3/4/98
Contact: Rebecca Thacker, (740) 593-2087
ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University has announced plans for a Global Learning Community that will offer business and communication students innovative approaches to learning and a head start in understanding the global marketplace.
More than 40 students already have been accepted into the program, which will begin on the Athens campus this fall. Participants in the program, which is open to students in the colleges of communication and business, will pursue existing degrees from their respective colleges and an additional certificate for taking part in the Global Learning Community.
Rebecca Thacker, an associate professor of human resources management and director of the project, said the idea is for students to apply what they are learning at Ohio University in an international context. Bolstering the experience will be study abroad opportunities; a residential setting that allows students to immerse themselves in international issues and languages; and approaches to learning using new technologies, professionals in residence and collaboration with people around the world.
"Achieving success in the global marketplace is as much about knowing how to communicate as it is about understanding the fundamentals of business," Thacker said. "That's why this program is well-suited to students in business and communication."
During their sophomore and junior years, students enrolled in the four-year program will reside in Bromley Hall, an off-campus residence facility at South Congress and West Union streets. Thacker said many of the benefits to students will come from the informal learning opportunities the residential setting offers, such as daily use of a foreign language, exposure to international news and entertainment, and frequent cultural activities. Students will study abroad during portions of their sophomore and senior years.
"What really provides the new and innovative twist to all this is the residential component," Thacker said. "Students will be living what they're learning."
President Robert Glidden said the program offers students impressive career potential.
"I believe there are and will be great career opportunities for people who are educated in a combination of communication, business and international studies," he said. "In a very dynamic world with changing job requirements and opportunities, people who show leadership qualities and self-initiative, and who are willing to undertake rigorous study to combine these disciplinary areas, will have a great advantage."
The new community, Glidden added, builds on the university's strengths.
"Ohio University has a great College of Communication with an international reputation and a College of Business that has been in the forefront of using new techniques and new technologies in teaching," he said. "We have been a leader in many aspects of international education. With our strong residential program, the combination of all these features seems a natural opportunity for Ohio University and its students."
Faculty members participating, in addition to Thacker, are Anne Cooper-Chen, journalism; David Mould, telecommunications; and Richard Milter, management systems.