Rutgers University and Apple team up to offer iPad business courses
Newark Star-Ledger
April 20, 2010
Forget cranking out software code and hoping to strike it rich with a hit iPad app.
Rutgers University said yesterday it will offer business courses — rather than application development ones — that revolve around Apple’s hot new tablet computer.
The program will be the first of its kind in the country and is a collaboration between Rutgers officials and Apple’s higher education team. The week-long pilot, a digital marketing course, will launch July 19 and will award certificates to students.
MBA students can even choose to count it toward their degrees.
It is the brainchild of Eric Greenberg, who teaches marketing at the school’s corporate training facility — the Center for Management Development in Piscataway. He approached Apple months ago, before the iPad went on sale and as rumors still swirled about the anxiously awaited entry into the tablet computer market.
"We think the iPad can help Rutgers transform business education," said Greenberg,the program’s director.
He added there is "a big disconnect" between the way companies spend their marketing dollars — on print and television platforms — and the way the public is increasingly consuming information via mobile devices.
Greenberg admitted the idea is a novel one. Instead of twentysomethings clad in sweatpants who talk of code language called "Cocoa," picture a classroom full of suits, including marketing managers and other corporate types.
And in lieu of chatter about game characters and realistic graphics, classroom conversations will likely involve "digital brand management" and "mobile press releases."
