Tag Archives: business school

IU’s Kelley School Partners with Chinese University in Dual Degree Program

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One of the state’s leading educational assets for the business community, IU’s Kelley School of Business, has now added to its impressive offerings by partnering with a leading Chinese University to offer dual degrees. A release from IU has more:

A new agreement between the Kelley School of Business and a leading Chinese university promises to open up new learning opportunities for students and faculty from both institutions.

More than two years in the making, the new Undergraduate Dual Degree Program between Kelley Indianapolis and the Business School, Sun Yat-sen University (SYSBS) continues the strong partnerships between IUPUI and one of the premier business and health science universities in China.

The alliance initially provides opportunities for Chinese students to enroll at Kelley Indianapolis for two years after completing the first two years of business school at Sun Yat-sen. Participating students then can graduate with degrees from both institutions and invaluable knowledge of both the Chinese and U.S. business cultures.

“Indiana University and IUPUI continue to expand these international partnerships tobetter enhance the global reputation of the schools and the programs,” said Ken Carow, associate dean for research and programs at Kelley Indianapolis. “The Kelley School of Business has been one of the leaders in creating these opportunities and looking for strong partners with an already strong reputation.”

Carow and Philip Cochran, associate dean of Indianapolis operations, visited China in June to attend a ceremonial signing ceremony with Sun Yat-sen administrators.

"This dual degree program will surely provide a precious and peculiar opportunity which will soon become popular to our top-talented students seeking the latest knowledge from the world-class, top-notch faculty at Kelley and IUPUI," said Zhongfei Li, executive dean and head of Sun Yat-sen.

Carow envisioned the alliance as benefitting Kelley and Indianapolis on several fronts.  Chinese students will gain important exposure to the U.S. business climate while also helping regional business partners better understand opportunities to expand business and talent into China. The IUPUI campus will become more internationalized, which will help students learn and appreciate the growing global connection between U.S. and Chinese business.

Finally, faculty at both universities will be afforded opportunities to serve as visiting professors and collaborate and expand research projects in the future.

“This will help create a better understanding of what will be the largest economy in world. It will be extremely helpful to the students,” Carow said. The growing relationships between Chinese and Indiana businesses will require future graduates to carry skills to effectively do business in China, and other global destinations, he added.

Kelley Indianapolis officials hope to expand the program to include study abroad opportunities in the future. The first Chinese students are expected to enroll for the Fall 2012 semester, and preliminary predictions are for 10-25 students to participate.

Sun Yat-sen University has been recognized as the official sister school for IUPUI and has similar alliances with other academic units on the campus.

Innovative Approach Keeps Kelley School Students Engaged When Class is Out

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The following is a guest blog by Philip Cochran, associate dean of Indianapolis operations for the Kelley School of Business:

The recent ice storm tested the resolve of businesses all across the Midwest. Some fared better than others when battling the elements to deliver their goods or services without affecting the bottom line.

In higher education, however, the concept of losing nearly a week of class time presents a unique challenge: How do you keep students on track without diminishing the return on the investment for their education?

Thankfully, many students at the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis never had cause for concern. The ongoing commitment by faculty to online education and alternative teaching methods allowed for mostly business as usual, despite the closure of the IUPUI campus for three days.

Faculty members — both at the undergraduate and graduate levels — prepared for the storm by providing students access to software designed for video conferencing, online lectures and other hi-tech teaching tools. Some fought power outages and travel restrictions to keep their classes on schedule and student groups moving ahead as planned.

Kelley Indianapolis caters to many non-traditional students, many with families and child-care concerns during such a weather event. The safety of students became top priority, but fulfilling their professional commitment to these dedicated students rang loudly as well for instructors.

If the early response from students is any indication, they also greatly appreciated the opportunity to make progress using this technology. Many simply didn’t want to miss class.

One student told his instructor, “I actually prefer the online lecture format. I think it’s much more interactive, and I got a lot more out of it.”

Another student referred to the last-minute classroom conferencing as “a handy and workable alternative, and all things considered, a more lively and engaging forum than I expected.”

Faculty members are quick to point out the success of these methods requires a strong commitment to achievement among students — something in heavy supply among Kelley students.

This educational experience would not have been as successful without the talented and driven faculty and students who make up Kelley’s Indianapolis campus. Their diligence and commitment to excellence continue to impress each and every day.

In a time when more and more demands are placed on students and their families, this experience reflects positively on the Kelley school, those who help it earn its reputation and the impressive business minds of tomorrow.

Butler U. All About Business

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Seems more than the Butler football team (10-1; Pioneer Football League champs) and basketball team (ranked in the top 10 in the nation) are making good news in November. The school recently announced a new brand and approach for its business school. The school explains:

A new branding effort that includes key messages and a graphic identity for Butler University’s College of Business (COB) is intended to increase visibility and awareness of the College’s real life, real business™ mission which guides its unique approach to business education.

This applied, experiential structure runs throughout the COB curriculum, from freshman year through graduate programs in the form of live cases studies, semester-long research projects with local and international companies, the development of real student-run businesses, executive career mentoring, required internships, and leadership assessment, coaching, and development.

According to COB Dean Chuck Williams, the real life, real business branding effort is directly tied to the COB’s promise to students, parents, and employers to deliver an innovative, experiential business education on top of an already exceptionally strong foundation in business fundamentals.

“Many universities say they offer experiential education because they have a class here or there,” says Williams. “In the COB, it’s present in everything we do.”

The main messages of real life, real business include engaging learning experiences, empowered self-discovery, business relevance and collaborative partnerships. These messages will be integrated and communicated in new marketing materials – recruitment brochures and a new alumni magazine – but will receive the most attention on the new website, www.ButlerRealBusiness.com, in the form of feature stories and videos.

The branding effort is also aimed at increasing awareness of the College’s outreach to the Central Indiana business community, which benefits both the College and businesses, Williams says.

“Real life, real business works because we have businesses partnering with us to bring real life business problems and situations into the classroom. We look forward to sharing the stories of these partnerships and in turn encouraging others to collaborate with us in the future.”

The branding effort was developed by the COB’s marketing director with support from Butler’s University Relations department. Advising the College throughout the process is the College of Business Strategic Marketing Board, a group of 12 local business professionals representing Butler University, Butler Business Accelerator, Eli Lilly and Company, Clarian Health Partners, Compendium Blogware, Pensar Ideas, Forum Credit Union, the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, Centaur Gaming and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership.