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Dean Falco Interviewed by the Rochester Business Journal on Innovation in Academic Programs
Roberts Wesleyan University announced eight new programs in June 2024, with an anticipated launch in the fall; the new undergraduate offerings are based on labor and talent recruitment trends and projections of fast-growing occupations within the next decade.
The new programs include actuarial science, business analytics, cybersecurity, data science, esports and gaming administration, game development, information technology and neuroscience. Learn more here.
Falco
Through these expanded academic offerings, Roberts is strengthening its commitment to supporting student growth through flexible programming and immersion in career-enhancing experiences, said Laura Falco, dean of the School of Business and professor of marketing.
The academic tracks are designed to be job-focused and allow students to pursue a broader range of occupations in tech, science, business, data science and gaming, she noted.
“We are excited to offer these new majors that will provide career opportunities for students that most other small liberal arts colleges cannot offer,” Falco said. “These new programs are relevant to today’s job marketplace; they teach students the skills employers are asking for and prepare them to be business-minded leaders with expertise in analytics and the esports and gaming industries.”
Adding the programs to the university’s offerings is possible through a partnership with the Lower Cost Models Consortium, she said. The LCMC is a strategic collaboration of independent private colleges and universities nationwide to provide access to a curriculum that prepares students for successful careers.
The new academic offerings – which will follow a hybrid model taught by expert faculty currently working in each field – could also have a positive impact on enrollment.
Roberts had seen a decline in year-over-year enrollment for its first-year classes, said JP Anderson, interim vice president for enrollment strategy and marketing, adding that decline has been a challenge since the COVID-19 pandemic, but new offerings could help turn the tide.
Falco added that there has been interest in the new programs among students.
“We are hearing a lot of buzz,” she said.
adeckert@bridgetowermedia.com