What's New Programs, Accreditations & Initiatives - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, April 13, 2000 by Eric St. John

Virgnia Union University has established a partnership with the National Urban League's Black Executive Exchange Program that will share learning and work experience across generations, cultivate new leaders and inspire achievement through committed involvement and operational excellence.

The program, which began this semester and is open to all university students, includes such major corporations as American Express, Allied Signal, DuPont, GTE, HBO & Co., Lucent Technologies, Phillip Morris USA and Wachovia Corp. It brings together students and corporate leaders for scheduled activities, such as seminars, during the academic year that will focus on topics such as marketing, human resource management, business administration and career planning, placement and development.

For more information, contact Claudia Wall Johnson, director of community relations for the university, at (804) 257-5814.

Simmoms College Graduate School for Health Studies will offer the first doctoral program in physical therapy in New England beginning in the fall. The three-year, full-time program includes more clinical time than is offered in the master's program and an extended internship. It also will have two areas of specialization--administration and management, and health promotion and wellness.

The decision to offer the degree was based on the evolution of the health-care and physical therapy fields. According to university officials, physical therapists during the past decade increasingly have been required to provide more care in environments outside of a hospital setting. As a result, physical therapists are now required to enter the field functioning at a higher level of independence and prepared to provide diagnoses and referrals.

For more information, contact Carol Connolly at (617) 521-2646.

California State University-Fullerton has introduced a new bachelor's of arts degree program in women's studies.

"The new major is an excellent opportunity for students, not only because it talks about issues that are important to women and men, but also [because it deals with] areas of public policy, socialization and philosophy," says Dr. Sandra Sutphen, a professor of political science. Sutphen also is the women's studies coordinator and was the first person to serve in the post in 1984.

The curriculum incorporates the use of technology by having students create a Web page and using the Internet for research. A six-unit capstone course provides students with the opportunity to apply theory and substantive content to real experiences and community-service learning.

For more information, contact Sutphen at (714) 278-3468.

Cleveland State University's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs has begun a criminal justice project -- the Restorative Justice Initiative -- designed to assess the needs and potential for restorative justice in Cuyahoga County.

The term restorative justice refers to a commitment to the restoration of victims and the offender, and the restoration of the damages caused by crime.

The initiative's first project will be the development of a Court User's Guide for victims, offenders and their families as well as for the professionals in the courts, social services, religious institutions and support groups. The guide will provide an overview of the criminal justice with key resources and practical information.

For more information, contact Dr. David C. Sweet, dean of the Levin College of Urban Affairs, at (216) 687-2135.