LOCAL TO GLOBAL

MEETING WORKFORCE NEEDS IS MSUM’S PROMISE

BY COURTNEY WEATHERHEAD >> MSUM PHOTOGRAPHY

“Through education, we achieve the power to transform not only ourselves, but also our world.”

These are the words of Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Anne Blackhurst.

Transforming the world is an ambitious aspiration, but Blackhurst said, “That promise is unleashed every time a student sees she really can test a hypothesis, or analyze a balance sheet, or critique a film, or thrive in another culture, or write a short story worthy of her professor’s praise.”

For 125 years, MSUM has been dedicated to fulfilling its promise to students and employers—meet the needs of the state and region.

MSUM administrators regularly meet with business and community leaders and employers of our alumni to learn how the university can better prepare graduates for the workforce. The goal is to provide the most relevant, up-todate education possible. New programs and initiatives are already underway as a result.

“In the College of Business and Innovation alone, during the past year, partnerships with industry and business leaders resulted in new programs in entrepreneurship, business analytics, and project management, as well as an executive MBA and a master’s degree in accounting and finance,” Blackhurst said.

Another example is a trio of new graduate programs that serves healthcare administrators and executives. Collaboration between the School of Business and the School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership offer the necessary specialization to serve three distinct audiences: senior healthcare executives, nursing administrators, and mid-level healthcare administrators.

MSUM now offers a Doing Business in China minor and certificate. Students and business professionals alike will gain understanding of China’s unique international business practices and implications of one of the world’s most populated countries. The People’s Republic of China is the world’s second largest economy and the world’s fastest growing major economy. This means the demand for professionals with a working knowledge of how to do business in China is growing.

“We are pleased to offer this certificate program to students and professionals in the local and regional communities,” said Marsha Weber, dean of the College of Business and Innovation. “We are fortunate to have faculty who have traveled and researched extensively in China who can provide participants in this program with a first-hand view of the cultural, political, and economic environments in China and the opportunities that exist to do business in China.”

Two of MSUM’s professors, Dr. Peter Geib and Dr. Ruth Lumb, are experts on doing business in China.

“Ruth uses technology to create virtual teams, in which MSUM students and students in China work together on research, case studies, and feasibility projects,” Blackhurst said. “In the process, they develop cross cultural understanding and the skills to operate in a global business environment.”

MSUM is also fulfilling its promise to serving the Red River Valley. For example, this summer, geosciences students received geo-archeology experience in Moorhead by using remote sensing methods and GIS mapping at the Comstock House historic site. The project results will be shared with both the City of Moorhead and the Minnesota Historical Society.

“The true promise of higher education is realized only when our students use their education to better our world. Creative minds, well-honed intellects, even well-developed value systems, stop short of realizing their promise if they are not employed in service to our local and global communities,” Blackhurst said.

The community is invited to learn more about doing business in China at MSUM’s Global Innovation: Doing Business in China Nov. 12. There will be a panel discussion with regional experts to help business professionals understand opportunities that exist between China and the U.S. [AWM]