COBA and JMC majors will have the opportunity to spend next semester’s fall break in New York City.
David Swearingen, executive in residence of the college of business administration, led a group of about 20 COBA majors to New York City during spring break two years ago. Swearingen was formerly the vice president of corporate communications for Johnson & Johnson.
Dr. Jonathan Stewart, professor of finance, also went on the trip. Stewart said the group visited the headquarters of Johnson & Johnson, American Express, Tommy Hilfiger and the New York Stock Exchange, among other places, thanks to Swearingen.
“He basically set us up with a bunch of awesome tours,” Stewart said.
Students also participated in a mentoring session at the Manhattan Church of Christ.
“We had a huge panel of professionals,” Stewart said. “We had folks from all different industries.”
The trip is not for course credit, but Stewart said students can gain valuable experience.
“The students pay for it on their own,” he said. “It’s just intended to be an experiential opportunity.”
While the previous trip was exclusive to COBA majors, the next trip will also be open to students from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. Joyce Haley, JMC instructor and advisor to Morris & Mitchell, said it just made sense for JMC majors to be included.
“Around the time of the last trip, we started talking to David about the possibility of opening it up to JMC students as well,” Haley said.
Haley said the trip would be a good opportunity for advertising and public relations majors and journalism majors wanting to write about business and related fields.
“There’s a lot of overlap,” Haley said. “In fact, a lot of Ad/PR majors are business minors.”
Haley said the trip will provide the opportunity to make connections for future jobs and provide new perspectives.
“Anytime that you have a different cultural experience, you broaden your world, your value, what you have to contribute,” she said. “Any JMC major should be very interested in understanding different places, different disciplines, different companies, different organizations.”
The trip is open to 27 students. The cost will be $1,895, which includes a lunch and dinner, transportation, sleeping accommodations and group events. The itinerary for the trip has not been finalized. COBA and JMC students will attend several tours together, but will also participate in events specific to their majors.
Applications will be available next week. For more information, contact Swearingen at dps10a@acu.edu; Haley at haleyj@acu.edu; or Stewart at stewartjo@acu.edu.
