Steve's Page of Links to Nova University's Program for Business Administration
NOVA University's Humanities Department
Suzanne Ferriss has a good web page
Anyone who does business in Latin America without Garcia Marquez, Sonia Braga and syncretism in his head is like a sailor without a map.
Most people will give a brochure or a newspaper only 9 seconds before they turn the page. In 8 seconds I will show you why you need to read this page and the links to Nova's professors.
You have three choices for getting a degree in business administration:
1. Go to a private university and take many classes in economics and business adminiatration.
2. Go to a public university and take many classes in economics and business administration.
3. Nova's Liberal Arts will make you think, write, sweat, and hold in your mind two ideas that conflict with each other until your head hurts. The program is also known as "Humanities".
RESULTS for 1 and 2
You will know very little about Shakespeare, Garcia Marquez, Hobbes, Macchiavelli and other interesting references to history, but you will have a degree in Business Administration.
You will spent 4 years in large rooms with 40 or 60 people and you might meet the professor once or twice a month.
Your principal teacher will be a graduate student and you might sit in a large hall and listen to the important professor speak to you from his textbook.
RESULTS for 3 (Nova)
You will be expected to read hundreds of pages each week. The professor will ask you questions and you will answer quickly. You will practice analytical thinking, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, leadership, oral communication, and written communication.
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Your brain will hurt if you choose the tough (but satisfying) road to Business via Liberal Arts
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Write to [email protected] if you have any doubts about why Nova's liberal arts is a good preparation for business
What is liberal arts?
Liberal = free-thinking, unrestrained, someone who can think "outside of the box."
The arts = the human side of life. Philosophy, morals, justice, and other non-economic parts of the world. These issues are often forgotten when business people look only at the point where supply meets demand.
The goal for most people in Business = minimize risks, maximize profits. Count the things that you can count. The Gross National Product GNP increases when there is an oil spill, since more people will be employed to clean up the mess.
You can try to find the law, the rules, the science in life, but there is that special spirit, invisible "something special" that science can't measure or capture, and that is the art that you will study in Liberal Arts.
What kind of thinker do you want to work in your company? A liberal thinker or someone who has never been trained to hold two competing ideas between his ears for more than two minutes?
Do you want to know more?
See below what people are saying about liberal arts
"Employers are looking beyond business ksills to the borader liberal arts skills: writing, critical thinking and problem-solving." Judy Fisher, Occidental College (Los Angeles, California)
There is a high demand for critical thinking skills: speed, innovation and accuracy in thought.
You need a succinct style of writing.
You need presentation skills, since you will present ideas to the boss or a nw project to a client.
"There's a place for liberal arts in business." (Sun-Sentinel, December 19, 1999)
Many corporate executives realize that employees need broad training, not "specific business or technical skills," which the employee can "pick up on the job." (Taken from "The Practicality of the Liberal Arts Major," by Debra Sikes and Barbara Murray)
Testimonial by Steve McCrea
I took all the courses by Drs. Alford and Brodman that I could in 1984-87 -- and their courses and reading lists opened my eyes to worlds that I didn't know about. I have worked in California, Kenya, Honolulu, Washington (D.C.), and Miami, and everywhere I've been, I've used skills that I learned at Nova University.
I recommend that you look at the websites for Dr. Barbara Brodman, Dr. Steve Alford and Dr. Suzanne Ferriss (the newest member of the "toughest professors on campus"....
Adaptability and lifelong learning are now the cornerstones of success.
"An employee who has demonstrated ability to think independently is always of value, no matter how competitive the job market is. Liberal arts students are able to bring to a company well developed analytical and communication skills." Richard Lesser, President
TJ Maxx (a clothing store)
Is Nova better than Princeton University?
In many ways, yes.
I spent one year at a large university in New Jersey. A very important professor spoke to 400 students and we read a "Great Book" every week. We met with a separate professor twice a week and our writing was evaluated. (Did the professor read my essy or did his graduate student read my essay? It was hard to know.)
Then I transferred to Nova. My largest class had 20 people in it and most of the time I was in classes of fewere than 10 people.
The professors often have offices in the same building as their classrooms and I could meet with them any time. For me, Nova was better than a large university.
If you want to practice English, visit my web sites for English students:
Global Cooling Campaign,
a program developed by a graduate of Nova's Liberal Arts Degree Program
These companies favor applicants who have liberal arts degrees: Information Resources, MCI Communications, RR Donnelly & Sons, Sunrise Medical, FBI, Hospitality Frnacise Systems, Kay-Bee Toy and Hobby Shop, John Wiley & Sons
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