Program combines business training, liberal arts

The College of Arts and Sciences offers programming for students who want to mix their liberal arts education with a business background.\nThe Liberal Arts Management Program is composed of about 300 students majoring in arts and sciences who are earning a certificate in liberal arts management.\nSix courses from the business school are required to complete the program.\nFor students such as junior theatre and drama major Sara Bancroft, the program is a way to mix the liberal arts with business.\n"It's important to me because I think a lot of theatre people are brilliant artistically, but when it comes to budgets, attendance at plays and events and publicity, it doesn't make as much sense to them," Bancroft said. "That only hurts them in the end. I want to be able to market myself in many areas."\nThe LAMP Web site, www.indiana.edu/~lamp, describes the program as, "More structured than a minor, LAMP is an interdisciplinary certificate program offered on the Bloomington campus by the College of Arts and Sciences in cooperation with the Kelley School of Business. The program's curriculum and career-oriented extracurricular activities prepare strong students with wide interests and leadership potential for careers in business, medicine, law and education."\nThe program has an academic basis, but there are outside activities. For example, LAMP is sponsoring a lecture tonight about architecture and rhetoric.\n"I am continually impressed by the amount of outside programming that they offer," Bancroft said.\nLAMP has been in existence for about 10 years at IU, said Linda Krusen, administrative assistant for LAMP.\n"There is a lot of prestige involved because LAMP used to be directly tied to the Honors College," Krusen said. "It looks good on a resume."\nLAMP is a 3-year program, and students can apply during the spring of their freshman year or the fall of their sophomore year. Transfer students must apply in the fall of their first year at IU.\nKrusen said there is no set number of students who are admitted into the program.\nBancroft said the size of the program is attractive.\n"It's small enough that I recognize people who are in LAMP with me," Bancroft said.\nSophomore Anne O'Toole said being part of such a small group makes the University more personal. \n"It's nice that at such a big University you have a small group of people that you are taking classes with," O'Toole said. "It makes the school a little smaller."\nStudents who are a part of LAMP are able to graduate in four years.\n"I only have to do 15 hours a semester and I will graduate in four years," O'Toole said. "I am double-minoring as well."\nO'Toole said the business aspects made the program appealing.\n"I wanted to do business, but I didn't want to do all of business," O'Toole said. "I just wanted to do the business minor, but with LAMP you can do a little more than a minor."\nThe LAMP program offers many opportunities, and alumni are involved, as well.\n"People come in from companies and talk about what LAMP did for them and how they are doing in the professional world," Bancroft said.\nThe group is small and personal, Bancroft said. \n"Everyone is treated like an individual. When you go to see the advisor, Jane, she remembers your name."\nLAMP, an interdisciplinary program between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Kelley School of Business, is accepting applications online until April 1.