January 2009
Volume 1 Issue 3

 

 

 

 


International Programs, Northwood University
4000 Whiting Drive, Midland, Michigan, 48640-2398 USA
Ph: 989·837·4327 | FAX: 989·837·4247
www.northwood.edu/international/

 

From the Dean

It's hard to believe that another year is upon us! The holiday season for some of us is now over, and for others, the Chinese New Year is not far away. Still others have a very different holiday calendar. But regardless of one's beliefs or culture, holidays are a time when our institutions close to allow families to gather and celebrate. The holidays also serve to remind us that the people we work with each day at our respective institutions are our professional family and the most valuable resource in our work.

We intuitively know that people are the most valuable resource. A college or university without faculty, staff and students is nothing more than a collection of buildings. A beautifully kept campus is nothing other than grass and trees without people. A library full of books and journals is just a collection of things without those who use them.  Perhaps most important, a curriculum, a class, an idea, a concept, an entire body of knowledge is only conceptual without people to formulate, discuss, construct, deconstruct and apply it.

To me, a college or university is not its buildings, its collections or its curricula - rather it is at heart a group of people who come together for the creation and diffusion of knowledge.  It is people who collectively discuss ideas and their application within human endeavor.  It is people who look to the application of knowledge and ideas in order to improve the lives of everyone.

We should not forget - in the midst of our busy lives within our institutions - that there is a much deeper meaning and purpose that drives us to do what we do.  Perhaps that's a good analogy for what our most important holidays do as well - remind us that there is a much deeper meaning and purpose to our celebrations and gatherings.

Welcome to 2009!

Lance B. Lewis, Ph.D

Lance B. Lewis, Ph.D.
Dean of International Programs

How do we audit IPCs?

Our accreditor in the U.S. requires at least one annual visit to each IPC.    As part of this schedule of visits, we need to assess the conditions and outcomes for student learning at each location, just as we would do in the U.S.

In mid-2008, we developed an audit system that is being uniformly applied across all of our IPCs.  This will allow us to better evaluate and assess teaching and learning  at each site using the same methods and same type of data.

Following the audit, a report will be written and circulated for review by the IPC partner before a final report is written and submitted.  The audit is not intended to be judgmental or punitive - rather it is simply a measure of how we are collectively doing in providing educational opportunities for our students, and how processes and outcomes can be improved.

There is nothing secret about the audit process.  We will inform each partner well in advance of the audit, agree on dates, and share the forms we will be using.  The audit process specifically looks at the following broad areas:

We believe this process is one that will insure we continue to have a high level of quality and integrity across our partners.  If there are questions about this process, don't hesitate to ask us!

Spotlight On... Jilin University-Lambton College, Changchun, China

Jilin University-Lambton College Campus

The Jilin University-Lambton College campus is located adjacent to the campus of Jilin University and is on a major street in the bustling city of Changchun.

Students playing basketball

During the warmer months, basketball is a favorite way for many JLU students to relax after a day of classes!

The IPC at Jilin University-Lambton College (JLU)  in Changchun, China is a unique partnership between Northwood University, Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario (CANADA), and Jilin University.  Students earn the 3 year diploma from Lambton College and then transfer to the final year for the NU BBA. 
JLU operates on a semester calendar, with a fall semester commencing in September and a spring semester commencing in January.   Each academic year opens in September with a welcome and graduation ceremony.
JLU has been in operation since 1999, and offers the following BBA degrees:

JLU is located next to the campus of Jilin University.  Jilin University is home to more than 50,000 university students.  Changchun is a city of over 7 million people, and is an important automotive and transport manufacturing center for China. 

As with all IPCs, coursework is taught by local faculty, western faculty, and NU faculty who travel to China.  Each year, a number of students travel to Canada and to the U.S. to complete their Diploma and BBA degrees.  This fall, over 250 students entered the NU BBA program!

JLU is led by Standing Vice President Yi-Rong Jia, and Vice President Dr. Ke Tian, and Director of the Academic Office Liu Yongxin. JLU faculty members include academic professionals from China, Canada, Europe, and the United States. 

We'll continue to feature our IPCs over the course of Volume I of this newsletter.

Update... on Strategic Themes

We continue to work on our strategic themes for this year, which include progress toward the following:

Quick Reminders:

Please contribute!

We welcome ideas and articles and photos from faculty and staff at all of our IPC sites. Please send your submissions to:

Linda Dick
International Programs Coordinator
dickl@northwood.edu