Students Helped Rebuild the Business School: Langston University Model Redefines Career Readiness

LANGSTON, OK, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- LANGSTON, Okla. — April 21, 2026 —At a time when higher education is struggling to prove its value, Langston University’s School of Business is drawing national attention for something rarely seen in academia: a business school rebuilt with direct input from its students. In less than two years, students at Langston didn’t just participate in their education. They helped drive one of the fastest turnarounds in the school’s history. The results are measurable: enrollment increased by more than 50%, and graduating seniors now perform in the top 1% nationally on a major business assessment. But the real story is not the numbers. It is the model. At Langston, students are no longer treated as passive recipients of education. They are active contributors to its design.

A Model Built by Listening to the End-User
Before the turnaround began, Dean Dr. Daryl D. Green did something uncommon in higher education leadership: he asked students directly what was not working and then built systems based on their answers.

In Spring 2024, a formal student satisfaction survey revealed clear gaps in career preparation, engagement, and practical learning opportunities. During this period, LUSB was at an inflection point. Enrollment was declining. Student engagement was low. The school was at risk of becoming a cautionary tale about institutional inertia.
Students expressed the need for:
• More internships and real-world exposure
• Stronger connections to employers
• More hands-on learning opportunities
• Greater communication and engagement from leadership

But the survey was only the beginning. To go deeper, Dr. Green launched a Dean’s RoundTable, a series of small-group listening sessions with selected students to move beyond survey data and understand lived experiences in real time. What emerged was not incremental feedback. It was a blueprint for change.

“We have built systems around students without fully engaging them in defining success. We chose to listen, and that changed everything.”
— Dr. Daryl D. Green, Dean, Langston University School of Business

From Crisis to National Recognition: The LUSB Story
In less than 18 months, LUSB has turned around the business school, achieving national rankings and, among graduating seniors, outperforming both HBCUs and PWIs in 13 core business competency areas of the nationally recognized Peregrine academic assessment. The turnaround did not come from a new marketing campaign or an administrative reorganization. It came from a decision to do what business schools rarely do: treat students as co-architects of their own education.

That blueprint came to life when two students stepped forward. In 2024, juniors Logan Brown and Tayren James approached the dean with a bold idea: to create a student-led organization focused not on social activity but on career readiness, leadership, and direct engagement with industry.

At the time, many students felt they lacked a voice in shaping their experience. That changed.
What began as a student proposal became a cornerstone of the school’s transformation. Today, Brown (President) and James (Vice President) lead a DECA chapter that serves as a career accelerator, connecting students directly to the business world.

Three Students. Three Perspectives. One Urgent Message.
In a short period, LUSB has increased enrollment by more than 50% and produced graduates outperforming both HBCUs and predominantly white institutions (PWIs) on national benchmarks. What makes LUSB’s story genuinely newsworthy is not the data. It is what the students themselves are saying with specificity, sophistication, and clarity that should make every higher education administrator take notes. This marked a shift from student participation to student leadership in institutional design.

“Langston’s School of Business has opened doors I didn’t even know existed. Through networking events, IBM certifications, and building my professional presence on LinkedIn, I’ve gained real tools that set me apart.”
— Tayren James, Graduating Senior, DECA Vice President, and LUSB’s Most Outstanding Student
James is not just offering praise. She is identifying the next iteration of the model — the difference between opening a door and building a road. Another graduating senior conveys the importance of career readiness.
“Langston didn’t just prepare me academically. It prepared me professionally. Students thrive when they can apply what they learn immediately. That’s where confidence is built. That’s where readiness becomes real.”
— Kobe Law, Graduating Senior, DECA Co-Founder and Director of Operations, Highest GPA in LUSB
Markayla Parrish agrees.
“The School of Business helped me develop not just skills, but a mindset. Through DECA and building my brand, Lakay Sol, I’ve been able to apply what I’ve learned in real time. With the right support, students won’t just prepare for the future — we’ll help define it.”
— Markayla Parrish, Graduating Senior, Marketing Leader, and Founder of Lakay Sol

Why This Story Matters Beyond Oklahoma
Public confidence in higher education has fallen sharply. In general, Americans now believe the system is heading in the wrong direction. LUSB’s story is a counter-narrative backed by evidence. In a landscape where most business schools measure readiness by credit hours and capstone courses, LUSB measures it by what students can do and what they say about the gaps that remain.

That is the story: not just that LUSB is succeeding, but that students are the reason, and that the students themselves are leading the conversation about what comes next.
Dean Green puts it directly: “These student voices are more than a success story. They are a blueprint. At LUSB, career readiness is no longer designed for students. It is designed with them.”

Available for Interview: Dean, Students, and DECA Leadership
Media are invited to schedule interviews with these Langston University students and the dean through April 30, 2026.
For media inquiries or to schedule interviews with Dean Dr. Daryl D. Green, please get in touch with the
Langston University Public Relations Office
Phone: (405) 466-6049
Email: emelero@langston.edu


About Langston University School of Business
Langston University, located in Langston, Oklahoma, is the state’s only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and home to a nationally accredited School of Business. LUSB is committed to building career-ready leaders through student-centered learning, industry partnerships, and outcomes-driven curriculum.
▪ 2023: Ranked among the Best HBCU Programs in Entrepreneurship — BestColleges.com
▪ 2024: Named one of the Top 40 HBCU Business Schools in the nation (#39 of 89)
▪ 2025: Celebrated as a Top 1% performer nationally on the Peregrine business assessment, with graduating seniors surpassing both PWIs and HBCUs in 13 core business competency areas

#SecondChanceEducation #StrategicAlliances #LangstonStrong #TCCPartnership #HBCUImpact #PrisonEducation #HigherEdInnovation #CollaborationNotCompetition #LangstonUniversity #DrDarylGreen #FutureOfHigherEd #InclusiveEconomy #LUSB #OklahomaLeadership #BusinessForChange #HBCUPride #EducationForAll #ResilientCommunities

Ellie Melero
Langston University School of Business
8657197239 ext.
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