MMC Business Program Aims to Prepare Students Through Experiential Learning

Vandana Rao, Ph.D.

Vandana Rao, Ph.D., joined Marymount Manhattan in Fall 2008 as the Chair of the Division of Accounting and Business Management. She believes in the interconnectedness of all classes, teaching students to broaden their minds and view their education as a whole rather than individual, separate parts. 

“Our strength derives from the fact that we offer students a strong liberal arts program,” Rao says. “We want our students to have a breadth of interests and knowledge because we believe that this will strengthen their creative and critical thinking skills as well as their communication skills. Our aim is to develop business leaders who will be adept at combining business principles with social responsibilities.” 

Rao has 20 years of teaching and research experience from India and Pennsylvania. In fact, Rao has received several grants, including one from UNICEF for situational analysis of women and children in Himachal Pradesh, India, culminating in a publication, and several from Indiana University East related to service learning and collaborative work within the community. 

Working in the field of business involves more than just managing activities that occur inside office walls. Through her business courses, Rao encourages her students to become aware of their national and international surroundings by developing an understanding for various cultures and learning about issues that affect people’s ways of life. 

MMC students have earned internships with many national and international financial groups, including Bank of New York, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Avon and Citibank. Rao says the Business Program at MMC will continue to evolve in order to meet the demands of the business world. 

“Our efforts in the next few years will be to strengthen the program in tandem with the goals of the College strategic plan,” she says. “One focus is experiential learning. We plan to increase the number of available internships. We are being intentional in integrating the service learning component. We are also beginning to develop undergraduate research and hope to increase student and faculty involvement in this goal.” 

“In terms of curricular changes, we are considering how best to incorporate innovation and creative thinking skills within the business core,” Rao says. “We are revising our curriculum to emphasize globalization, cultural competence and business ethics. In the next two years, we will review the business curriculum to ensure that our students are prepared to meet the challenges that will face them. We want them to emerge as global leaders and citizens who willingly embrace change and have the skills to transform the way we define problems and implement solutions.” 

Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, independent, liberal arts college. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual achievement and personal growth and by providing opportunities for career development.

Published: October 30, 2009