Shop Talk: The Learning Side Of Business
PHOTO/RICK SAIA
Susan West Engelkemeyer,President, Nichols College
Last summer, Nichols College hired Susan West Engelkemeyer, then dean of the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, as its seventh president. We talked with her recently about the business of business education, as well as her first seven months on the job.
You've spent more than two decades in the arena of business education. What has changed in how we prepare the business leaders of tomorrow?
I think the biggest thing is that there's a realization that it's the soft skills that differentiate students as they are initially employed and also as they progress up the career ladder. So we have to … wrap our minds around the fact that it is important what you deliver in the classroom. But it's also important that students learn to work in teams and communicate well orally and in writing, and (that) they can do analytical things that you can't do from just reading a chapter and answering questions at the end.
When you talk to employers, that's what they're talking about. They want someone who's motivated, articulate, has a good work ethic, can motivate others on a team, can lead a team.
For small, private colleges such as Nichols, it's a highly competitive arena in higher education. What are one or two things that are making the school stand out?
That's why I love Nichols and chose to come here. I think you have to have a niche, you have to be able to differentiate yourself, so our focus is career and primarily business degrees. That's one way we differentiate ourselves. The other is through professional development (courses). I think the small schools that don't really know what they're all about are the ones that are going to suffer more going forward.
There's been a lot of debate – for want of a better word – regarding the value of an MBA today. When you were at UMass-Dartmouth, you redesigned the program there. What's your view on the value of an MBA?
I think MBA programs have always been popular and they will remain popular. They're most effective for people who have been out in the workplace for … any number of years. But after three or five years, you realize that you could use some advanced skills. Let's face it; there are a whole variety of MBA programs out there too, some that are designed for people who have no business background and no business undergraduate degree. And so they deliver … the equivalent of an undergraduate business core. And then they have others (that) are accelerated for people who … have an undergraduate business degree and substantial business experience. So, I think it's valuable (but) I think it goes hand in hand with experience.
What's the most important leadership lesson you've learned in academia?
To listen. I think there's a reason why we have two ears and one mouth and we should use them in those proportions as much as possible. I think that's helped me a lot … even if I'm the one who's ultimately saying 'This is what we're going to do. I gather a lot of input and data and listen, and hear feedback before I (decide). As a result, decisions tend to be accepted more by others because they realize that they were part of it.
Finally, you're more than six months into the job. How's it going?
I'm lovin' it! (Laughs) There have been no surprises, and I'm happy to say that because (last) summer I attended a Harvard seminar for new (college) presidents … There were 50 other people in my same situation. And too many of them said "I wish the trustees had told me this, that or the other." And I think … this process (at Nichols) was so open and so much information was shared that I thought "This might be too much information!" (Laughs) It was really helpful because I knew exactly what I was getting into. I had a pretty good sense of what we needed to look at immediately and what we could take time to think about.
This interview was conducted and edited for length by Rick Saia Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer.
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