Growing the School of Business, at the College of Charleston

March 30, 2010: Valerie Morris introduced Dr. Alan Shao, Dean of the Business School of the College of Charleston. Dr. Shao indicated that, prior to taking the position of Dean of the Business School of the College of Charleston, he taught at the U. of Alabama and was Dean of the Business School at the U. of North Carolina for 19 years. He said that he has traveled to China more than a hundred times, often as a business consultant to many major companies who do business with the Chinese. In 2005 he was listed in the Journal of Advertising as one of the most influential leaders in the country. Shao stated that his mother is from South Carolina though his ancestry in China.

Dr. Shao said that the number one challenge in higher education today is competition from for-profit schools. From 1988 – 1998, growth in for-profit schools grew by 319%. From 1998 – 2008, growth in for-profit schools grew by 664%. An example he cited was that the U. of Phoenix currently has 455,000 students on the rolls. For-profit institutions have grown at a rate of 9% per year over the past 10 years. He said that the reason for this is that these schools are: 1) Student focused; 2) Convenient within a community; 3) Make up 7% of all college enrollments.

In South Carolina, Dr. Shao said that there is a minimal support for state run schools – 10%; and maximum control of the C of C by the state – 100%. Only $424 million is offered in financial support to all schools in the entire state. Whereas, $458 million is given by the state of Georgia to the U. of Georgia alone.

Dr. Shao then showed an excellent video highlighting qualities of the C of C Business School. He boasted that only 5% of the business schools in the entire United States have as high of a certification as the C of C. Currently he is celebrating his first full year as Dean of the business school. He said that a current and ongoing goal is that of globalization. He wants to strongly market the school outside of the United States.

Dr. Shao then outlined five goals that he has for the business school. They are:

Step 1: Globalization (they are currently working closely with China).
Step 2: Increasing graduate programs.
Step 3: Increase community partnerships.
Step 4: Train students to “think differently.”
Step 5: Increase online education opportunities.

These steps are a snapshot of where he sees the future of the business school heading. He added that they are also attempting to become less dependent on state support and provide a more student-oriented educational experience. When asked about how much money the business school wanted from the state, he responded by saying that he wanted the school to become 100% independent from state resources and that to do that he will be generating funds from private sources. He wants to reduce dependence on the state and become self-supportive.

Reported by: William K. Christian, III, Keyway Committee