By Akash Bhatia
Registration for Fordham’s five-week summer business intensive begins this month. The program is a course designed specifically for students pursuing a liberal arts major or business minor. The course begins May 26 and concludes on June 25. Students will be provided the opportunity to learn business skills and the ability to think like an entrepreneur in the most important financial city in the world.
Dean Kavros started the program, which is in its inaugural year. “I was an English major myself. I went to an intensive business course at UCLA in the summer, and that’s how I transitioned into business. We want to offer the same sort of experience to Fordham liberal arts undergrads,” Kavros added.
Participants in the program will be able to separate themselves from fellow liberal arts students in a competitive job market, as the business skills they develop will make them more appealing to potential employers. “It is a great experience for students who want to explore a liberal arts major during their four years here but want to have some business experience that will get their foot in the door for an interview or job,” Kavros said.
The program is similar to taking two courses during Summer Session. The first course is accounting and the second is an entrepreneurship elective. Several business fields, such as finance and technology, will be represented in both courses.
Three mornings a week are dedicated to the basics of accounting principles. The other two mornings are spent improving job search skills. Students will also visit financial houses and marketing firms. In the afternoon, participants learn about marketing, consumer behavior, budgeting, spreadsheet analysis and more.
“The course includes trips to the city to visit business sites such as the Federal Reserve and trading floors,” Kavros said.
In addition, the program emphasizes skills that are useful regardless of what career one pursues. “We have info sessions by career advisors in which they teach students about interviewing, cover letters, networking and more,” Kavros said.
Students have the opportunity to learn a lot about how businesses plan for their futures. They can discover how corporations raise money, track their expenses and earnings and assess their own performance. Moreover, the program ends with two culminating experiences. The first is a business plan written in teams and the second is a business simulation exercise.
“This is an intensive introduction to business for students who are not in the business college. All liberal arts students and business minors are welcome,” Kavros said of the course. At the same time, Kavros knew many students might not be ready to commit to a five-week course.
“For students who just want to get their feet wet, I would encourage them to get involved with the entrepreneurship society. Also, if you have a new venture idea, you’re welcome to join the Fordham Foundry,” Kavros advised.
Through the program, students can earn six credits towards their undergraduate degree. This allows students with a business minor to fulfill their entrepreneurship elective and principles of financial accounting requirement.
