2021-2025 STRATEGIC PLAN
ABOUT US: LOCATION & ACCREDITATION
Founded in 1970, the Monte Ahuja College of Business is located at the corner of East 18th Street just north of Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland. Our downtown Cleveland location centers the College among Fortune 500 businesses and emerging tech startups. This offers an ideal level of accessibility for our students and the businesses we serve. We are truly where business happens!
The College and its Department of Accounting are both accredited by AACSB, the leading accrediting body for colleges and schools of business. The College received initial accreditation in 1974, the Accounting Department received its initial accreditation in 1981. The College and the Accounting Department were reaccredited in 2021.
Originally named for James J. Nance, a Cleveland industrialist who served as the University’s first chairman of the Board of Trustees. The College of Business was renamed in 2011 after former CSU Board of Trustees chair Monte Ahuja, who donated $10 million to the College – the largest gift in the University’s history at that time.
accredited in both business & accounting
MONTE AHUJA
ABOUT US: COLLEGE DEPARTMENTS & DEGREE PROGRAMS
CLEVELAND STATE’S MONTE AHUJA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS FACULTY FALL ACROSS SIX DEPARTMENTS:
Accounting Finance Information Systems Management Marketing and Operations and Supply Chain Management
UNDERGRADUATE GRADUATE
Bachelor of Business Administration
• Accounting
• Business Economics
• Finance
• General Business
• Human Resources Management
• Information Systems
• International Business
• Marketing
• Operations & Supply Chain Management
Bachelor of Science
• Healthcare Management
Bachelor of Arts
• Business Studies
• Master of Accountancy
• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Health Care Management
• Master of Information Systems
• Master of Labor Relations and Human Resources
• Doctor of Business Administration
ABOUT US: STUDENTS & ALUMNI
The Monte Ahuja College of Business is one of the larger business colleges in the state of Ohio based on student enrollment. In fall 2021, there were over 2,900 students enrolled in the College. A distinguishing aspect of our students is their loyalty to the area , with 80% of graduates choosing to live and work in Northeast Ohio after graduation. Nearly 40% of our students are first-generation and financiallychallenged. It is common for an undergraduate student to work more than 20 hours per week while enrolled full-time, and most graduate students work full-time. The College is determined to assist students in affording higher education , and our alumni have been supportive in establishing scholarships to assist students with tuition, room and board, and books.
When talking with current students (undergraduate and graduate) and members of our over 30,000 alumni, the recurring and compelling themes of “Cleveland State opened doors for me” and “Cleveland State allowed me to build my business career” prominently emerge.
30,000+ alumni
80% of our graduates stay to work in Northeast Ohio
2,900+ students fall 2021
OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
ACADEMIC YEAR 2020-2021
The process for developing the latest strategic plan began with meetings of the Dean’s Cabinet , which includes the associate deans, assistant dean, department chairs, and center directors; the College’s Visiting Committee, which is the College’s advisory board; faculty, staff, alumni; and student leaders at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
At the same time, three task forces comprising a mix of faculty and staff across all departments and centers were convened to examine how the Monte Ahuja College of Business could pursue excellence in the areas of Teaching and Learning, Research and Scholarship, and Community Engagement .
The College’s Visiting Committee reviewed preliminary recommendations for a College vision and mission statement. Incorporating that Committee’s feedback and in accordance with faculty bylaws, the College’s Steering Committee reviewed the recommendations, and with their approval, a draft strategic planning document was shared with the College by way of two Town Halls in January 2021.
AACSB accreditation standards state that colleges and schools of business must maintain a robust strategic plan. The plan should identify a specific mission, objectives, strategies, and expected outcomes. Progress is then measured by evaluating the College against its stated mission to determine if activities and initiatives are aligned with the stated mission.
OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
ACADEMIC YEAR 2021-2022
With affirmation given by College faculty and staff members, three task forces were aligned with three pillars underlying the College’s strategic vision: Business-Ready Talent , Impactful Business Knowledge, and Foundational Community Engagement . The task forces met to consider strategic initiatives that the College might pursue over the next five years. Based on requests of the task forces, several initiatives were implemented during spring semester 2021.
The task forces resumed meetings in fall semester 2021, with the specific charge to identify objectives and goals (expected outcomes) that the College should pursue to achieve stated objectives for each respective pillar. These objectives and goals underlie the College’s strategic plan over the next five years.
