world of business
because “commerce is intended to serve society and when conducted
ethically and fairly is a necessary force to improve the lives of
everyone,” McHie said.
“The Second Vatican Council taught that the division between our
faith and how we live our everyday lives is one of the most serious
problems of our age,” Abela told the Newman Society. “If one is a
faithful Catholic, one must live that way even in business.”
“Catholic teaching provides deep insights into the nature, dignity,
and destiny of the human person; these insights are highly relevant to
all of business,” he said.
The Catholic University of America is recommended in
The Newman Guide for
its strong Catholic identity. To read more about CUA’s business school
or to sign up for the “Catholic Business Career Discernment Day,” visit
the University’s
website.
Other Catholic universities recommended in
The Newman Guide that have either undergraduate or graduate business programs include
Aquinas College (Tenn.),
Ave Maria University (Fla.),
Belmont Abbey College (N.C.),
Benedictine College (Kan.),
DeSales University (Pa.),
Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio),
John Paul the Great Catholic University (Calif.),
Mount St. Mary’s University (Md.),
St. Gregory’s University (Okla.),
University of Dallas,
University of Mary (N.D.),
University of St. Thomas (Tex.), and
Walsh University (Ohio).
Catholic Education Daily is an online publication of The Cardinal Newman Society.
Click here for email updates and free online membership with The Cardinal Newman Society.
Article originally published here.
This
past weekend, students from the MSBA Class of 2015 were given the opportunity
to attend a field trip to Gettysburg, PA.
Guided by Col. Doug Doud, professional tour guide and marine, the group
enjoyed a full day of history, intense stories of war heroes, and lessons on
leadership and strategy. Col. Doud was a
phenomenal guide who was able to build suspense and convey moving accounts of
the events that took place over the three-day long fight at Gettysburg. Further, he related the actions taken by
military leaders and their decisions to those that CEOs and business leaders in
companies face every day.
