P: 800-368-3227 E: academic_affairs@vuu.edu
Virginia Union University (VUU) is a distinguished private institution founded in 1865 that proudly upholds a legacy of academic excellence and community engagement. With a historic 86-acre campus, it offers a dynamic and nurturing environment for its 1,568 undergraduate and graduate students. Virginia Union University is recognized in the 2024 edition of U.S. News & World Report, holding a prestigious position as #39 among Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Five fundamental principles (core values) guide Virginia Union University. Each principle is essential to our ability to provide a Best-In-Class educational experience for students, faculty, and staff. These principles help our community understand the right path to fulfilling our institution's mission. The principles are Innovation, Spiritual Formation, Integrity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Excellence.
The Interim Dean of the Sydney Lewis School of Business provides strategic, academic, and administrative leadership to support the School during a transitional period. The Interim Dean oversees faculty, staff, academic programs, accreditation activities, and student success initiatives within the School of Business. This role ensures operational continuity, promotes academic excellence, strengthens industry partnerships, and advances the university’s mission. The ideal candidate is a collaborative, student-centered leader with strong communication skills, commitment to innovation, and experience in higher education administration.
Responsibilities
Education
Application Process
Candidates are required to submit their resume, four professional references and a cover letter. The application review will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. A background investigation and reference check will be required prior to employment. For any questions or concerns, please contact Askhr@vuu.edu.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Virginia Union University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, protected veteran status, or other protected class.
For more information about Virginia Union University, visit VUU About Page.
The School of Business retention number is 60%.
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This is the link to the Student Achievement data for Virginia Union University:
The graduation rate in the School of Business is 73%.
The School of Business has a 45% acceptance rate (Fall 2024) and has a current enrollment of 56 students in the graduate programs (Spring 2025).
SLSB students job placement rates for 2024-2025 have been at 93%, due to the partnership with VUU Workforce Development Department.
98% of the School of Business students received internships (2021-2025).
Students are receiving competitive salaries.
Students are graduating with high academic honors and thereby are being accepted into graduate school at a 98% acceptance rate.
Virginia Union University award transfer credits for those courses that are compatible with our courses or that can be used as electives.
Sydney Lewis School of Business enrollment numbers are steadily increasing.
Virginia Union University monitors a variety of measures of student achievement, including enrollment, retention, and degrees conferred.
The information below can be found on the SCHEV page:
Useful data on VUU and many other institutions of higher education is available from College Navigator and The Education Trust’s College Results Online.
Link: https://research.schev.edu/
ACBSP is the leading specialized accreditation association for business education that supports, celebrates, and rewards teaching excellence. The association embraces teaching excellence and emphasizes to students that it is essential to learn how to learn. ACBSP also acknowledges the importance of scholarly research and inquiry and believes that such activities facilitate improved teaching.
Accreditation by the ACBSP affirms our commitment to continuous academic quality improvement through its rigorous affirmation process. Among other qualities, ACBSP accreditation means that our faculty come to the classroom with real-world experience, programs reflect current realities and skills required in the business world, and student support services reflect the latest support strategies to ensure success in these programs:
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
2018 SLSB Graduates by Accredited Degree Program
There are approximately 2,900 institutions of higher education that have business administration, finance, management, and marketing. Many institutions also have specialized areas of study such as human resource management, management information systems, and public administration that are part of a business academic unit and considered to be business-related curricula. Click here learn more about the ACBSP.
The Sydney Lewis School of Business has two departments: Accounting and Management
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
| Department |
The Sydney Lewis School of Business has two departments:
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| Degree |
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| Majors |
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| Minors |
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| Accounting Minor (20 credit hours) |
The minor requires 20 hours after three prerequisites are met. Prerequisites that may be taken to satisfy general education requirements: ECO 231 Principles of Economics Minor Courses:
Note: Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all courses taken for the minor in Business program. |
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Business Minor |
Required:
AND Three other specified courses chosen in consultation with the Chair of the SLSB and approved by the Dean of the SLSB. |
| Marketing Minor (12 credit hours) |
Required:
Choose three additional courses from the following:
Note: Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all courses taken for the minor in Business program. |
| Outlined Program of Study |
Requirements (B. S. Degree, 120 hours) The SLSB core, required of all business students, uses a holistic approach to learning and understanding how functional areas in business and management are intertwined and applicable to a broad range of organizational issues and problems. |
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General Education SLSB Core Courses |
Other Departmental Requirements (6 hours)
Restricted Electives (0 - 6 hours) General Education (36 – 42 hours) Total Hours Required for Degree 120 hours. |
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
| Department | Business Administration |
| Major |
Business Administration (EMBA)
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| Degree | Executive Master of Business Administration* |
| Department | Hospitality Management |
| Major | Hospitality Management |
| Degree | Master of Science in Hospitality Management* |
*Denotes: New programs that has been approved by the Regional Accreditation body (SACS COC), but will be approved by ACBSP after the completion of the first graduating class.
MAJORS
MINORS
Accounting
Business
Marketing
Accounting Minor (20 credit hours)
The minor requires 20 hours after three prerequisites are met.
Prerequisites that may be taken to satisfy general education requirements:
ECO 231 Principles of Economics
MAT 160 Pre-Calculus
CIS 162 Business Computer Application or
Minor Courses:
MGT 199 Professional and Ethical Development
ACC 201 Financial Accounting
ACC 202 Managerial Accounting
ACC 303 Accounting Information Systems
ACC 305 Federal Personal Taxes AND
FNB 300 Principles of Finance OR
ACC 301 Intermediate Accounting I
Note: Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all courses taken for the minor in Business program.
