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Majoring in business of music through Loyola’s Joseph A. Butt College of Business Administration will no longer be an option because of a restructuring of the Music Industry Studies program by the university.
The discontinuance of the Bachelor of Business Administration was recommended by the College of Business. Representatives from the College of Business did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this story.
In a memorandum, William Locander, dean of the College of Business, explained that their recommendation was due to the program’s coordination issues, budget constraints, and accreditation issues that could arise during the next visit of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The Standing Council for Academic Planning approved the discontinuance on Tuesday Nov. 16.
According to John Snyder, professor and chair of music industry studies, the BBA program was initially created with the purpose of increasing enrollment in the College of Business, and it became a major after Hurricane Katrina.
“That major had no music and no technology, it was only business. It was an enrollment accommodation to increase students in the College of Business,” Snyder said.
The program will no longer be offered to incoming freshmen or any other students at Loyola, but students already in the program will have the option of completing it. Students who choose not to continue with this program will be encouraged to switch to a bachelor of science in music industry studies, or to a major in a business area with a minor in music industry studies.
“Bachelor of science students get more, they get technology and music, which seems logical to me, I want them to understand music just as well as they understand business,” Snyder said.
Besides these changes, the elimination of this program will also result in the university not renewing the contract of Professor George Howard. Snyder said that the College of Music and Fine Arts is looking to hire someone to fill any gaps created by the restructuring.
“They brought a lot of good teachers that are very smart and have experience in the industry or still work in the industry,” said Tyler Manson, business of music senior .
Manson added that there are student-led movements that are trying to get Howard to remain at Loyola.
“I think it’d be a shame, it’d be a big asset that we’re losing, and there are a lot of student-led movements that are trying to keep him around,” Manson said.
Carla Villacreces, music industry studies junior, believes Howard is highly qualified for his position and wishes he could stay. “It’s going to be a huge loss,” Villacreces said.
Delia Davidow, music industry studies junior, feels there will be no replacement for Howard. “He’s a genius, there’s no point in me being here if he’s not going to teach. I wouldn’t have any other teacher teaching me business classes,” Davidow said.
Cheyanne Woodyard, business of music sophomore, also hopes Howard will stay. “Hopefully, the university is able to retain Howard’s talent and incorporate him into the changes, making him a permanent fixture on this campus,” Woodyard said.
Unlike Manson, who has changed his major to economics, Woodyard is one of many students who will continue with the program. “I do feel that the discontinuance may introduce some obstacles in scheduling and sequencing, but I don’t believe the overall quality of my education will be affected,” Woodyard said.
Coordinating the program has presented difficulties for both faculty and students. According to the dean of the College of Music and Fine Arts, Donald Boomgaarden, faculty advisors in both the College of Business and the College of Music and Fine Arts have had trouble due to “the complexity of having multiple programs in the same area.”
Students were often confused by the similarity of the degrees offered for careers in the music industry, and this resulted in many transfers from one program to another. These issues are expected to dissipate now that the program is discontinued.
As for any budget issues, Boomgaarden explained that the university will provide the necessary resources for the program to remain for students like Woodyard who will continue pursuing the program.
According to Boomgaarden, this discontinuance will be an improvement.
“I want to make sure that our students know this change is not going to impact them in any negative way,” Boomgaarden said. “I feel certain that this new approach will improve the experiences of our business students, and enhance cooperation between the two colleges.”
Vannia Zelaya can be reached at [email protected]
