NEIU’s College of Business and Technology (CBT) will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in May 2025. CBT was founded in 1984 and offers degrees in business, accounting, finance, computer science, cybersecurity and information technology, among other programs, and currently enrolls about 1,000 students.
Many of CBT’s degree programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an international accreditation organization that bills itself as “the global standard-setting body for business education.” Only 5% of business schools worldwide are AACSB accredited, and only 7% nationally. NEIU’s College of Business and Technology is one of them.
CBT is also pursuing ABET accreditation for its computer science and technology courses. ABET, formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, accredits engineering as well as computer science and applied science programs worldwide. ABET accreditation, unlike AACSB, is per program rather than for the entire college, meaning that CBT’s accreditation process will take time. Dr. Michael Bedell, the dean of CBT, has said, “We may be surprised with a result in July [of this year],” regarding CBT’s first ABET accreditation. Neither of these accreditations are based on enrollment numbers.
According to Dr. Bedell, 99% of what CBT does is traditional degree programs which build off a common core curriculum that differentiates into individual degrees in the upper levels of the programs. However, that is not all CBT does.
In addition to its traditional degree programs, CBT also provides certificates in computer science, coding and cybersecurity, among others. New this year, CBT now offers pathways to minors and majors in NEIU’s non-traditional degree program.
In consultation with CBT’s advisory board, the college has partnered with Coursera, which provides online courses and certifications. CBT students can now graduate with certifications in cloud computing, cybersecurity and coding, as well as logistics and supply chains, among other things. CBT also provides this service to alumni.
“They can literally do a certificate and change their career into something new,” Dr. Bedell said. “Because now they’ve got that certification that proves they have that knowledge.”
“When we think of higher education,” Dr. Bedell said of the Coursera offerings for students and alumni alike, “it’s ‘What’s that piece of education you need post high school to be successful, to reskill.’”
CBT also runs NEIU’s Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) Center at the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) in Bronzeville. According to NEIU’s website, “The BIG Center aids start-ups and existing businesses to fuel their entrepreneurial growth.” It provides courses and resources for people wanting to start a new business or improve their existing one.
One of the BIG Center’s offerings is a 12-week business planning course called Be Your Own Boss (BYOB), which helps entrepreneurs to research their industry and create marketing plans and a “pitch-ready business plan.”
Dr. Bedell billed it as a “build your own business, start to finish course.”
The BIG Center also provides business consulting as well as workshop opportunities. Additionally, the BIG Center also provides resources and facilities to help grow a business, including a co-working space, a private hybrid conference room, and presentation and training spaces. Dr. Bedell has said that there are plans to build a similar program with facilities at NEIU’s main campus.
CBT’s 40th anniversary celebration will culminate in a dinner and dancing at the Biagio Events center in Chicago on May 3. The event will feature Dr. George Vukotich, a former member of the CBT advisory board as the keynote speaker, as well as a celebration of 40 CBT alums and friends of the college. These will include J. Todd Phillips, the current Chair of NEIU’s Board of Trustees, and another former member of CBT’s advisory board.
CBT is also aiming to raise $40,000 to celebrate the anniversary. Dr. Bedell has said it is three quarters of the way to that goal, and expects to meet it.
One feature of the celebration is that gifts for attendees will be provided by businesses started through the BIG Center. “Every vendor went through the BIG Center and became a functional business,” Dr. Bedell said.
