By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Dhevin Patel has absorbed a number of cool concepts in the U.S. Culture and Business Practices program at the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences, including “refrigerator culture.” Basically, the ubiquity of refrigerators in post-World War II America changed both consumer and business goals and practices.  

“I would say that there are a lot of ideas within the USB program that are very abstract,” said Patel, a sophomore from Dallas, TX and, more recently Murray, KY. “For example, we learn about refrigerator culture and how that became a big thing in the ‘50s and ‘60s. People needed refrigerators, and so companies started manufacturing them. Refrigerators had a snowball impact on consumers; they shifted from canned goods to frozen products. And as technology continues to grow, we now have smart homes.” 

Such perspectives on U.S. commerce and consumerism broaden the perspectives of students who, like Patel, see themselves going into business. He is a double major in accounting and finance in UK’s Gatton College of Business and Economics along with the U.S. Culture and Business Practices program.  

“I took an accounting class in high school, and it really made sense to me,” he said. “I’ve always been proficient in math, and accounting is very logical.” 

Adding USB helped him see the economy from a broader perspective.  

“I’m interested in how business trends and the economy are affected by U.S. culture,” he said. “And consumption and spending are affected by culture as well.” 

The business practice major contains two main classes: Introduction to Business Studies and the Senior Capstone Seminar, which involves independent projects, said Lee Bullock, a member of UK’s Department of Anthropology and assistant program head.  

The capstone class offers students the chance to go even deeper into business culture with independent studies. 

“They do a range of projects,” said Bullock, who also has a background in business management and finance. “For this past semester, one student did a kind of a mock business plan. Another one did a mock marketing plan. Or if they're interested in a particular industry, they can do a case study, say, on bottled water or social media or AI, looking at how they relate to U.S. culture and business. Students have done historical papers as well; I had one student who looked at the legacy of slavery in the U.S. as it relates to business” 

In addition, students take required classes in the Gatton College of Business and Economics as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.  

“I think one of the strengths of the program is that you get formal business training and understand how management works, how marketing works, budgeting, and so on,” he said. “But then, on the other side of it, you also get a more humanistic approach for perspective as well as soft skills. Those soft skills are highly valued by employers.” 

That mix of accounting study and soft skills is paying off for Patel. He has two internships lined up: In the summer of 2024, he plans to work at a Lexington accounting firm called ATA, and in the summer of 2025, he’ll intern at the Ernst and Young office in Dallas.  

Learn more about the U.S. Culture and Business Practices major here: https://usb.as.uky.edu/.