grow
Fall 2019
a greensboro chamber of commerce publication
THE BRYAN SCHOOL Celebrating 50 years of excellence in business and economics
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The Greensboro Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in the community serving more than 1,000 member businesses through programming designed to help them succeed and grow. A partner in the Guilford County Economic Development Alliance, the Chamber also serves as Greensboro’s primary economic development organization, with special emphasis placed on community and entrepreneurial advancement through Action Greensboro and Launch Greensboro.
IN THIS ISSUE fall 2019
grow
4 THE BRYAN SCHOOL at 50
a greensboro chamber of commerce publication
Publisher Brent Christensen bchristensen@greensboro.org
A look at the history of the UNC Greensboro institution, and what’s next
Editor Megan Mabry mmabry@greensboro.org
10 Career boost Guilford County Schools launches five CTE academies
Graphic Design Holly West hwest@greensboro.org
15 UPCOMING EVENTS
Content Eddie Huffman Advertising Heavenly Walker hwalker@greensboro.org
grow is published quarterly by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce for the distribution to its investors, members, and other interested parties. The publication is written and edited by the Chamber and editorial decisions are made by its staff. The views expressed in grow should not be interpreted as the official policy of the Chamber. The publisher reserves the right to decline advertising considered unsuitable for publication.
Cover photos courtesy of the Bryan School of Business and Economics.
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THE BRYAN S O
By Eddie Huffman
ne North Carolina business wanted to sell pickles abroad. Another wanted to sell chemical products for racing engines. Both found new markets across the Atlantic with help from students in the Bryan School of Business and Economics at UNC Greensboro. “It would be a rare student that would graduate from the Bryan School who had never done a hands-on consulting project,” says McRae Banks, the school’s dean since 2011. The Bryan School celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall, a half century marked by dramatic growth and change. The school’s success and longevity comes from staying ahead of trends in business and education, as well as from interaction with the business world on consulting projects and other partnerships. “These students are doing things for companies that are serious about getting results, because they know that those results can keep them from making major mistakes, or they can open up new markets to them,” Banks says. “A project can also help them refine their business model.” In 2019, the Bryan School offers its 4,200 students 11 undergraduate degrees, six master’s degrees and four doctoral degree programs. The school also offers customized executive education and certificate programs in areas such as cybersecurity and supply chain management. An everevolving curriculum helps keep the school ahead of the curve and provides employers with graduates who fit their needs, Banks says. The thousands of Bryan School alumni include Ray Crouse, president and CEO of Parsons Federal Credit Union; Melissa Stone Sale, general manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and Gary Keffer, director of strategic marketing at Universal Music Group Nashville. Prominent local grads include Nido R. Qubein, president of High Point University; GreensPHOTO BY BRYELLE DAFELDECKER 4
SCHOOL AT 50
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1980s
boro developer Marty Kotis; and Tracy Hamlett Myers, the executive vice president of member engagement at the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and an adjunct professor in the Bryan School. Banks met with a number of local executives when he first came to Greensboro to learn why they hired or rejected the school’s graduates. “One thing they told me pretty uniformly was that our students outperformed the students they hired from other, better-known business schools in North Carolina,” Banks says. “They said, ‘They’re really well-prepared technically, but they’re also really hard workers. They don’t take anything for granted; they don’t expect to be given anything; they expect to work for anything that they get.’” Lauren Kalo of Burlington was drawn to the Bryan School because of its prestigious reputation, and she “fell in love with the vibe of the campus.” She’s just starting her junior year, and after earning her degree hopes to live on the West Coast and build up to a career in brand management. “When I go into the Bryan School, it feels like walking into my home,” says Kalo, who serves as president of the Student Government Association at UNCG. “The faculty there genuinely want you to do well. Every school will tell you they want you to do well, but they don’t necessarily show it.” Another aspect of the Bryan School that attracted Kalo was the diverse makeup of its student body, currently 27 percent African-American, 9 percent Hispanic and 15 percent other minorities. International students and faculty were rare when Bill Tullar started teaching at UNCG in 1973 – as were male students. The university was called the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina just a decade earlier.
