Business and Economics

At EMU we prepare you to be successful, to promote the common good and to be an active leader in today’s marketplace. Our professors will help you increase your business knowledge, learn important hands-on skills, and develop a values-based approach to business and management.

Our graduates understand the value of people in business, and know how important meeting economic need is to the state of the world and the peacebuilding process. We’re committed to excellence, ethics and social justice, and we encourage study across disciplines, a focus on sustainability, and the development of a global perspective. At EMU you’ll:

study in a cross-cultural setting
consider sustainability and stewardship in decision-making
collaborate on original research with faculty with industry experience
put your classroom learning to use in off campus internships
learn to work effectively in teams and hone communication and financial skills
learn from professors who’ve lived and worked internationally

More than 90% of EMU alums are working or studying in their field of study within a year of graduation. EMU business alumni consistently rank high on nationally standardized business exams, with many pursuing graduate degrees in their majors.

Program News

Faculty and Students Attend the American Economics Association Convention in Philadelphia Jan. 2-5, 2014

Click here to read the report from student Jordan Hollinger, who attended the convention.

Professor Stoltzfus presents at the American Accounting Association Annual Meeting

Professor Ronald Stoltzfus and co-author Ruth W. Epps from Virginia Commonwealth University presented their pension research during the Emerging and Innovative Research Session at the AAA Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California. The competitive session is open to research in progress.

Dr. Chris Gingrich and EMU student Emily King co-author article

Dr. Chris Gingrich and EMU student Emily King (2012 grad) co-authored an article in The Journal of Cooperatives, entitled “Does Fair Trade Fulfill the Claims of its Proponents? Measuring the Global Impact of Fair Trade on Participating Coffee Farmers.” Click here to read the article.

Click here to read Dr. Gingrich’s latest published article, DOES FREE DISTRIBUTION OF MOSQUITO NETS AFFECT SUBSIDIZED NET SALES? EVIDENCE FROM A NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN IN TANZANIA.

2011 Grad works in Colombia with MCC

2011 business administration grad William Morris: “The majority of my work through Mennonite Central Committee’s Seed Program in Colombia is split between a local church and a regional food cooperative, and in both venues I help to organize projects related to food security and general economic development. At the church, part of a local evangelical Christian denomination, I work with pastors and lay leaders on three main projects: organizing a community land purchase for small farmers, working with youth through Bible studies on life planning and career callings, and helping with an anti-gang/jobs proposal submitted to local government officials. The food co-op works with several marginalized communities, some of them still displaced after a significant period of violence that ended about a decade ago, and provides a means of selling their products more directly to consumers at better prices. I’ve been helping organize the project as it goes from the concept phase to a functioning market, which we’re hoping to open within the next two months. It’s been a challenge being able to connect what I studied in an academic setting with the practical reality of starting projects from the ground up, motivating others to get involved, and doing everything in a different culture and foreign language. More than that though, I feel blessed for the opportunity to use what I’ve learned in a meaningful, concrete way while gaining an incredible experience at the start of my post-university career.”

Summer internship provides excellent experience

Summer 2012, Darian Harnish participated in a Junior Fellowship Program for Survey Methodology through the University of Maryland. The program provides an opportunity to work in one of the 13 federal statistics agencies, supplemented with field visits to other agencies and weekly seminars on survey methodology. Located in Washington D.C., the program allows for exploration of the nation’s capital as well as an opportunity to engage with students from different universities. Darian’s intern placement was at the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), a division of the Department of Commerce. Specifically, he worked in the National Income and Wealth Division which is primarily responsible for publishing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates. Darian says, “Working at the BEA allows me new insights into the value of GDP as a statistic and a more comprehensive understanding of national accounting. Our field visits to agencies, such as the Census Bureau and Bureau of Justice Statistics, provide opportunity to hear how the data collected through national surveys are used to improve services, i.e. determining how many police or fire officers are necessary for a given region. Recently, the other fellows and I sat down with chief statistician, Katherine Wallman at the Office of Management and Budget for an overview of the federal statistical agencies. In addition to field visits, leading researchers in survey methodology host weekly seminars on a variety of subjects applicable to our daily internships. Overall, the fellowship provides a great way to engage survey methodology in an exciting program and social environment.”

Carmen Witmer receives VSCPA scholarship

Carmen Witmer, an accounting major, has received a scholarship from the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants Educational Foundation.

Founded in 1984, the Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA) Educational Foundation is a 501©3 nonprofit organization dedicated to attracting future CPAs by promoting financial and accounting education, rewarding academic excellence and encouraging students to pursue promising careers. The Foundation supports students and educators in Virginia through scholarships and grants.

Team participates in business ethics case competition

On March 14 and 15, 2012, four students: Todd Hooley, Jonathan Leaman, Evan McCarthy, and Nate Weaver, along with faculty advisor Dr. Spencer Cowles, participated in the Mount St. Mary’s Business Ethics Case Competition in Emmitsburg, Pa.

Seven teams, including a team from South-Ural State University in Chelyabinsk, Russia took part in the competition. The case required making a recommendation to a Canadian utility company about constructing a hydroelectric dam in an environmentally sensitive region of Belize, a nation that was suffering from a chronic shortage of electrical power.