Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • April 25, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com CCSU aims to lift business-school profile By Keith Griffin kgriffin@HartfordBusiness.com D espite an already crowded market, Central Con- necticut State University (CCSU) is ramping up its graduate business education program, adding several new degrees in recent years to lure away work- ing professionals from surrounding schools. It started in 2014 when CCSU launched its first MBA program and earned national accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Busi- ness (AACSB). In March, the school announced it was launching a master's of science degree in accounting. Ken Colwell, dean of CCSU's School of Business, said the New Britain-based public university is confident it can take on bigger name Connecticut schools — Quin- nipiac University, the University of Hartford and UConn — by selling the value of its degrees. CCSU's per-credit graduate rate is $577 vs. $985 at Quinnipiac and $724 at UConn for full-time students, he said, adding the price discount doesn't come absent quality. CCSU now boasts the same AACSB accreditation, which requires institutions to meet rigorous quality stan- dards, as other Connecticut schools including Fairfield, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, UConn, Yale, and the universi- ties of Hartford and New Haven. "That is a validation that the quality of education, professors and resources we bring to bear … are of the same caliber of competing schools," he said. Colwell said marketing of its graduate business degrees is initially targeting CCSU grads, who made up the bulk of the school's first MBA classes. "The key is awareness. We don't have a huge market- ing budget. It's difficult. Once you get the word out there, people start coming in," he said. CCSU's attempt to boost the profile of its business school comes amid tough and changing times in the industry. A 2014 Bloomberg News report said that some U.S. business schools could fail in the coming years, especially private institutions without established repu- tations, because of declining full-time enrollments and a move to more online education. Grad students, typically in the midst of building careers, no longer want to waste time on or even drive to campus, forcing schools to invest more in online edu- cation opportunities. Quinnipiac School of Business Dean Matthew O'Connor said private universities like his are staying competitive by offering flexibility as well as specialized master's degrees. The Hamden school launched a master's in business analytics two years ago, hoping to attract professionals from two large Connecticut industries that rely on that skill set: financial services and larger banks. Both Quinnipiac and CCSU rely heavily on jobs pro- jections to determine their degree offerings. Cowell said the graying of the accounting workforce made it logical to create the master's in accounting. O'Connor said the same was done at Quinnipiac with the creation of the business analytics degree. "We typically do a lot of research before we start a new program. It's not trivial to get a new program off the ground," O'Connor said. Proving a need Any public university graduate degree program in Connecticut needs approval by the Board of Regents for Higher Education. Dr. Estela R. López, interim provost and senior vice president for the Regents, said CCSU needed to prove its program had a need and could be competitive in a time of declining resources. López said other issues the board looks at is if the campus has the infrastructure, faculty and other resources to support the program. And at least among public universities, the program has to be funded through tuition and self sustaining. "At times like this where budgets are tight, you don't want to approve programs that require capital," she said. The provost added that diminishing resources doesn't mean the Regents system stops creating programs. "Part of it is looking at different sectors that are not coming to our institutions and can bring in tuition revenue," she said. CCSU's Colwell wouldn't divulge the exact cost but said the university was able to create its new master's in accounting program for less than $500,000, including the cost of two new faculty and hiring adjunct instructors. Meantime, successful business graduate programs are moving towards a hybrid model of in-class and online educa- tion. Dan LeClair, AACSB's chief operating officer, said tech- nology is shaping the way programs are delivered, giving rise to new competitors to traditional graduate programs. Another trend CCSU is considering to remain com- petitive is the combined undergraduate/graduate track. Cowell said he could see the master's in accounting become a four-plus one program, where students, if aca- demically eligible, complete their degree in five years. At Quinnipiac, students in May are completing a master's in four years for the first time. O'Connor said it was a recognition of saving students money as well as challenging higher-achieving students who were com- ing to school with advanced placement credits. "We've really tried to take a look at where the mar- kets are going and pivot to make some long-term invest- ments in the types of programs that are going to be appealing," O'Connor said. n Q&A Closing CT's coding skills gap Q&A talks about the Connecticut Skills Challenge with Bruce Carlson, Connecticut Technology Council president and CEO. Q: The Connecticut Tech- nology Council (CTC) recently held the Connecticut Skills Challenge, which tested college students on their coding skills. What was the basic idea behind host- ing this event? A: As part of the CTC's Talent and Work- force effort, we are try- ing to match the avail- able skilled and talented people that are already here in Connecticut with available jobs. We heard over and over from employers that finding coding talent was difficult, and we also heard that stu- dents were not finding easy ways to connect to the available jobs in Connecticut. This event was designed to match the talent with the jobs available. Q: Why is coding so hot right now? A: We are moving more and more into a digital world. Coding is a key element that makes the digital world work. Companies are look- ing for the talent that can either develop new software products or digitize the products they already have. As the digitization increases, the demand for coding skills will (and is) increase. Q: What's the jobs outlook for coding and developers? Are there jobs in Connecticut? Will they still be here in the time it takes to train coders? A: Coding is here to stay. We have been told that Connecticut companies could fill hundreds of coding jobs if the talent were avail- able. The demand exists not only in Connecticut but worldwide. However, not all the available jobs are for people coming out of col- lege. Some are requiring 3-5 years of experience. That is why we need to not only establish programs like the Skills Challenge, but to also create robust internship and apprentice- ship opportunities so that college graduates can have some, if not all, the required work experience being sought by the companies. Coding jobs will be available for years to come so our efforts need to include short-term match- ing like the Skills Challenge and longer-term preparation of the workforce through STEM (sci- ence, technology, engineering and math) education, etc. Q: In his 2016 state of the union address, President Obama said, "In the coming years, we should build on that progress, by … offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one." Is there federal support for coding? What's your sense? A: The federal government is trying various methods to get more people trained to code. Most of the pro- grams are included as part of the Workforce Training grants that the state receives. One in particular is a new Apprenticeship Program aimed at cre- ating non-traditional apprenticeship oppor- tunities. These pro- grams are focused on fields outside the nor- mal trades that have developed these programs in the past. Specifically, this grant is look- ing for apprenticeship programs in the IT sector. As you may know, apprenticeship programs are a com- bination of on-the-job training and classroom education. We think this will be a great way to get people who might not normally be looking to get into the software development and coding fields a chance to do so. Q: Where would you place Connecticut in its support of coding? Are school systems committed to it at the second- ary level and even primary level? A: In Connecticut, our educa- tion system is locally driven and there are pockets where coding skills are taught in high school. CREC is a great example of a high school program that is making a difference. But, it is not every school system or even every school within a school system. Most school systems are putting an increased emphasis on STEM education, which is a critical first step in the right direction. As the push to introduce coding into the curriculum gains momentum, the reality is that the existing curricu - lum requirements already consume the school day, so finding pockets of time to fit it in is difficult. That said, other jurisdictions are making bold moves to insure that coding skills are taught in school. Last year, England announced that they were requir- ing coding to be taught from kin- dergarten to eighth grade with students in eighth grade deciding BRUCE CARLSON Connecticut Technology Council president and CEO David Freeman (far left), the former CEO of Lydall Inc. and Loctite, teaches a management and organization course at Central Connecticut State University. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D Continued FOCUS EDUCATION

• Cover