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“I was in a master’s program here in ’69-’70,” Tullar says. “When I first started here, it was very predominantly female.” He has witnessed dramatic changes to the student body and the faculty. His colleagues now hail from around the world, with other professors from Nepal, Iran, Canada, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Finland and beyond. “My department has three Chinese professors,” Tullar says. “My department head’s from Ghana.” A series of evolutionary stages led to the creation of the Bryan School at UNCG. The Department of Economics and Business Administration and the Department of Business Education and Secretarial Administration merged in 1969 to form the School of Business and Economics. Other highlights include approval of the MBA program in 1970, opening of the school’s current building in 1980 and accreditation of the school’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs in 1982 by the AACSB. In 1987, the school changed its name to honor Joseph M. Bryan, a prominent Greensboro philanthropist and major donor. The Bryan School established an alumni association in 1994 and created The Center for Global Business Education and Research in 1996. In 2003, the school got approval to offer doctoral programs in economics and information systems. The North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center launched in 2009, followed by the North Carolina Sales Institute in 2015. “When I started, I learned that we had the first part-time MBA program in the state of North Carolina,” Banks says. He regularly hears from alumni who have fond memories of carpooling from locales such as
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Want to learn more? For a list of events celebrating the milestone, as well as photos, videos and more on the history of the Bryan School, visit
Raleigh for that innovative program. They tell him things like, “On the way back, we would talk about what had happened in class and the assignments that were coming up for next time. Some of those guys are still my best friends in the world.” “We hear stories like that all the time,” Banks says. For the 2019-20 academic year, the school is placing an increased emphasis on professional development and problem solving. Students will be required to take a four-year series of classes focused on personal and professional development. “Students will develop skills such as understanding oneself and one’s strengths and values, in addition to building the professional and career skills employers seek,” Banks says. He recounts his initial meetings with area employers to explain his passion for developing exceptional problem solvers. “Executives routinely told me that the reason they achieved success was their ability to solve problems and add value to their workplace,” he says. “Companies do not come to us to hire leaders. They come to us to find graduates with leadership skills who know how to solve problems.”
bryan50.uncg.edu
Below: The Bryan School’s current building was constructed in the late 1970s and opened in 1980.
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career <boost> Guilford County Schools launches five CTE academies By Eddie Huffman
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hamani Ridley, 14, decided a long time ago she wanted to work as a pediatrician or in some other position helping children. A new program at five schools across Guilford County this fall will help her and others like her accelerate toward their career goals. “I’m excited to learn more about the medical field,” Khamani says. In August, she started classes in the new Academy of Biomedical Technology at the Academy at Smith High School in Greensboro. It’s one of five new Career and Technical Education, or CTE, academies that welcomed freshmen in August. The CTE academies were conceived by a blue ribbon task force made up of local leaders in business and higher education as well as the CEOs of the Greensboro and High Point chambers of commerce. Kathleen A. Dawson, chief innovation officer for Guilford County Schools, says the task force came up with a five-year plan. “We are creating career pathways that will allow students to focus in on a particular area of study,” Dawson says. “We are expanding CTE from pre-K through 12 and we are creating new signature career academies as one new instructional model.” Smith is also hosting an Academy of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering. Kearns Academy and Northeast High are home to Academies of Computer and Information Science. Finally, Western High has an Academy of Transportation, Distribution and Logistics. “My high school students are being trained in soft skills, so they’re learning ethics, motivation, communication skills, teamwork,” says Art Close, lead teacher at the Academy of Transportation, Distribution and Logistics. “While they’re doing that, they’re also being taught some hard skills. We actually have an onsite warehouse. We have a $45,000 forklift.” The academy at Western is working with companies such as Precision Fabric, Transplace and Fastenal for apprentice-
Students got a sneak peek at the new CTE academies and participated in teambuilding exercises with their classmates during summer orientation camps held in August.
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for rigorous, college-level classes, Dawson says. Over time, the school system hopes to create schools populated entirely by CTE Academies. Long-range plans also include a couple of model schools where the system will partner with a college or university and an industry partner. “Students will be allowed to complete their high school degree as well as earn an associate degree at the same time,” Dawson says. “They would be graduating with a high school diploma, an industry credential, an associate degree and also, from our industry partner, guaranteed a job.”
ships and career placement. Other academies are working with everyone from Cone Health and UPS to Lenovo and BB&T. “These partnerships and community relationships really expand opportunities for our students,” says Marquita Johnson, assistant principal and academy administrator at Northeast. Khamani’s mother, Kenyetta Ridley, saw her daughter’s enthusiasm for the biomedical academy at Smith right away. Khamani and her classmates started their Principles of Biomedicine class by examining a simulated crime scene and trying to figure out how a murder victim died. “It caught her attention on the first day,” Ridley says. “She came home and told us about it. I don’t think she would get these experiences at a traditional high school.” The CTE academies will extend to a higher grade level each year, eventually incorporating freshmen through seniors. Students are self-selecting and there are no admissions requirements, though they should be prepared
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UPCOMING EVENTS run for the greenway September 14 | lofi park
chamber GOLF CLASSIC September 23 | Sedgefield country club
women’s executive connection OCtober 29 | proximity hotel
MONTHLY EVENTS COFFEE & CONVERSATION every third thursday from 7:30-8:30 am A networking and educational program designed to bring leaders together to learn about important issues facing our business community.
this month’s topic
On September 19, we will hear from Zack Matheny of Downtown Greensboro, Inc.
MEMBER JUMPSTART
economic forecast
Every third wednesday | 4 pm
November 13 | grandover resoRT
Meet your fellow chamber members, let everyone know what’s going on in your company and tell us what we can do to help you!
LET’S GROW TOGETHER!
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Weʼre new members of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and weʼre excited to get to know you and our fellow chamber members in the coming months! Letʼs grow our businesses together. IOP Communications, Inc. is your one-stop resource for: • • • •
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