Benedictine University establishes a Global College
Benedictine University in Lisle is constantly changing and adapting to meet the demand for quality, values-based academic programs at home and abroad.
Eight years after reorganizing into four colleges — the College of Business, the College of Education and Health Services, the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science — then adding the Moser College of Adult and Professional Studies in the fall of 2006 to better serve its domestic students, Benedictine is adding a sixth college to serve its growing overseas community.
The university has announced that it has established the Global College to coordinate and develop its many programs and services abroad, including administration of master’s programs in China and Vietnam and partnerships with colleges and universities throughout the world.
“For nearly a decade, Benedictine University has offered graduate degree programs in China and Vietnam,” said William Carroll, president of Benedictine University. “These programs have continued to expand. Each year, we add more programs, university partners and instructional sites.”
Benedictine recently received permission from the Ministry of Education in China to begin offering its master of public health program in northeastern China. The university has offered a master of business administration and master of science in management information systems in China since 2004 and in Vietnam since 2009.
These partnerships have allowed students in China and Vietnam who are unable to study in the United States to learn about western business practices and theory, while Benedictine students and faculty have access to a broader selection of overseas opportunities.
In recent years, several Benedictine students have been awarded scholarships by the Chinese government to study there and Benedictine faculty has traveled to China and to work with their Chinese colleagues on a variety of projects.
Most recently, nearly 20 faculty members from Benedictine spent two weeks in China sharing teaching methodologies.
A number of additional universities and countries have expressed an interest in cooperating with Benedictine, confirming the university’s success in the markets it has already established. Benedictine expects to offer undergraduate and doctoral programs abroad in the near future.
“We continue to develop new partnerships and intend to offer other degree and nondegree programs soon,” Carroll said.
Dr. Alan Gorr, dean of the College of Education and Health Services for the past eight years and a 15-year Benedictine professor, has been appointed dean of the new Global College. Gorr has extensive international experience after working in Sudan, Egypt, India and Myanmar on behalf of the World Health Organization.
“Benedictine is uniquely able to address to the educational needs of our partners in other countries,” Gorr said. “Because we are a mid-sized university, we are better able to respond rapidly and tailor our programs to meet national and market needs.
“The Global College has been established to build upon that track record by offering high quality programs that address unmet needs in other countries,” he added.