Dear Penners: [warning, this isn't really about progressive economics --- it's more about one progressive economist [me] getting shafted!] This is a cry for help from a small (four person) econ dept. at a small private (definitely non-elite) college in Springfield, Ma. I've been here 24 years and our econ department mostly "services" the school of business by teaching required courses to their students --- and provided them with electives at the upper level. We also teach an introductory "foundations" course and Managerial Economics in the MBA program. All that is about to change. Our school of business has been hit with a decrease in enrollment and has decided that they can teach whatever economics their MBA students need. [they have two econ Ph D's in their Finance Department!]. So, they are dropping Managerial Economics from the B-school curriculum because in the words of some p - - , er, person, from the B-school it's "old hat." They also think the students don't "need" a foundations course in econ (two semesters of principles rolled into one for graduate intensity if not substance!) because they get enough econ in the business coureses anyway (fat chance!). The help I could use is --- those of you at schools that have MBA programs, how many still have a required Managerial Economics course in it? (doesn't matter if the B-school has its own econ department, that happens at lots of places -- we're small enough so that's not necessary!). If your MBA program has OTHER economics courses either as electives or as requirements, please tell me what they are. Please respond privately if you have any info that I could use. The meeting of the college-wide "Graduate Council" is Tuesday, May 16 and unfortunately, I and my fellow condemned economists (about 1/5 of the department's teaching load is in the MBA program) have to make as good an argument as we can for overruling the Business School's imperial expropriation then. Thanks in advance, Mike -- Mike Meeropol Economics Department Cultures Past and Present Program Western New England College Springfield, Massachusetts "Don't blame us, we voted for George McGovern!" Unrepentent Leftist!! [EMAIL PROTECTED] [if at bitnet node: in%"[EMAIL PROTECTED]" but that's fading fast!]
