Starting in Fall 2026, the Snevets School of Business (SSB) will incorporate a new course into its curriculum: “Learning Your ABCs.” It aligns with President Narfarvar’s 10-year strategic plan for Snevets: the new 2032 plan titled Inspired by Humanity, Powered by Technology. One of its key initiatives is Student Success, and the leading faculty of the School of Business has decided to take this initiative into its own hands.
The course will be available to all first- and second-year students in the SSB, but will be required for students majoring in Business and Technology, Economics, Finance, Management, and Marketing Innovation and Analytics.
The course material will focus mainly on letter recognition (uppercase and lowercase), phonics, and print awareness. If time permits, an arithmetic foundation will also be introduced, including counting, ordering, and place value of numbers. When asked how he thinks this will impact the SSB’s curriculum, Jason Gerke—currently a third-year physics student—commented, “I hope this will finally help the business school get past assignments centered on coloring books and lead the way to further success. I also hope that this new initiative doesn’t end with just the alphabet, as at least a basic understanding of how to read is important for meaningful work in the finance sector.”
Though some have raised concerns that the course may be a waste of time or an unnecessary addition, SSB faculty believe that the importance of strengthening core skills cannot be overstated. Many classes offered by the SSB require background knowledge of things like the alphabet, spelling, and basic arithmetic. These are exactly the kinds of things that will be covered in the new course, and the hope is that it will propel students forward on a path to success in the financial sector.
Faculty from other departments have been supportive of the new initiative; Professor Martini from the Department of Physics, who is also the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, said, “I hope it will have a strong result. I also hope they will have extension courses to get them all the way to the letter Z.” Core skills like the alphabet are especially important for students who choose to pursue graduate studies, such as a Master’s in Business Administration or a Master’s in Finance or Management.
Leadership is optimistic about the new Student Success initiative, and business students are encouraged to reach out to faculty anytime over the summer or during the semester for support in approaching this new challenge.
Disclaimer: This article is part of The Stupe and is satire