Business Minor (19 credit hours)
Required:
ACC 201 Financial Accounting
MKT 300 Principles of Marketing
FNB 300 Principles of Finance (Prerequisite ACC 201)
AND
Three other specified courses chosen in consultation with the Chair of the SLSB and approved by the Dean of the SLSB.
Note: Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all courses taken for the minor in Business program.
Marketing Minor (12 credit hours)
Required:
MKT 300 (Prerequisite ECO 231; which may be used as a general education requirement) AND
Choose three additional courses from the following:
(MKT 300 is the prerequisite for all of the following courses)
MKT 370 Buyer Behavior
MKT 371 Retailing
MKT 376 Small Enterprise Marketing
MKT 379 Promotional Strategy
MKT 383 Salesmanship
MKT 473 Organization to Organization Marketing
MKT 474 Global Marketing (additional prerequisite of MGT 316 or permission of instructor)
MKT 479 Marketing Research (additional prerequisite of a basic statistics class such as MAT 201, CCJ 335, PSY 203 or SOC 319)
MKT 490 Special Topics (as appropriate with permission of instructor)
Note: Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all courses taken for the minor in Business program.
Outlined Program of Study
Requirements (B. S. Degree, 120 hours)
(A minimum grade of C is required in all English, Mathematics, Economics and Business Courses)
The SLSB core, required of all business students, uses a holistic approach to learning and understanding how functional areas in business and management are intertwined and applicable to a broad range of organizational issues and problems.
General Education 52 hours
SLSB Core Courses 38 hours
ACC 201 Financial Accounting 4
ACC 202 Managerial Accounting 4
ECO 232 Micro-Economics 3
FNB 300 Principles of Finance 3
MGT 199 Professional and Ethical Development 3
MGT 200 Intro to Legal Environments 3
MGT 213 Managerial Communications 3
MGT 313 Operations Management 3
MGT 314 Management and Organizational Behavior 3
MGT 316 Global Business 3
MKT 300 Principles of Marketing 3
MGT 413 Strategic Management in a Global Environment 3
Other Departmental Requirements 6 hours
MAT 201 Statistics 3
MAT 210 Business Calculus 3
Courses Required in Major 18 - 23 hours
Restricted Electives 1 - 6 hours
Total Hours Required for Degree 120 hours.
The Ruth Coles Harris Leadership Institute at Virginia Union University’s Sydney Lewis School of Business offers a lecture series to deepen students’ understanding of business and workshops and seminars for the community. The institute is named after Dr. Ruth Coles Harris, who served on the faculty at VUU for nearly 48 years. She was the first director of the Sydney Lewis School of Business and oversaw the development and expansion of the school’s curriculum and its enrollment to more than 400 students at her retirement in 1997. When she retired, she was named a Distinguished Professor Emerita at Virginia Union University.
Dr. Ruth Coles Harris earned her degree and MBA from New York University in 1949. Hoping to inspire her students, in 1962, Harris took and passed the two-day examination and became the first African-American woman in Virginia to be certified as a public accountant at a time when there were fewer than 100 African American CPAs in the nation. In 1977, she received doctorate in education from the College of William and Mary.
Recognized with numerous awards and honors, Dr. Harris established an endowed scholarship for the business school to support future accounting and business majors.
Academic Excellence Endowed Scholarship
Alfa-Laval Thermal, Inc. Endowed Scholarship
Dr. Ruth Harris Endowed Scholarship
Dudley L. Parker, Jr., '68
M. M. Gordon Endowed Scholarship
Maryland Mallette Hayes Memorial Endowed Scholarship
N A Eggleston
Nationwide Endowed Scholarship
Order of St. Luke
Retail Merchants Endowed Scholarship
The Jordan S. McKnight Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Nathaniel N. and Jo Ann P. Green Fultonian Endowed Scholarship
Ukrop's Leader Scholarship
Bank of America Scholarship (Business or Education)
Hollace S. J. Enoch (Business or Education)
Note: These scholarships are available to all students pursuing majors in the SLSB.
INTERIM DEAN
Dr. Wendy Jewell
Email: wjewell@vuu.edu
Dean’s Phone #:
(804) 257-5806
| FACULTY NAME | ROOM # – BUILDING LOCATION | VUU EMAIL & PRIVATE EMAIL | PHONE NUMBER | AREA SPECIALIZATION |
| Dr. Adelaja Odutola – Professor of Economics |
Room # 311 Pickford Hall |
aodutola@vuu.edu | 804.257.5713 (Work) |
Advisor: |
| Dr. Wendy Jewell – Interim Dean Assistant Professor of Management |
Room # 305 Pickford Hall |
wjewell@vuu.edu | 804.257.5806 (Work) | Advisor: All Majors (Chair, School of Business) |
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Dr. Gene R. Quarles – FT |
Room # 302 |
grquarles@vuu.edu | 804.257.5639 (Work) | Advisor: All Majors |
| Dr. Adolph Brown – FT Assistant Professor of Economics |
Room # 308 Pickford Hall |
804.257.5801 (Work) | Advisor: All Majors |
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| Dr. Mattie Barcon – FT Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship |
Room # 206 Pickford Hall |
mbarcon@vuu.edu | 804.257.5661 (Work) | Advisor: Entrepreneurship |
| Dr. Karen Mountain Business Lecturer |
Room # 309 Pickford Hall |
ksmountain@vuu.edu | 804.257.5782 (Work) | Advisor: Marketing |
| Ms. Jasmine Lewis, EMBA Admin. Assistant (FT - Staff) |
Room # 301 (Main Office) School of Business – Pickford Hall |
jalewis@vuu.edu | 804.257.5710 (Work) School of Business Office Number |
Office Manager: (School of Business) |
ACC 201 Financial Accounting (4)