The Lubin School of Business has formed a new program for students interested in the business half of the arts and entertainment industry. On Sept. 13, Dean of Lubin and former CEO of Viacom and President of NBC Neil Braun announced the department’s outline for its new Arts and Entertainment Management (AEM) program.
“Upon my arrival at Pace in July 2010, I was intrigued to learn that the fastest growing department in the university was performing arts, which today boasts more than 600 declared majors from all over the country,” said Braun. “That gives our business school a unique opportunity to build a program to prepare students for management roles in the arts and entertainment industry.”
“Learning about management in arts and entertainment prepares students for the challenges of a dynamic, interdisciplinary, and multicultural world in which the boundaries between industries and societies are blurring,” said Dr. Theresa K. Lant, the program’s primary administrator. “Bringing together business and performing arts students in the same classroom prepares students for building relationships across boundaries.”
The program includes a host of impressive internships opportunities across a broad range of subsections in the arts and entertainment industry. Students interested in television can apply to work at ABC, CBS, NBC, HBO, or MTV, while those interested in music and radio broadcasting have the option of Sony Music or SiriusXM Radio. Students with an interest in the performing arts will have the chance to intern with the Roundabout Theater Company or the Metropolitan Opera.
“One of the most exciting things about the program is we’re going to have both sets of students – the majors and those getting a minor – in the same classroom. These are people who work together in the arts and entertainment world – the business people and the creative folks – and we think this is a great way for folks to learn while they’re in school about how to forge these connections, about the skills that each of them brings to the table,” Lant said.
“With Pace already a destination for students in the performing arts, we intend to also make it a destination for students who want to build careers in the organizations and companies that are built upon the arts,” said Braun.
The program has also lined up a series of esteemed professional guest lecturers. Katie Couric, Ron Howard, Doug Herzog, Rachel S. Moore, Arlene Shuler, and Robert E. Wankel—just to name a few.
“The Arts and Entertainment Management Program is really exciting,” said senior business management major Dara Thompson. “The entertainment industry has always been interesting to me and as a business major it is a field that is hard to get into. I applaud Dean Braun in his efforts to expand the department and make it more accessible—while also giving Pace students an edge in this competitive job industry. My only wish is that this major had been available when I was a freshman; it would have been my first choice.”
Lubin has attracted attention from the industry itself since the announcement. USA Today, Yahoo! News, Businessweek, Westchester Business Journal, and Broadway World have all reported on the new program over the past few weeks.
So what makes Pace’s AEM degree different than other schools? According to Dean Braun, “Very few have it within the business school. The difference here is you’re getting an AACSB-accredited business education in the context of learning about an industry you’re really interested in.”