A strategic plan document comprising the College’s vision, mission, objectives, goals, and values was developed and reviews made by the Dean’s Cabinet, Steering Committee, and Visiting Committee. The document was presented to the College via Town Halls in spring semester 2022. A vote on the AY 2021-2025 Monte Ahuja College of Business Strategic Plan occurred in spring semester 2022.
ACADEMIC YEAR 2020-21
ACADEMIC YEAR 2021-22 meetings held three task forces aligned three pillars created
ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-25
goals & objectives set expected outcomes established implement evaluate improve
OUR VISION
We are Northeast Ohio’s Business Cornerstone.”
The cornerstone metaphor is based on the definition that a cornerstone is the first stone set in constructing a foundation, with all other stones set in reference to this stone.
Therefore, the Monte Ahuja College of Business aims to build, provide, and reinforce foundational support for our students and the Northeast Ohio business community.
OUR MISSION
To support the Northeast Ohio business community by creating and advancing business-ready talent, impactful business knowledge, and foundational community engagement.”
This mission establishes three pillars on which the Monte Ahuja College of Business will organize its initiatives, set goals and metrics.
Business-Ready Talent
Ensure our students graduate with the relevant and applicable skills needed to start their jobs successfully on day one.
Impactful Business Knowledge
Support our faculty to produce and disseminate key learnings to educate the Northeast Ohio business community and drive best business practices.
Foundational Community Engagement
Connect, forge long-term relationships, and partner with the Northeast Ohio business community to help address pressing business problems.
OBJECTIVES
THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES WILL BE PURSUED BY THE MONTE AHUJA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
SUPPORTING PILLAR OBJECTIVE
• Prepare our students for a career in business.
Business Ready Talent
Impactful Business Knowledge
• Graduate business-ready students.
• Differentiate our programs with unique, relevant experiential learning opportunities while integrating topics across business discplines.
• Attract talent and support business-ready talent development.
• Be a leader in conducting high-quality research that contributes to the bodies of knowledge in business disciplines.
• Be a leader in research that helps guide Northeast Ohio business.
• Support research excellence in the College.
• Position the College as a knowledge thought leader/resource for Northeast Ohio business community.
Foundational Community Engagement
• Cultivate revenue-generating events, sponsorships, and other funding opportunities with businesses to support the College.
• Develop and promote internships and job opportunities for College students.
• Identify project and research opportunities for College faculty and staff.
BUSINESS READY TALENT
1 OBJECTIVE 1: Prepare our students for a career in business.
Goal 1A: Create an undergraduate professional development course sequence and offer courses in both the fall and spring semesters.
Goal 1B: Conduct a student employment survey every semester and annually report results.
Goal 1C: Increase year-over-year student participation in career fairs and career-related events.
2 OBJECTIVE 2: Graduate business-ready students.
Goal 2A: Canvas and report employer satisfaction with CSU business graduates at least annually, striving for 100% satisfaction.
Goal 2B: Incorporate technology, particularly Excel, across business curricula, aiming to increase the Microsoft Office Systems Excel test pass rate year-over-year.
Goal 2C: Increase the number of students majoring in specific business disciplines versus the general business major.
Goal 2D: Increase the pass rate of students taking the undergraduate “exit exam.”
Goal 2E: Increase College of Business enrollment at both undergraduate and graduate levels year-over-year.
Goal 2F: Increase the number of College of Business graduates year-over-year and improve the graduation rate.
Goal 2G: Hold at least one faculty teaching workshop annually on a contemporary teaching topic.
BUSINESS READY TALENT
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3 OBJECTIVE 3: Differentiate our programs with unique, relevant experiential learning opportunities while integrating topics across business disciplines.
Goal 3A: Increase the number of company case studies, guest speakers, and company-involved projects in business classes year-over-year.
Goal 3B: Increase the number of students participating in internships year-over-year.
Goal 3C: Identify and integrate topics and themes across courses in the undergraduate curricula and in the graduate curricula.
4 OBJECTIVE 4: Attract talent and support business-ready talent development.
Goal 4A: Increase scholarship funding year-over-year.
Goal 4B: Increase annual gift and endowment funding for academic programs, center activities, and College operations year-over-year.
Goal 4C: Increase support for facilities and technology upgrades year-over-year.
IMPACTFUL BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE
1 OBJECTIVE 1: Be a leader in conducting research that helps guide Northeast Ohio business.
Goal 1A: By Fall 2022, create a research webpage connected to the College’s website; post recently published research with short executive summaries of the research, updated at least once a semester.
Goal 1B: Host at least once a year, a networking activity between College of Business faculty and business representatives.
