Miami University students will have the opportunity to study in the land of Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and fish and chips through the Highwire London Summer 2010 study abroad.
According to Tom Effler, graphic design professor who will be attending the London program, a Jan. 28 information session will be the first of four meetings this semester to prepare the students for their project with the business client, Hasbro Company.
Tim Greenlee, associate professor of marketing, said the program incorporates the dynamics of graphic design and marketing.
"Each semester we have a real world client and there's always two faculty members teaching (the program), one from graphic design and one from marketing," Greenlee said.
Greenlee and Effler said the program is open to students of any major, although many of the students that attend the summer program are graphic design and marketing majors.
Effler and Greenlee said the program was created for students to face real-world clients and complete real-world business problems.
"With the clients, we try to get them to go on to be involved in this program, we ask them to give us a real problem," Effler said. "We don't want them to make something up for a bunch of students. We want a real business problem that the kids can get involved with, and they follow up on that too."
Greenlee said the Summer London program has the potential to shape and mold students and give them a great deal of practical experience.
"When we come back, the students come back as different people and the person coming back from the trip is more mature, more confident, more professional, they are ready for the job," Greenlee said. "For me, as a faculty member and as a teacher, that means the world to hear that."
Greenlee said the best way to be considered for the program is to apply through the FSB Web site.
"We don't usually ask for GPA, we always ask them to fill out our application form," Greenlee said. "We ask them why they want to be in the course, what they are bringing to the course."
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However, some majors may require specific course completions before applying for the program, Greenlee said. If the student is a marketing major, they have to have completed a prerequisite course, which is a branding course, but if the student is a university-wide major, there is in no need for any completion of a prerequisite course.
"That is why we highly encourage students from across the university to take the course," Greenlee said.
Greenlee also encourages students to take the course because of the hands-on experience.
Through the program, students work with real-world business clients who give them business charges.
According to Effler, a charge is a walking order. It is a description of the project assignment in which the students will be tackling during the semester long course.
"It is the project description or the project brief," Effler said.
This spring 2010 semester, led by marketing professor Gillian Oakenfull, the students were charged by the client.
"The charge is delivered to the students by a representative of the client," Effel said. "For Midas International it was Michael Bevin and he talked about their business for a little bit and then the expectations of the client for the students are through a PowerPoint presentation."
Hasbro has not yet given its charge to students for the summer 2010 program, according to Effel.
The Farmer School of Business's Summer London program will hold an information session from 6 to 7 p.m. Jan. 28 for the students traveling abroad to work with the summer program's client, Hasbro in London.
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