Community and officials turn out for open house
By Toriano L. Porter
For the St. Louis American
On Sunday, Harris-Stowe State University President Dr. Henry Givens Jr. welcomed area business leaders, university board members, local dignitaries and current and prospective business students to the university’s open house tour of the new Anheuser-Busch Business Administration School building on the city’s South Side.
Givens and business administration Dean Chigbo Ofong were among a handful of HSSU faculty and staffers who proudly showed off their new learning quarters at 5707 Wilson, the first satellite campus for the rapidly evolving, historically black institution. The building opened for classes at the start of the fall 2005 semester.
“We want to show this community that Harris-Stowe is a legitimate university,” Givens said after a crowd of over 100 toured the sparkling facility.
“We knew when we expanded and moved into the state (university) system, one of the most important programs that we could release would be the business administration degree program, because this community is starving for African-American business graduates. We knew if we had the right vision and the right corporate support, we could build a strong program. That is exactly what has happened.”
In charge of overseeing HSSU’s business administration program is Ofong, a Nigerian national who recently completed a stint at Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss. Ofong was chair and associate professor of management at Rust and introduced 11 new business courses within the business division and helped increase enrollment of business students by 46 percent while there.
“We have a great business program here at Harris-Stowe,” Ofong proudly said, “and we’re already accredited by two of the three major business decision agencies. We’re just one of a few business schools (in the area) that are accredited.”
Ofong, now in his first year at HSSU, said Givens’ vision and work ethic to improve the image and prestige of Harris-Stowe was one of the deciding factors in his applying for the position. He credited the president for having the wherewithal to see the potential future of the school and develop a business program that features business administration disciplines in accounting, health care management, hotel and tourism, with entrepreneurial, management and marketing specialties in place as well.
“It is the challenge of developing a new business school that has drawn me here,” Ofong said. “Dr. Givens had the vision, commitment and drive for the program. I was attracted to that vision.”
Givens said Ofong will lead the business school’s charge to obtain accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International Accreditation (AACSB) agency. Givens said AACSB requires that 95 percent of faculty at a particular business school at least hold have a Ph.D.
“Our students are excited right now, and our accreditation process is going great,” Givens said.
“I want our graduates – when they’re finished at HSSU – I want corporations and businesses stumbling over their doorsteps to get to them.”
Parent Talekia Moore brought two of her eldest children, ages 16 and 18, to the open house. She wanted her 18-year-old son, Jason, a freshman at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, to get a glimpse of HSSU’s new digs in an attempt to keep him close to home when he attends college. She was impressed.
“Five years ago, I probably wouldn’t have even came to this,” Moore said, perusing promotional literature.
“But, now, it seems they (Harris-Stowe) are getting it together, and I definitely want my boys to consider coming here and learning how to become professional business men.”
