William Muse Becomes Dean In 1973
A faculty consensus held that scholarship and publication was an essential component of a first-rate academic institution. Accordingly, the committee selected to search for a permanent dean included impressive academic credentials and academic leadership among the traits being sought in the college's new dean. William Muse's academic record included two books, 18 journal articles, and four publications in progress.
One of William Muse's conditions before accepting the deanship was that each department head submit a letter of resignation. Once on campus, Dean Muse visited with each department head and either accepted or rejected the individual's resignation. The changes made appeared to reveal his desire to have persons with doctorates in their academic fields as department heads. It was also part of Muse's plan to change the organizational structure of the College by changing the departmental structure into one of integrated programs to better serve student needs.
Dean Muse faced the perennial problems of previous college leaders: increasing student demand for academic programs and budgetary constraints that hindered recruiting and adding needed faculty. The constraints were such that during 1975, more than 1,000 students were denied admission to CBA classes. Enrollment increased 20% during that year which meant there were 1,750 students in the college. Part of an enrollment screening process was to include a pre-business grade point requirement for students desiring CBA enrollment.
One bright spot for the college occurred in 1975 when the college moved into its own building. Faculty were so anxious to move into the new facility that their enthusiasm outstripped the rules of Omaha's Fire Department. The fire alarm system was not operational during the early days of faculty occupancy and the Fire Department threatened to close the building to all but faculty since the admission of students into the building could create an unsafe condition of crowding should a fire emergency arise. The solution was to station "fire monitors" on each floor for a few days until the alarm system could be activated. There were many jokes about whose voices shouting "fire!"could be heard through closed doors.
Adding desks to classrooms to accommodate this increased student demand was not an option to alleviate increased student demand since the AACSB accreditation standards imposed maximum student-faculty ratios. At that time, the ratio was 400 student credit hours per full-time equivalent faculty member. No actions were considered that would imperil accreditation. National employers tended to limit recruiting to accredited institutions. Prospective faculty tended to use an institution's accreditation to help determine the desirable of seeking employment. Accreditation also affected current students since it affected their options relative to attending graduate schools.
One of Dean Muse's goals was to bring business leaders closer to the college. One example was the establishment of a Center for Professional and Organization Development to coordinate all the non-credit workshops, seminars and conferences. Also established was a nationally-recognized Small Business Institute which is sponsored by the Small Business Administration (SBA). This institute provided free consulting advice and assistance to about 100 small business and other organizations each year. The SBA ranked the Small Business Institute as one of the largest in the nation.