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Business Profs Who Doubt Value of Business Major

February 14, 2013

It's not unheard of for professors to question the value of undergraduate education in business. It's more rare if you teach in -- let alone lead -- an undergraduate program in business, but that's what has happened at Tel Aviv University. Haaretz reported that Shmuel Ellis, chair of the undergraduate Department of Management, recently sent out an e-mail telling those who are undecided about their major not to pick business. He suggested they consider fields in the humanities, social sciences or biological sciences. "Study of academic disciplines prepares students to think scientifically in these fields and form the foundation for advanced studies in graduate degree programs," he said.

The comments have angered some students studying business. Adding to the anger is that Ellis was defending comments from Moshe Zviran, vice dean of the graduate business program, who recently questioned the value of undergraduate education in business. Zviran said that business study only makes sense at the graduate level. "Business administration is an excellent degree but needs to be studied at the appropriate time," he said.

 

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Scott Jaschik

Scott Jaschik, Editor, is one of the three founders of Inside Higher Ed. With Doug Lederman, he leads the editorial operations of Inside Higher Ed, overseeing news content, opinion pieces, career advice, blogs and other features. Scott is a leading voice on higher education issues, quoted regularly in publications nationwide, and publishing articles on colleges in publications such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Salon, and elsewhere. He has been a judge or screener for the National Magazine Awards, the Online Journalism Awards, the Folio Editorial Excellence Awards, and the Education Writers Association Awards. Scott served as a mentor in the community college fellowship program of the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media, of Teachers College, Columbia University. He is a member of the board of the Education Writers Association. From 1999-2003, Scott was editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Scott grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and graduated from Cornell University in 1985. He lives in Washington.

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