BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Richard C. Thompson, PhD
Hello Business Administration Students,
The news in the business administration arena involves several new technologies and services designed to build our community, as well as an important endorsement for one of our MBA specializations, Project Management.
JIU Biz Blog
We are developing our own blog, which will be located on My JIU. I will use our blog initially to provide one and all with up-to-date information on the master’s and bachelor’s programs. This is where I will post program news, e.g., new courses, new specializations, updated courses, new faculty information, and any other changes or new aspects of the programs. Eventually, as more of you become involved, I envision this becoming our own little business administration corner of the “campus,” where we can hang out, get caught up on news, and exchange ideas—all independent of the classroom.
PMI Endorsement
Our Project Management degree in the MBA program has received a gratifying and important endorsement. The Project Management Institute (PMI®)—the preeminent organization for the certification of Project Management Professionals—has designated JIU as a Registered Education Provider. This means the project management courses at JIU are recognized as providing the educational background for project managers applying for “Project Management Professional” (PMP®) certification. PMP certification requires a combination of relevant education and work experience and a passing score on a PMI certification examination. Our project management courses are also accepted toward the continuing certification requirements for existing PMPs.
JIU Cast (podcasts)
You may recall that our last edition of the Insider announced JIU was going to be producing podcasts. These will be launching in December, and will be available for download to your iPod or other MP3 device. Or, you can listen to the JIU Cast on your computer.
Of particular interest to Business Administration students in the initial JIU Cast will be:
- An interview on the focus of MBA Education;
- An accounting professor, Dr. Dahli Gray, talking about the change in the national recommendations for CPA educational requirements; and
- The experiences of a recent JIU MBA graduate.
As we develop our skills in using this audio broadcast tool, look for it to start popping up in your classes, as well. The application there will start with brief, weekly messages from the course professors that will supplement the traditional, text-based announcements.
Course Updates
Two courses at the bachelor’s level are being totally revamped in order to provide a stronger and more relevant mathematical foundation for our BBA graduates. The former courses, IT101 (Fundamentals of Statistics and Mathematical Analysis) and BC 310 (Integrated Science and Math) will become MATH 101 (College Mathematics) and MATH 301 (Business Mathematics). If you have not taken one of the original courses, look for the new incarnations to appear in the schedule in December (MATH 301) and January (MATH 101).
That’s all the news. Good luck with your coursework in the remainder of the year.
Richard C. Thompson, PhD
Academic Chair
Business Administration