COBM Advisory Council

NEWS AROUND THE COLLEGE

Dean Amy Hietapelto accepts new position at University of Minnesota, Duluth

Beginning on July 1, 2013, the Dean of the College of Business and Management, Dr. Amy Hietapelto will become the Dean of the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Dr. Hietapelto has served as Dean of the COBM since 2009.  She came to Northeastern in Fall of 2003 as a faculty member in the Management and Marketing department teaching Strategic Managment at the undergraduate and graduate level as well as other organization behavior courses.  She previously taught at the Michigan Tech University and Clarkson University.  She also held the positions of Associate Dean and then Acting Dean at COBM previous to becoming Dean.

 Chief among her accomplishments has been advancing the college through the accreditation process for special business accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).  With completion of a recent report, we hope to advance to the final stage of the process, which may be completed in the next year.

We wish Dr. Hietapelto luck in her next endeavor.

Associate Dean Michael Bedell chosen as Acting Dean for the Next Two Years

Dr. Bedell joined us last July as our Associate Dean, with 16 years of teaching experience at California State University, Bakersfield as well as administrative leadership background as MBA Program Coordinator, AACSB Accreditation Committee Chair, and Training Director, PeopleSoft Human Resources Implementation Team.  His Ph.D. is from the University of Indiana in

He has a taught a variety of courses in Human Resources Management and in Quantitative Methods for Business Decision Making since 1998, as well as supervising numerous independent studies and master’s degree projects.  He has some corporate Human Resources experience as well as extensive leadership experience at the University.

His emphasis this past year has been on the further development of Graduate Studies in Business and in the assessment work to be done for accreditation with AACSB.  His role in the upcoming two years will be to lead us to complete the final and most difficult steps in our accreditation process with AACSB.

COBM to celebrate 30 years as a College with Alumni Reunion Kickoff

Beginning with the Northeastern Illinois University Alumni Reunion to be held on the Main Campus on October 18 and 19, 2013, the College of Business and Management will celebrate 30 years as a college.  There will be speakers and events throughout the Fall 2013-Spring 2014 academic year.  We hope to involve students, faculty, staff and the greater community in these events.

Northeastern Illinois University grew from a teaching training effort began in 1867.  It went through many iterations on the south side as a "normal school" and became the the Chicago Teachers College in 1938.  Accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools was first awarded in 1940 and has been maintained ever since. Initially the school was known as Chicago Teachers College North in the 1960s as it came to the north side of Chicago.  Expansion has seen the institution go from a focus on educating teachers to a fully expanded University.  Business classes were first offered as part of the department of Economics, and grew to a separate department of Business in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

In 1984, the College of Business was formed, leading to our celebrations which will be ongoing this academic year.  More news with further details on events will be found on this page throughout the year.

New for our Accounting Degree Completion Program
at the
University Center of Lake County UCLC

New this year, we are prepared to offer distance learning classes at UCLC, so that students in Lake County can be included in classes on our main campus in case there is insufficient enrollment to hold stand alone classes at the UCLC campus. This is part of our effort build a program for students to complete an Accounting degree from Northeastern at the  University Center of Lake County,  while managing our increasing budget restrictions. In the past, we have had to cancel many classes we had hoped to offer at UCLC and this should no longer be the case.

The requirements for the a BS in Business with a major in Accounting are the same at UCLC as they are at main campus and we plan to be able to offer all the classes required for the degree in Grayslake as the program grows.  Faculty will be drawn from the same pool of faculty used on our main campus.

Class availability at UCLC is also supplemented by online classes as well, helping students avoid the commute into the city.  It is available to anyone who has completed the prerequisites for becoming an Accounting major at Northeastern (especially relevant for those who want to complete an Accounting degree and have already earned an Associates degree) and would prefer to go to class at the Lake County.  Actually, classes could be taken at both campuses.  Current students may opt to take classes in Lake County if that is more convenient.

For specific information about our Accounting Major/Minor, click here or contact our Office of Program Advisement

Business Classes ONLINE

In Spring 2009, the College began offering online courses.  Starting with a single class that semester, we are now offering eight online classes in Fall 2012.  In Spring 2013, we are scheduled to have 9 offerings online (see below). Most of the classes are regular COBM undergraduate core course offerings, with some Graduate Studies in Business classes, especially for Phase I classes.

Online classes are taught using specific techniques so that communication occurs between the instructor, the student and among the entire class through electronic means.  Faculty who teach online have received special training in these techniques.  Class assignments deliver material over the internet, homework can be assigned and reviewed by the instructor, and individual feedback is given to students and the instructor.  There is a definite pacing of the coursework to coincide with a regular semester.  While some instructors are giving tests and never having in person contact with students, others are offering occasional on campus review sessions as well as asking students to come to campus for test taking, thereby functioning as what we call a hybrid course.

This new form of high tech learning is great for some of our students  because:

*  Some are employed full time who cannot take classes when they are normally offered
*  Individuals with situations where getting to campus creates a challenge (responsibilities at home)
*  Geographical difficulties due to work, residence, or even just lack of transportation
*  Those whose learning style might require more individualized pacing than available in a standard classroom.

A student signing up for an online class should have easy access to a computer and be comfortable with communication by electronic means.  Having a class online does not mean you can get a few assignments on line and do them at the last minute.  It involves a commitment to spending time on the computer to keep up with progressive assignments and can involve as much or more work than actually being in a class.  Being online mostly means that you do not have to commute to campus and you can do the work in your own time frame.

The biggest down side of online learning is the lack of face to face contact with an instructor and other students.  The value to a student depends on their individual situation and should include a personal evaluation of whether the benefits of taking a class online will outweigh any potential difficulties the student may anticipate.

If you have any questions about these classes you may speak with your advisor or contact the instructor with your concerns.

Online Classes for Fall 2013

More news coming soon.