Page 10 • Thursday, February 12/ 2004
NEWS
The Pendulum
Business school will feature
state-of-the-art technology
From p. 1
relocation of the intramural fields that
will be closed upon the commence
ment of business center construction,
said Neil Bromilow, diretlor of con
struction management at Elon.
When construction begins on the
center in spring 2005, contractors will
close only one field, leaving ample
playing space for students, according
to Whittington.
A transportation committee is
meeting in regards to tlic relocation of
piirking currently available next to
McMichael on (J’Kelly Avenue. The
committee is considering potential
transportation alternatives such as a
comprctensive tram system to local
apartment complexes. Student input
regarding such proposals will be
sought through the Studenl
Government Association, Residence
Life iuid other campus organizations
through the coming months, accord
ing to Wliittington.
In the future, Elon ofllcials plan to
re-route visiting traffic through what
will becomc a nortli entrance to cam
pus, highlighting the Greek Courts
and Moseley Center to the right of
incoming traffic and the Koury
Business and McMichael Science
Centers to the left. Admissions and
University Relations materials will
direct prospective students and uni
versity guests from one of the local
interstates or highways to the Elon by
pass, currently under construction.
The university plans to discourage
drivers from exiting the by-pass near
undeveloped west campus, the most
direct route for drivers to reach the
university, and encourage visitors to
enter campus through what will be the
“newest” section of campus, accord
ing to Dan Anderson, director of uni
versity relations.
‘The building is reminiscent of the
Academic Village buildings, but has
many of the same elements of the
older buildings on the campus, too:
window treatment, colonnades, iind
the type of brick,” Whittington said,
referring to the architectural concept
Ekm's committee for the business
tx'nter approved.
‘This building will certainly kx)k
like it belongs on this aunpus as all of
tlie others we have built over the last
decade have.”
Contact Jessica Patchett at pen-
dulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
Blackboard includes more integrated features
From p. 1
it will relate to the institution.
Driscoll alsowants students to
know that their network attached
storage is now 500 MB, which is
similar to another hard drive on the
network- but it can be accessed
anywhere.
Brown said another difference
is, “Organizations are now sepa
rate from courses.” Brown also
said policies will be set up to make
sure organizations are kept up-to-
date.
Although organizations are still
using Blackboard 5 Driscoll said,
they will be transferred to
Blackboard 6 by mid-February.
Brown, Baute and Driscoll all
stressed users must use their e-mail
password to access Blackboard 6.
If students have any problems or
have forgotten their password,
they are advised to contact the help
desk at extension 5200.
Recent changes to E-net
include subcategories in the stu
dent center and want ads. The
additional categories make it easi
er to find items. New subcate
gories in the student center section
include: general announcements,
event announcements, organiza-
Bridgette Guedri / Photographer
Over the next several months, students will be able to access additional
features through Blackboard 6. The portal system is expected to be com
pleted by fall 2004.
tional meetings, volunteer opportu
nities and residence life. New cate
gories in the want ads are divided
into apartments, books, electronics,
furniture, lost and found, room
mates and travel. Look for future
updates on the progress of
Blackboard 6 and the portal system
and additions to Internet resources.
Contact Ashley Feibish at pendu-
lum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
Accreditation teams visit business school and physical therapy program
Steve Earley
Copy Editor
February is a big month for
Elon behind the scenes with two
accreditation review teams visiting
the university. Representatives
from the Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Business vis
ited the Love School of Business
Sunday through Wednesday and a
team from the Southern
Association of Colleges and
Schools will visit the physical ther
apy program next Monday through
Wednesday.
This week’s visit to the business
school comes at the end of a five-
year AACSB candidacy process. If
accredited, the Love School of
Business would join a select group
of 466 business schools - including
54 outside the United States.
“If we’re given the accredita
tion, we will get the recognition we
deserve, and to some extent that
recognition will be worldwide,”
said John Burbridge, dean of the
Love School of Business.
In order to receive AACSB
accreditation, the bu.siness school
must meet 39 standards in areas
such as the qualifications of facul
ty and their intellectual contribu
tions, curriculum content, instruc
tional resources and achievement
of students.
Exit interviews with senior busi
ness students helped the school
decide what changes it should make
in preparation for the accreditation
review, Burbridge said. Deficits in
the accounting skills and quantita
tive skills of seniors, for example,
prompted the addition of two
accounting hours and a second sta
tistics class to the curriculum.
An increased focus on experien
tial learning was also part of the
school’s accreditation push. The
Jefferson Pilot Business Fellows
program, established in 1994,
offers .select students study abroad
and internship opportunities. The
Elon Enterprise Academy, estab
lished in 2002, gives students
hands-on entrepreneurial experi
ence through running their own
companies.
Significant growth of the busi
ness school - from fewer than 400
business majors in 1996 to more
than 800 today — prompted other
changes during the candidacy peri
od, such as the addition of more
than 10 full time faculty members
since 1998.
Burbridge said he expects a
decision on accreditation from
AACSB by April.
Next week’s visit to the physical
therapy program from SACS - the
accrediting body for colleges in
eleven southern states which
accredits all of Elon’s academic
programs — is a final step in the
transition form a master’s to a doc
torate program.
The program enrolled its first
If we're given the [AACSB] accreditation, we
will get the recognition we deserve, and to some
extent that recognition will be worldwide.
—John Burbridge, dean of the Love School of Business ^
"7
DPT class in January 2003.
Elon’s physical therapy pro
gram began as a master’s program
in 1998. The decision to change to
a doctorate program was made in
2001. That same year, the universi
ty earned accreditation for the doc
torate program from the
Commission on Accrecjitation in
Physical Therapy Education - a
nationally-recognized accreditor
affiliated with the American
Physical Therapy Association.
“This will definitely enhance
our visibility as an institution for
someone interested in physical
therapy,” Elizabeth Rogers, associ
ate dean of physical therapy, said of
the doctorate program.
As-one of about 200 colleges
offering a doctorate in physical
therapy - among the first 50 in the
nation to do so - Elon is helping
lead the maturation of a field that
began with certificate programs
100 years ago.
“The body of knowledge in the
profession has changed and it’s
grown to be respected among
health care providers,” Rogers said.
Rogers said she expects a deci
sion from SACS this summer.
Contact Steve Earley at pendu-
lum@elon.edu or 278-7247.