Board approves Southern University's standalone BBA in Entrepreneurship after debate over program proliferation

Doctor Tristan Denley, Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Innovation, presented a proposal to approve a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Entrepreneurship at Southern University. Denley said the degree takes an existing specialization within Southern’s BBA in general business and “rolls it out as a stand alone bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship.” He added that “this will be the only only the second entrepreneurship program in the state.”

Dean Andrews of Southern University described years of local preparation and partnerships that support the program: “We’ve received a million dollars from minority business development administration. We’ve seen funding from our alumni who are entrepreneurs and would like to see us start this program,” he said, and noted existing partnerships with the Southern University System Foundation, a university center for economic and entrepreneurial development, the law school incubator and engineering programs.

Several regents raised concerns about adding new degree programs statewide when enrollments are flat and campuses face limited resources. Regent Aubrey said he continued “to have concern” about adding programs and urged caution and stronger coordination across institutions. Denley and others said the Regents’ office will continue to press for program terminations and consolidations where appropriate and evaluate low‑completer programs through its review processes.

The board approved the BBA in Entrepreneurship proposal; the meeting record shows one abstention.

Why it matters: Southern’s standalone entrepreneurship major signals an institutional focus on entrepreneurship and workforce development at an HBCU. Regents emphasized the need to monitor program outcomes and consider consolidations if programs do not meet enrollment or workforce benchmarks.

Board action: Senior staff recommended approval and the board approved the program (one abstention recorded).