Shepherd University Offers New College of Business

Shepherd University has launched its newest college – a College of Business. According to the Higher Education Policy Commission, it’s the fifth college of business offered at a higher education institution in West Virginia.

The new college at Shepherd is home to three departments – business administration, economics and finance, and accounting. Shepherd’s COB will also administer the school’s Master in Business Administration.

Ben Martz is the Dean of the College of Business at Shepherd University. He says the first time Shepherd offered a business program was in 1947. Now 70 years later, the school’s entire business curriculum is focused and bundled all-in-one.

“It helps on a lot of areas,” Martz said, “It helps us talk to students. It helps us talk to businesses. It helps talk to funders, because you’re now concentrating on business.”

Martz hopes over the next year to partner with other colleges on curriculums such as tourism, arts and sciences, problem-solving, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Martz says those areas are critical in today’s business world.

Shepherd’s new College of Business also created an Applied Business Council, which will consist of CEOs and presidents from several companies that will give annual curriculum review, lectures, and real-world case studies.

Shepherd joins Marshall, West Liberty, West Virginia State, and West Virginia Universities in offering a College of Business.

Four additional higher education institutions in West Virginia offer a School, Division, or Department in Business, including Bluefield State College, Concord University, Fairmont State University, and Glenville State College.