For IU freshmen and sophomores interested in receiving an education in both liberal arts and management, the Liberal Arts and Management Program is accepting applications until March 31.
LAMP is a program that gives students in the College of Arts and Sciences the opportunity to earn a certificate in management while still working toward their liberal arts major.
“The LAMP certificate — it’s rigorous,” Director of LAMP Rebecca Spang said, “Among its other real values is that, since it’s a selective program, you can be sure that when you’re in it, the other students are going to be equally motivated and hardworking.”
Students are required to take 32 credit hours within the program, some from the College of Arts and Sciences and some from the Kelley School of Business, and graduate with an overall GPA of 3.3 to obtain the LAMP certificate.
Although IU certificate programs require more credits than IU minors do, Dani Anthony, vice president of LAMP’s student advisory board, said she didn’t even realize how many credits were required because she enjoys her LAMP courses.
Spang said some LAMP students are interested in entering the business world but want a well-rounded liberal arts education as well. Others don’t plan to work in the business world, but understand the importance of the fundamentals of business. LAMP can provide students with the business education they need, regardless of their future endeavors.
Most students who apply for the program do so during the spring semester of their freshman year, Spang said. For students to be accepted into LAMP, they must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA, a letter of recommendation from a professor and a compelling answer to the essay question, which is different every year.
Although this is an academic-based program, Spang said she also pays attention to students’ extracurricular activities and involvement around campus.
“It is an honors program, so we are smart people, but we don’t only care about your GPA,” Anthony said.
Spang said one advantage of LAMP is students are able to take courses in Kelley that give them credit within the College of Arts and Sciences. This makes it more feasible for students who have multiple majors or minors to fill the requirements they need, she said.
When students are first accepted, they attend LAMP camp, which is a daylong leadership retreat spent at Bradford Woods. The day consists of team-building exercises and completing various activities in different groups Anthony said.
LAMP camp and other LAMP activities, such as trivia nights, brunches and networking events, help build a strong sense of community within the program, Anthony said.
“I think the most innovative part of the LAMP certificate are the sophomore and senior seminars,” Spang said, “They’re interdisciplinary on a topic related to business, but not simply from a business perspective.”
Spang said the seminars, which have no more than twenty students and sometimes as few as eight, are writing intensive and only open to LAMP students. This semester Spang is instructing one of the seminars, which examines the concept of luxury and how it’s played a role in past civilizations from different perspectives.
Spang, who recently accepted her position with LAMP, said one thing that continues to stand out to her is the loyalty of the program’s alumni. She said there is a 100-percent satisfaction rate for their current positions and many of the alumni attribute it to their time in LAMP.
