Students will likely see little immediate change
“COBA’s bread and butter is its relationships with business entities, whether we are talking about the Business Career Days, the Small Business and Technology Development Center or the Career Center office in Glass Hall,” said Dr. Shawn Strong, interim department head of fashion and interior design. “Anytime you are in a unit with like minded departments, you are bound to identify and mimic their strengths. This will ultimately have a significant impact on the FID students and graduates.”
For now, though, Strong says students will not see an immediate change. The majority of the classes will continue to be held in the Park Central Office Building, the curriculum will remain the same and there aren’t plans to add business core courses to the requirements for those in the department.
“We will take a look at the curriculum and see if there are opportunities to capitalize on the resources in COBA,” added Strong, who has taught in the technology and construction management department since 1999, and has been the department head since 2005.
Fashion and interior design will be structured similarly to the technology and construction management department: both will be housed in COBA, not require core business classes, and be outside the business unit for accreditation purposes from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
For more information, contact Strong at (417) 836-5121 or shawnstrong@missouristate.edu.