Dean, Providence College School of Business
1. How will the presence of the Arthur F. and Patricia Ryan Center for Business Studies, designed to support Providence College’s School of Business, help further the institution’s academic goals?
We offer a business degree, which is deeply and uniquely rooted in the liberal arts. We work at the intersection of the humanities, in particular, and business studies. The theme of this building is “town square,” which the atrium invokes. … [It] offers a meeting place for faculty and students from business and the humanities.
2. What specific design strategies or new technology included in the facility are you most excited about?
Most of the teaching rooms are active-learning classrooms. This means they have flexible seating and technology that facilitates the projection of work from groups of students for collective discussion. These rooms force faculty to be coaches, rather than “sages on the stage.” There is little value these days in “stand and deliver” pedagogy – active learning engages students and research tells us it is hugely effective.
3. How do you hope this new facility will set the School of Business apart from competitors?
I don’t think there is a business school in the region with as large a percentage of total teaching spaces set up according to active-learning design principles as ours. In addition, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business affirmed the School of Business’ rising level of distinction and quality when it awarded accreditation in 2012. Only 30 percent of U.S. business schools, and 5 percent worldwide, achieve this prestigious designation.
4. How will this new facility help recruit more students?
As our visibility and appeal grow, we are becoming more selective. We aren’t expanding our size, so as applications rise we have tougher choices about whom to admit. This new building shows the commitment of the college to the future generations of business leaders who will pass through these doors.
5. Why should today’s high school and college students look to a career in business?
One of the core values at the PC School of Business is that business can be a force for social good. We say we are educating for a future based on “we” – where social needs and working together will be more paramount than ever.
