12-20-04
Behrend Fall Commencement Includes First Graduate
in Online Project Management Program
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Pascale Malouin traveled from her home in Edmonton, Alberta, to Erie last week to take part in a very special event. On Saturday, December 18, she donned cap and gown to become the very first graduate of Penn State's online Master of Project Management (M.P.M.) program. The commencement ceremony, which began at noon, featured a commencement address by Eric Corty, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology. Approximately 130 students in all four schools of the college participated. |
"Pascale's graduation has very special meaning for everyone who's been involved in her education," said John Magenau, Ph.D., director of the Sam and Irene School of Business at Penn State Behrend. "Her success is a signal to others that online graduate education is a viable opportunity for students who are unable to travel."
Malouin is employed by AMEC, an international project management and services company that designs, delivers and supports infrastructure, from local technical services to international landmark projects. She-and her company-have been part of the M.P.M. program since its inception in fall 2001.
The Master of Project Management, taught by faculty in the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State Behrend, is offered online through Penn State's World Campus. The program was developed in response to demands of top companies for excellent project management education, and the curriculum for the program was created with the needs of these companies in mind.
Penn State Behrend's project management faculty team is led by Jeffrey K. Pinto, Ph.D., the Andrew Morrow and Elizabeth Lee Black Chair in Management Technology. Pinto and his colleagues joined forces with three distinguished multinational companies-Rolls-Royce, AMEC, and the Goodrich Corporation-and the University of Manchester to develop a world-class curriculum for companies that want the highest level of expertise and leadership. According to Pinto, project management is one of the hottest new job markets around. As an example, he cites membership in the Project Management Institute. In 2002, there were 99,483; in 2003, 120,981.
"Employers are always looking for professionals who can take on a project, oversee staffing, budget, and timeline for the project, and get the job done," said Pinto. "The Penn State Behrend M.P.M. teaches planning, cost, and value management; project control; human issues in project management; strategic issues in project management, and commercial and procurement law."
Project management students complete thirty credits, including a research project and four two-day residency experiences (one each semester) that allow them to meet and network with other students and with program faculty. Students can step up to the M.P.M. with a Graduate Certificate in Project Management after twelve credits, or an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Project Management after twenty-four credits.
In addition to Pinto, Penn State Behrend business faculty teaching in this online program include Eric Jackson, Ph.D., Diane Parente, Ph.D., Peg Thoms, Ph.D., and Ray Venkataraman, Ph.D. William Volz, Ph.D., of Wayne State University also teaches in the program.
One other student, Craig Olin, earned his M.P.M. on December 18, but decided not to take the trip to Erie. He works for Goodrich in Jamestown, North Dakota.