In order to achieve its broad-based strategic goals, the Roland E. Meidinger Center for Excellence in Business is implementing the following major initiatives:

As a "hallmark of quality," the Center for Excellence in Business sought and has obtained accreditation of its business and business-related degree programs by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). Specialized business accreditation by an independent, external accrediting body is a means by which students, parents, the business community, and other stakeholders of the College can be assured that the institution's business degree programs meet high principles of excellence and follow best practice in business education.

In its continuing pursuit of excellence in business education, the CEB will also be securing Board-Registration of its programs in personal financial planning as approved curricula in financial planning by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFPBS). The CFPBS is a credentialing, licensing, and standards-setting body in the professional field of personal financial planning. Its certification standards promote the overall high quality of financial planning educational programs and provide assurance that financial planning curricula comply with Board-approved certification criteria and educational guidelines.

The Center for Excellence in Business at Jamestown College and the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the University of Colorado-Denver (one of only 25 CIBERs in the U.S.) have entered into an innovative partnership that adds significant dimensions to the initiatives of the CEB. This cooperative venture provides the CEB with important new sources for student, faculty, and program development relating to international business. The CIBER/CEB partnership involves several elements and activities, including:

Joint "Window on China" International Study Tour

Joint Speaker Series in International Business

Collaborative Grant Writing for External Funding

Web-Based Program Development and Delivery

Professional Development Opportunities

The Center for Excellence in Business, through its Department of Business, Accounting, and Economics, currently offers students the following opportunities for international study in business, economics, and/or accounting:

"Window on China" International Study Tour

"Window on the European Union" International Study Tour

Irish/American Scholars Study Abroad Program

International Student Exchange Program (ISEP)

In addition, the Center will be establishing new scholarships in international business that will provide funds for CEB students to take advantage of the Center's study abroad opportunities.

In order to enhance traditional classroom instruction and expose CEB students to academic experts and successful practitioners, the Center for Excellence in Business sponsors and hosts an annual invited lecture series. The invited lectures feature prominent figures from both academe and business who focus on contemporary topics and issues in business. Our guest speakers also visit various CEB classes and have the opportunity to interact with Center students.

As a means of enhancing professional development, Center faculty will be participating annually in international business seminars and study tours such as those sponsored by the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) and various Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBERs). The seminars and tours normally consist of a short-term (1-3 week) intensive overseas experience and are designed to enhance the faculty's practical knowledge of current economic conditions and business practices in other countries. These overseas experiences will enable Meidinger Center faculty to incorporate more global perspectives into their courses, and therefore will contribute significantly to the Center’s ongoing goal to enhance the internationalization of its business, accounting, and economics curricula.

The Center for Excellence in Business currently has a very strong and active chapter of the national business student organization known as Phi Beta Lambda. The chapter has won several "Gold Key Awards," and its student members have placed highly in competitions against other chapters at regional conferences. The Center will also be establishing local chapters of two additional professional student organizations. First, a chapter of Sigma Beta Delta (SBD) will be installed. This organization is a nationally recognized business honorary society whose objectives are to encourage and recognize scholarship and achievement by business students, and to promote personal and professional improvement and lives distinguished by honorable service to humankind. Secondly, the Center will be establishing a Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team. The mission of SIFE is to develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills through learning, practicing, and teaching the principles of free enterprise.

The faculty of the Center for Excellence in Business strongly believe that experiential learning is vital to the complete education of business students. Consequently, the development of significantly expanded opportunities for national and international internships and other types of field experience is a major goal of the CEB, and will provide an excellent opportunity to engage alumni throughout the country in advancing their alma mater's purposes.

An important initiative of the Center for Excellence in Business is the development of new programs and concentrations that expand offerings and widen the range of choices for CEB students. The Center has recently developed the following programs of study:

Concentration in Financial Planning in the Accounting Major

Liberal Arts Concentrations in the Business Administration Major

Concentration in Marketing in the Business Administration Major

Major in Financial Planning and Wealth Management

Major in Liberal Arts Business Studies

Interdisciplinary Major in Health and Fitness Administration

Minor in Economics

In the future, the Center for Excellence in Business will be developing additional program areas in response to the assessment of marketplace and student demands.