from the Dean
Dear Shareholders: The Cameron School of Business welcomed 2,864 undergraduate and graduate business students to the 2019-20 academic year. As we embark on this new school year, we are filled with anticipation and excitement. Our enrollment numbers are up, our graduate programs are operating at full capacity, faculty research is at its highest level, and our scholarship funds are on the increase. Our online MBA program and undergraduate business programs have garnered fantastic rankings. This is great stuff! While meeting with prospective students to talk about the highlights of the business school, we are often asked “Why major in business?” The short answer to that question is that business is a very broad and practical field of study. Business activity affects everyone’s daily life. Consider all of the things you did prior to reading this edition of the Cameron Insider: All of your activities up to this point have a “business” side to them – driving, working and checking emails, among other daily activities. A student not knowing what he or she wants to do is not a hindrance with a business degree; students can specialize in an area that fits their personality, their interests and their career goals. The major exposes the student to all business concepts, strategies and situations. The diversity and abundance of careers with a business degree is what appeals to most students, and the opportunity to provide products that make a difference in the lives of others offers a great sense of personal reward. Business is also one of the highest-paying majors. According to U.S. News & World Report, business-degree holding employees held six of the top 25 best-paying jobs in America in 2019, second only to those in the medical field, and they rank among engineers and lawyers.
“Take the median lifetime earnings of business majors, the most popular undergraduate degree,” a 2017 article in the New York Times read. “The typical graduate earns $2.86 million over a lifetime.” In the CSB, our May 2019 graduates report record entrylevel salaries. That’s one reason my own daughter has signed up to be a CSB Seahawk. Finally, skills from the business world are easily transferrable to affecting your local community. Since most entities, including nonprofit organizations, are based on basic business foundations, business students can make an impact on the lives of others by participating in meeting civic needs, serving in leadership roles in volunteer organizations and solving problems within the community. These are all great reasons to pursue a business degree; however, the most important one is finding your passion and exploring all of its possibilities. The average person spends about 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime, making career decisions a very thoughtful, intimate process. Our toils should be fun and rewarding. Have a great time reading the Insider, and please attend homecoming or another UNCW function this year. If you are interested in improving the CSB or by giving the gift of education to another person via a scholarship, visit csb.uncw.edu/development/giving.html.
Go Seahawks!
Rob Burrus