Sunday, July 22, 2012

Interview with Professor John Jusu, Academic Dean, AIU School of Professional Studies


Dr. John Jusu is the Academic Dean for the AIU School of Professional Studies.  As I talked with him earlier this week, I could see he has a busy summer schedule ahead of him as he develops curriculum for the new planned programs.  John indicated he was almost finished with the Bachelor of Information Communication Technology.  They are also planning Bachelor of Science Programs in Finance and Accountancy, Entrepreneurial Studies, Community Development, and Engineering and Information Technology.  Professor Jesu has been traveling in the USA earlier this year meeting with Theological Schools such as Wheaton, Asbury Seminary, Indiana Wesleyan University, Fuller, and Trinity in a collaborative effort to align planned curriculum with the AIU mission, vision, and core values to determine the methodology for content delivery. 

One of Professor Jusu's biggest concerns is insuring that the undergraduate Bachelor’s degree programs maintain the excellent reputation that the graduate programs offered at NEGST have established.  Maintaining a quality brand is important as these new programs are added. If AIU is successful in attracting 60 new students to each of the 5 new programs planned, it will place a significant strain on existing facilities.  Also recruiting and training faculty will be a challenge given the planned launch in September, 2012. 

John stressed the importance of the need to diversify their current network especially in the area of creating exchange programs for students and faculty.  He would like to see a centralized funding of these programs that creates a reciprocal mutually beneficial platform that allows access to greater international faculty and student resources.  Just as AIU can learn from other Western schools that have integrated theological and secular undergraduate program offerings, the Western institutions can learn a lot from AIU which is well positioned as an authority and the center of World Christianity.

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