Having employer-ready graduates is a priority at UNI Business. Part of that focus means helping students obtain professional certifications and credentials — like Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Financial Planner, Six Sigma Green Belt, etc. — before graduation, boosting their marketability for companies and making them career ready.

The pandemic has damaged businesses across the country. Federal aid in the form of Paycheck Protection Program—which began April 3 and ended Aug. 8 and handed out 5.2 million loans worth $525 billion—provided an essential crutch. But some businesses, particularly Black-owned and minority-owned businesses, were largely locked out, according to a recent report from the Association Press and CBS.

The University of Northern Iowa provides a pathway for adults and students to obtain a bachelor’s degree in new and innovative ways. With support from UNI’s College of Business Administration, the Office of Online and Distance Education is recruiting students for a new Managing Business and Organizations Bachelor of Applied Science (MBO BAS) degree, tailored to working professionals to finish a four-year program. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life in every sense, particularly for businesses. Offices may never be the same. A variety of data shows that even after the pandemic ends, many companies expect their employees will work from home at least a few days a week. These dramatic shifts could have lasting implications for corporate America. Will competition for office space in urban hubs be less fierce? 

As I write this, past mid-term, face-to-face classes continue. Will we make it through the semester? Regardless, our 40th year moves forward, pandemic or not! I am the last dean of this college to have worked for all previous deans. I look forward to celebrating with my colleagues, probably post-vaccine, to recognize where we have been and where we are today. 

In today’s education climate—where disruption due to the pandemic and ever-changing technologies have become the norm—putting the students first is of utmost importance. At UNI’s business college, students are at the center of everything, and that’s by design.