The transition has been a smooth one for the College of Business and the College of Applied Science and Technology since their merger this year into the College of Business and Technology.
The two colleges have always had overlapping interests, including their internship programs.
“We had developed a very strong working relationship,” said Linda Garceau,, dean of the College of Business and Technology. It was good from an academic standpoint to bring the two colleges together, she said.
A lot of marketing majors, for example, took classes in the applied science and technology. Now all of the classes are within the same college.
A contributing factor to the merger was the budget crisis that began in 2003.
The College of Applied Science and Technology was searching for a new dean, and because of the two colleges’ long-standing relationship, it made sense to merge them. Now there is only one dean employed and two associate deans. The merger has saved ETSU $250,000.
Garceau said that last May, people had some concerns about the merger, but overall, it has gone very well.
Combining the two colleges has allowed them to bring new programs to the market, she said. A real estate and development program is starting that will utilize both colleges.
“I’m excited about it,” Garceau said of the new opportunities the merger will bring. She said her major challenge will be to understand the technology side of the college.
Another challenge for the entire college is getting the faculty to know each other. The faculty has grown from 50 to 100 people.
All faculty members have kept their positions, however, and the same majors in the same departments are offered. The only change is that the geology department has merged with the technology and geomatics department.

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