2 OBJECTIVE 2: Be a leader in conducting high-quality research that contributes to the bodies of knowledge in business disciplines.
Goal 2A: Increase the number of Scholarly Academic faculty by at least one faculty member per year.
Goal 2B: Increase the number of publications in ‘A’ journals identified by the ABDC list.
Goal 2C: Host at least one research presentation per semester to highlight research in the College, making sure to invite area businesses to the presentation to increase visibility of faculty research.
Goal 2D: By Fall 2022, establish and continue to update a Research Information Hub on Blackboard, working towards establishing by Fall 2026 a Center for Research Excellence to facilitate, coordinate, and nurture high quality research.
Goal 2E: Update faculty workload policies to reward research productivity and tie with faculty qualification categorization.
Goal 2F: Host at least one research training workshop per semester.
Goal 2G: Create interdisciplinary research circles with faculty across departments, particularly faculty with a record of publishing in top journals, to nurture and sustain a culture of high-quality research and publications.
3 OBJECTIVE 3: Support research excellence in the College.
Goal 3A: Sustain travel funding levels to pre-COVID levels by Fall 2022. Work to increase travel funding every year afterwards.
Goal 3B: Sustain funding for publishing in top journals and start awarding in AY 2022-2023.
Goal 3C: Continue to support the summer research program and increase available funding every year.
Goal 3D: Sustain and work to increase funding of research databases and software annually.
Goal 3E: Establish a small grants program and increase available annual funding for the program.
Goal 3F: Increase the number of endowed faculty scholars and chair positions in the College over the next five years.
Goal 3G: Strive to increase annual sponsored research and Fulbright funding.
FOUNDATIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
1 OBJECTIVE 1: Position the College as a knowledge thought leader/ resource for the Northeast Ohio business community.
Goal 1A: Have an interdisciplinary standing committee of faculty and staff members meet at least once a semester to guide and coordinate business community engagement efforts throughout the College.
Goal 1B: Host the virtual Cornerstone Speaker Series in fall and spring semesters, featuring College faculty and business practitioners discussing pertinent business topics.
Goal 1C: Post on the College’s website information to highlight faculty research and managerial implications of that research, updated at least twice per semester.
Goal 1D: Publish annually an e-document summarizing key faculty research.
2 OBJECTIVE 2: Cultivate revenue-generating events, sponsorships, and other funding opportunities with alumni, businesses, and the local community to support the College.
Goal 2A: Host a registration fee annual conference with keynote speakers.
Goal 2B: Submit at least two grants through sponsored programs per semester.
Goal 2C: Submit at least two proposals for company sponsorship per year.
Goal 2D: Publish an annual summary of College community engagement and College societal impact.
Goal 2E: Host at least one alumni event per semester.
Goal 2F: Grow revenue from professional development programs year-over-year.
FOUNDATIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
3 OBJECTIVE 3: Develop and promote internships and job opportunities for our students.
Goal 3A: Increase the number of students participating in internships year-over-year.
Goal 3B: Increase the job placement rate of students upon graduation year-over-year.
Goal 3C: Host at least one company tour for students per semester.
4 OBJECTIVE 4: Identify consulting, project work, and research opportunities for College faculty and staff.
Goal 4A: Host at least one company tour for faculty per semester.
Goal 4B: Increase the number of faculty externships year-over-year.
Goal 4C: Increase the number of company-sponsored class projects year-over-year.
Goal 4D: Increase the number of company-sponsored research projects year-over-year.
VALUES
TO ENACT ITS VISION, MISSION, OBJECTIVES, AND GOALS, THE MONTE AHUJA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS WILL EMBRACE THESE VALUES:
TRANSFORMATIVE
We will be a change agent in Northeast Ohio, enabling upward mobility, career progression, business success, and economic vitality through our teaching, research, and engagement activities.
DIVERSE
We will appreciate what unites and differentiates us and mutually respect each another.
HAVING INTEGRITY
We will integrate topics of ethical behavior and business decision-making in our curricula.
RELEVANT
We will stay up-to-date and strive to be forward-thinking.
COLLABORATIVE
We will work together as a College and welcome opportunities to work with other Colleges.
VALUE-DRIVEN
We will aim to provide a positive return on investment for our students.
MONTE AHUJA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
1860 E. 18th Street, Room 420 Cleveland, OH 44114
PHONE 216-687-3786 EMAIL businessdean@csuohio.edu
https://www.supportcsu.org/monte-ahuja-giving-form
