More offerings help SRU broaden appeal
SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University is offering new programs and looking to new markets.
SRU's new master's of business administration program started Dec. 18 with about two dozen students.
The eight-week sessions are divided up between in-class and online courses, with classroom sessions taking place at the Regional Learning Alliance in Cranberry Township.
The degree will be offered in three tracks: accounting/finance, marketing/management and a general MBA. The program also is expected to help graduates meet new Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants requirements for the CPA exam.
Larry McCarthy, coordinator of the program, said he anticipates plenty of SRU graduates taking part, but he said he is also seeing those who have graduated from other colleges, as well as working professionals looking to further their education.
“We believe that advertising and word-of-mouth, as well as a pent-up demand and our competitive edge, have helped boost enrollment,” McCarthy said.
SRU also has been selected by the Institute of International Education as one of five higher education institutions in the U.S. to participate in the 2013-14 International Academic Partnership Program focusing on Vietnam.
During the next year, international education professionals at each of these institutions will take part in a series of training activities arranged by IIE to help them develop their strategy and implement and sustain partnerships with counterparts in Vietnam.
“Vietnam is a new market for SRU, and one which presents significant interest and growth from both countries,” said Pamela Frigot, director of SRU's Office of International Services.
Kurt Schimmel, dean of SRU's College of Business, Information and Social Sciences, will coordinate the project, in part because the largest segment of Vietnamese students coming to the U.S. seek undergraduate business degrees.
In addition to SRU, Ball State University, Marquette University, Northern Arizona University and Stetson University are participating. An IIE review panel selected the universities based on successful applications that outlined their strong interest in building ties with institutions in Vietnam and their need for the assistance that IAPP provides.
Each institution has made a commitment to form a campuswide task force to work on prospective partnerships, conduct an institutionwide inventory of activities pertaining to Vietnam and develop a strategic plan focused on partnering with Vietnamese institutions.Additionally, SRU's winter session, held between the end of the fall semester and the beginning of the spring semester, is growing.“We have seen enrollment skyrocket in the three years we have offered the winter session program,” said Eliott Baker, executive director of academic records and summer school.This year, more than 1,300 students signed up for the session, a big leap from 815 students last year.The four-week session allows students, both from SRU or from other colleges and universities, to earn up to seven credits toward graduation.
