The first of its kind in the state, the bachelor of arts in health and aging degree is designed for students who wish to improve their credentials for executive, administrative and managerial positions in service industries for the elderly.

“This degree will provide multidisciplinary perspectives of gerontology-related issues from nursing, psychology, humanities, business, public affairs and sociology,” said Stuart Green, vice chancellor of academic affairs on the campus. “The program will prepare graduates to fill critical administrative positions in the region’s growing aging-related service industry.”

According to a 2001 report on the state of the workforce in north central Indiana, residents 55 years and older make up 24 percent of the region’s population, as compared to 21 percent statewide and nationwide. The U.S. Census for the year 2000 projects that in the next 20 years, an additional 1.3 million Hoosiers will be joining the 65 years and older age group.

Requirements for the degree include 34 hours of coursework in the major of health and aging, plus 18 hours of elective coursework in such subjects as public affairs, public relations, management systems and marketing.

E-business concentration

eMarketer, a leading E-commerce research firm, has predicted that Internet-based business-to-business transactions will total more than $2.7 trillion worldwide by 2004.

IU Kokomo’s School of Business’ new E-business concentration comes in response to this revolution in commerce.

The E-business concentration is for students who are interested in learning about coordination of the business side of an organization with the technology side of the Internet to conduct business. The E-business concentration combines a balance of technical skills and management skills to prepare students for a career in corporate, government or not-for-profit organizations. In addition to fulfilling the basic business core requirements, students in the E-business concentration will learn to connect an organization’s business systems to its customers, employees, partners, suppliers and other stakeholders using intranets, extranets and the World Wide Web.

Graduate certificate in public management

A graduate certificate in public management, already offered at other IU campuses, will be available through the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). “This certificate offers a solid background for those in career transition, especially for those interested in government, not-for-profit and even private enterprise employment,” said Allen Anderson, associate dean of the SPEA program at IU Kokomo. “The certificate is a natural segue into graduate study for those interested in preparation or retooling for supervisory or management positions.”

Students in the program will take courses in public management, public finance and budgeting, human resources management and a variety of elective courses that will give them excellent preparation for supervisory and management positions in government, the not-for-profit sector and private enterprise. For those interested in continuing graduate study, the five courses required for the graduate certificate will transfer directly into the master’s of public affairs degree at the SPEA program on the Indianapolis campus.

Associate degree in radiographic technology

This summer, IU Kokomo will announce the director of its associate of science degree program in radiographic technology. Radiography is one of the fastest evolving professions in health care and radiographers make up the largest group of imaging professionals. The radiographic curriculum consists of general education courses, technical courses in radiography and clinical experiences at local hospitals.

Graduates receive an associate of science degree and are eligible to take the certification examination of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists to become a registered radiographer.

Radiography involves the medical use of X-rays in the diagnosis of diseases. A radiologist is a physician specializing in this science, and a radiographer is the technical assistant to the radiologist. Radiographers’ principal duties consist of performing X-ray examinations of patients in hospitals, clinics and physicians’ offices.