Marshall University’s Lewis College of Business had their first business majors fair Wednesday, bringing awareness about possible different majors to undecided, re-deciding and exploring students.

Dale Shao, professor of management information systems and volunteer for the recruitment and retention committee in the College of Business, said a lot of students don’t realize double majors or Master’s degrees in fields like health care administration and human resource management exist.

Shao said if students find out they can get two degrees possibly within the same four-year period or slightly more, it can be valuable and powerful as they could apply for more jobs.

“This fair is about telling the students here’s what they can do, and now they decide,” Shao said. “That it seems simple, but it’s not done a lot. I want them to make their decisions that they’re going to live with.”

Shao said his philosophy is not trying to recruit students into the College of Business, but to ask the students about themselves and try to meet their needs, even if it means sending them to the liberal arts or science.

Rahul Malivad is a graduate student studying engineering management and attended the business fair.

“It is always nice to get more information about how you can graduate,” Malivad said. “I think about double majoring in business because I feel a lot of benefits come with it.”

Shao said all majors have changed today, and one of the biggest reasons is because technology has allowed them to and it has become a part of it.

“Technology is a huge part of everything and, in my class, I don’t have to sell it anymore,” Shao said. “You know that you need to know about technology in your major.”

Glen Midkiff, director of stakeholder engagement who works with students, alumni and employers to create internships, said the College of Business focuses a lot on the professional development of their students inside and outside of the classroom, preparing them to be more outstanding in the competitive industry today.

“We educate our students on all these different things, like interviewing style, social media page and online image, so they are better prepared when they go out into the workforce to find a job,” Midkiff said.

Midkiff said they encourage students in the Lewis College of Business to find an internship, as it is important to get their foot in the door.

Kessyl Lim can be contacted at [email protected].