Back to News 
MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (December 16, 2003) — The first cohort in Milligan’s new Master of Business Administration (MBA) program will begin classes February 13, college officials announced today.
The college received word last week that its regional accrediting body, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), approved the college’s substantive change request for the new program.
“This is an important endorsement that ensures and confirms the quality of the institution and the MBA curriculum,” said Dr. Bill Greer, chair of Milligan’s business area and director of the MBA program. “We’re excited about beginning this unique program that explores leading-edge business principles and management concepts from a Christian worldview.”
Business leaders in the region have applauded Milligan’s MBA curriculum and educational model and interest in the program is very strong. The college’s first cohort is currently being finalized and applications are being accepted for the second cohort, which is scheduled to begin next fall.
“The program is academically strong and unique in that it encourages students to come face-to-face with the reality of fulfilling their calling as a Christian in today’s business and economic world,” said Greer. “There are very few programs out there with that distinct approach.”
And Greer said it is an approach that is sorely needed in today’s business world.
According to a recent study cited in the Chronicle of Higher Education, only 22 percent of the MBA students responding expressed agreement that their institutions were doing “a lot to prepare them for real-world ethical dilemmas.” Almost 20 percent reported that they were “not being prepared at all.”
“MBA students throughout the country are expressing a growing need for the sort of education that will leave them better equipped to integrate their work with their sense of ethics, integrity and social values,” explained Greer.
Greer said Milligan’s MBA curriculum is designed to provide students with a combination of technical skill, analytical and critical thinking, as well as the ability to exercise good judgment regarding the ethical implications that are inherent in virtually every business decision.
“Scandals in the business world have dominated the news headlines this past year, opening series after series of investigations and revealing poor corporate governance at some of America’s best-known firms,” said Greer. “Not only are these practices eroding consumer and investor confidence and rocking the economy, but thousands have lost their jobs and some their life savings.”
Milligan president Don Jeanes agreed that Milligan’s MBA is a timely and much-needed program.
“This program is a response to a great national need and a place where Milligan should endeavor to lead,” he said.
“Those called to leadership positions in the world of business and commerce have a great responsibility in today’s world—it is a responsibility that must be met with a commitment to Christian values and ethical conduct. We believe Milligan College is uniquely positioned to respond to that need,” said Jeanes.
For more information about Milligan’s MBA, visit www.milligan.edu/MBA or call 423.461.8730.