In late January, just as the spring semester was getting under way, OLLU announced a groundbreaking bachelor of business administration in marketing program that will focus on the Hispanic demographic.

Seven new upper-division courses make up the new marketing concentration and, in keeping with the Hispanic focus, they all have Spanish names. They are La Cultura, La Realidad, El Mercado, La Campaña, En Vivo, Desarrolló and Practica. The classes, which are still being developed, are set to begin in the fall and will be offered on both traditional and weekend course schedules.

According to Dr. Robert Bisking, dean of the School of Business, the BBA program was proposed by the American Marketing Association (AMA) and was developed in partnership with SAVisión, San Antonio’s Hispanic chapter of the AMA.

As far as how the BBA program relates to the university’s mission, programs added to OLLU’s curriculum must meet three principles, explained Sister Isabel Ball, coordinator of Mission Effectiveness. First, the program must be of value to the student. This means, one, that there is a potential job market for graduates; two, that the program meets an existing need in society; and three, that the university can deliver a quality program in the particular field of study.

Second, the university must provide excellent teaching. This means that program faculty and course offerings will further the tradition of excellence that one expects from OLLU.

Third, the implementation of the program must be founded on ethical standards. This means that graduates will be competent and committed to conducting business in an ethical way.

So does the new marketing program meet the mission? Sister Ball believes it does. She said she feels the School of Business should be congratulated for being observant and creating an innovative program that “fills a gap” when it comes to marketing to Hispanics, a need that is particularly apparent in San Antonio.

Marketing is “not just advertising” explains Sister Ball. It’s about meeting the needs and wants of a particular group of people, of providing comfort, recognizing customs, and making people happier and more productive.

At the same time, Sister Ball concedes that marketing to a particular demographic could be viewed as exploitation. She realizes that there is potential for businesses to take advantage of consumers by charging high prices or monopolizing a particular product. Those are things that OLLU “will not teach,” she said.

However, two leaders in the West Side community raised some concerns. Graciela Sanchez, executive director of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, and Gloria Ramirez, editor of La Voz de Esperanza of the same organization, said that maybe the real concern raised by a program that markets to Hispanics is not about whether it meets the OLLU mission or not.

Instead, they suggested that there are larger concerns to consider. For example, Ramirez asked what happens when mom and pop stores, the tienditas that have been filling the gap in Hispanic communities for years, lose their businesses to the high-dollar marketing strategies of H-E-B and Wal Mart?

She also raised the question of whether it is OK for businesses to appropriate Hispanic culture?

And Sanchez asked: “Do businesses that profit from Hispanic communities adequately reinvest in those same communities or do they simply turn their profits right back into marketing?”

Bisking added that the program is still in development and future expansion could include a post-baccalaureate option, a certification program, and an MBA concentration in Hispanic marketing.