The University of North Carolina Asheville may not be a business, but Chancellor Kimberly van Noort still looks closely at what her customers — the students — want from the institution. And a big part of that desire, she told the Citizen Times, is business itself.
To that end, UNCA announced the launch of its School of Business on Oct. 15. The program will add majors in business analytics, finance, and marketing, while bringing the university’s existing business and economics departments under new executive leadership.
UNCA will hire at least four new faculty members to support the program with over $1 million in support from the UNC System’s Faculty Recruiting and Retention Fund. The school will also open a new “Policy Lab,” where students can
analyze the impact of government interventions on the economy, and a revamped Artificial Intelligence Lab.
“We’ve seen a spike,” said van Noort. “Business as a degree, in and of itself, has been one of our strongest and most steadily growing programs on campus.”
Beyond meeting student interest, van Noort said the new school will respond to educational gaps identified by local employers. She pointed to a planned credential program for healthcare management, which AdventHealth told UNCA would be a major local need after the hospital finishes its planned 93-bed facility in Weaverville. Area companies have also asked the university to offer Certified Financial Planner preparation.
Even as the university offers these new courses in specific hard skills, van Noort emphasized that UNCA will continue to embrace its status as the state system’s designated liberal arts and sciences campus. Faculty will “infuse our liberal arts philosophy” into the School of Business, she said, giving students the communication, teamwork, and critical thinking abilities employers seek.
The announcement comes amid a larger conversation about UNCA’s future and its ability to attract students. As recently reported by The Assembly, the school’s enrollment dropped 8% this year, to 2,646 students. In 2024, it made the controversial move to eliminate programs in Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Drama, Philosophy, and Religious Studies, citing the need for fiscal discipline after five years of shrinking classes. Plans to raise revenue through the development of its Millennial Campus — popularly known as “the woods” — have faced vigorous community opposition.
Van Noort pegged the current enrollment issues largely on Tropical Storm Helene, which she said had deeply disrupted recruitment. But the chancellor said that universities in general needed to better match their resources with student demand. The business school, she continued, was a key part of that recalibration for UNCA.
“A lot of our students want to stay in the region when they graduate. How do we prepare them for jobs here? How do we prepare employers to receive our students, to get excited about our students?” van Noort asked. “I think the business school is going to do that.”
UNCA expects to hire an executive director for the School of Business by the spring semester. Pending approval by UNC system leadership, students will be able to enroll in the new majors starting in fall 2027. More information is available at UNCA.edu/School-of-Business.
Daniel Walton is the City Government Watchdog Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at dwalton@citizentimes.com, and connect with him on social media through Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: UNC Asheville launches new School of Business
