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The Student Voice of the University of Central Oklahoma Since 1903
October 2, 2007
UCO, DELL INK EDUCATIONAL DEAL by Andrew Knittle Staff Writer In a move designed to expand opportunities for UCO students, President Webb and Dell, one of the world's leading computer makers, formally announced an educational partnership Sept. 27 in the President's Office. "This new program will help ensure that our students graduate with relevant, cutting-edge theory and practical application-based learning experiences," Webb said. "It will also promote the development of leadership attributes, which is central to our university academic goals." The UCO-Dell Professional Selling Program will operate out of the College of Business Administration, which offers several undergraduate and graduate degrees. The program will serve as a means to fulfill a minor in Professional Personal Selling and will offer enrolled students an opportunity to participate in "for credit" internships at Dell. Dell will also provide professional • mentors for students enrolled in the program and bring in guest speakers to broaden the avenues of communication between the company and its students. The timing of the new program couldn't come at better time for UCO students. In 2006, Dell announced revenues of $56 billon, a 14 percent increase from the previous year. The company also operates a fast-growing call center in the heart of Oklahoma City, which has grown precipitously since it was opened in October 2004. In a recent interview with The Oklahoman, Jay Martin,
by Vista photographer Chris Albers
President Webb and a representative from Dell Inc. signed a partnership agreement Thursday, Sept. 27. The agreement included a minor in Professional Personal Selling offered within the College of Business Administration.
the new site leader of the Oklahoma City campus, was asked what his biggest challenge is at his new job. "Continuing to manage the growth. I've only been here six months, seven months, and just during that time we have grown almost 25 percent just
from a people standpoint," Martin said. "Just managing that growth every day, making sure that we have the right facilities, down to the food we serve in the cafeteria." The call center was originally designed to house around 400 employees,
but now more than 1,000 people work in the facility. "What it has come to be over the last three years is pretty exciting, because it has moved from something that is very tactical to something that is extremely strategic to the company," Martin said.
"The fact is that we now have four support operations here. If Oklahoma City were not to be here Dell would have a hard time operating each day." For more information about the UCO-Dell Professional Selling Program, call Dr. John Camey,
Assistant Dean and Director of Undergraduate Programs at the College of Business Administration, at 974-5339.
Andrew Knittle can be reached at aknittle@thevistaonline.com .
Sociologist talks about the decline of American culture by Nelson Solomon Staff Writer
by Vista photographer Chris Albers
George Ritzer, author of "The Mcdonaldization of Society", spoke Wednesday night at Constitution Hall in the Nigh Center. Ritzer's book is a commentary on the Mcdonalds business model and how it has affected our everyday lives.
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"I don't care what is written about me as long as it isn't true." — Katherine Hepburn
George Ritzer, acclaimed author, sociologist, and presently Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, gave a lecture on what he called "The McDonaldization (or is it Starbuckization) of Global Culture" on Sept. 26 in Constitution Hall. He appeared as part of the College of Liberal Arts' Dean's Speaker Series. Ritzer defines McDonaldization as the process by which the principles of McDonald's are affecting more sectors of our society and more and more societies around the world. Ritzer was introduced by Dr. David Ford, chairman of the Sociology and Human Services, Criminal Justice, and Substance Abuse Studies department. In the brief introduction, Dr. Ford noted that in all of Ritzer's accomplishments, he "doesn't have any degrees in sociology," despite being a noted sociologist. Ford said that Ritzer is a sociologist "in the best
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use of the word and brings sociology alive to the modern, postmodern world." Ritzer started his lecture by asking a question he would later address, concerning whether or not he would not change the name of the book to "The Starbuckization of Global Culture" as opposed to the latter, considering the enormity and impact of Starbucks around the world today. Ritzer began writing about the topic of McDonaldization in 1983, when he wrote an article about the issue, but that work went unnoticed and was primarily read by his mother. "It was a number of years later, that this topic seemed to resonate with people, and it was in the early '90s that I decided to expand on it and write a book about it," Ritzer said. People other than his mother actually read this work, much to Ritzer's gratification. Ritzer pointed out that he started working on this book long before some commonly known works out today, including "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser and Morgan
see MCDONALDS, page 3