COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES CONFER WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES: Education - Keeping Pace With Changing High Tech World

Mercer Business, Feb 01, 2003 by Kruse, Lisa Robyn

Forget the cliche about the college professor teaching from dusty, well-worn notes. Today's colleges and universities know that if they want to keep their students prepared and ready to keep up in the workplace, they have to evolve their curriculum as quickly as changes take place in the laboratory.

"It's the best part of the job for me," said Dr. Bill Amadio, chair of the Computer Information Systems Department at Rider University. "To continually learn new material makes teaching a more rewarding experience. To teach the same thing from the same books that I studied from doesn't engage me as much as having something that is brand new."

New Jersey is renowned for its welltrained and able workforce - a key reason why the state is considered a hub for the telecommunications and pharmaceutical industries.

But keeping students - both undergraduates and adults - up-to-date with their skill's means that colleges and universities must master changes as quickly as they come out - even, in some cases, before the new textbooks are written. That means that professors are constantly learning new subjects, and new courses in science, computer software and programming, and even business are continually being developed to meet the demand of both students and the business community.

It also means that corporate executives help shape the curriculum to make sure that area students have the right education and training to qualify for top jobs, and that their current employees will have the training they need to keep their skills sharp. By participating in advisory boards, local business executives offer the faculty advice as to the skills and training that undergraduate and adult students need to be successful.

"I don't know of another field where developments come so fast and so frequent," Amadio said. "If our faculty wasn't so committed to that learning, in a year or two we wouldn't be able to do what was required."

One example of this cutting edge curriculum is a new course on bioinformatics, which is currently under development at Rider University. Bioinformatics involves the human genome project, and storing and studying the billions of pieces of information and DNA sequencing that have been uncovered as a result. The course, which is being developed by the biology and computer science departments, required professors to take courses and visit companies in order to learn the subject.

In addition, both Rider University and The College of New Jersey worked directly with area pharmaceutical companies to create a tailor-made curriculum to answer critical needs in that industry.

Janssen Pharmaceutica and Ortho-McNeil, for example, asked The College of New Jersey for help in developing knowledgeable sales and marketing representatives for the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, business students at The College of New Jersey who are interested in the pharmaceutical industry now take a series of science courses, while science students now take a series of marketing courses prior to graduation, making them attractive candidates for jobs in the pharmaceutical marketing/sales sector.

"The primary benefit to the students is that they receive academic training in both science and business topics that enhance their employability in pharmaceutical sales," said Sue Long, director of communications at The College of New Jersey. "It provides for a smoother transition to work in an industry with a very structured career path."

The College of New Jersey has also worked with Johnson & Johnson to help develop management candidates through the company's Leadership Development Program. Finance students at The College of New Jersey do an in-depth internship at Johnson & Johnson, rotating through the company's different business units to get a broad understanding of the company's operation. As a result, some of these students are fast-tracked for management jobs, Long said.

To help prepare students for jobs in the pharmaceutical industry, Rider University developed an integrated science business curriculum in both the business college and the science department, which deals with the business of science. Courses are offered on the pharmaceutical industry, including the development of drugs against specific diseases, and how the Federal Drug Administration regulates drug development.

"The science advisory board was regularly hearing from the pharmaceutical industry that the science graduates needed management and supervisory skills," said Frances Markunas, associate dean of the college of continuing studies at Rider University and the director of strategic alliances. "As a result, Rider was encouraged to incorporate that into the curriculum, so our students have a blend of both areas and are better prepared when they step into the marketplace."

In addition, the fast pace of technology means that more and more adults have been returning to area colleges and universities for continuing education courses in order to keep up with changes in technology, and to make themselves more invaluable at the workplace.