John Carroll University
John Carroll University (JCU) is a medium-sized liberal arts institution in the Jesuit tradition, located in the northeast section of Ohio, about 10 miles outside of Cleveland. Cleveland is located about 500 miles due west of New York City, 350 miles east of Chicago, and 200 miles south of Toronto, Canada. The university has a small number of professional degree programs, such as education, accountancy, communications management, and nonprofit administration, and it awards masters degrees in several fields, such as business (MBA, MS in Accountancy), history, and biology, but the bulk of the student body of about 4,000 studies at the undergraduate level. JCU has consistently received Top 5 rankings (Midwest) by U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” publication.
John Carroll offers undergraduate BS/BA degrees in the following fields: business (accountancy, finance, management, marketing, business logistics, economics, and business information systems), Science (biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, psychology), social science (economics, sociology, political science) and the humanities (English, history, art history, communication, languages, philosophy, religious studies). The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (Chicago, Illinois).
The graduate and undergraduate business programs offered by the Boler School of Business (BSOB), including accountancy, are accredited by AACSB International. This accreditation is awarded to only the top 10-12% of business schools worldwide. The Accountancy program holds AACSB specialized accreditation for accounting programs, which is awarded to only 169 universities worldwide. The BSOB further offers a 5th year MBA option, offering JCU undergraduates a 25% tuition discount and the opportunity to complete the degree in one year. The BSOB further features a full range of internship opportunities, participation in national competitions (such as the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition), a program of Visiting Executive Speakers, and resources such as the Edwards M. Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship, which provides educational networking, and consulting resources for entrepreneurs, students, and faculty.
As a Jesuit institution, John Carroll is committed to educating the whole person, head and heart, intellect and feelings. Jesuit education strives to give learners ongoing development of their imagination, feelings, conscience and intellect, and to encourage and help them recognize new experiences as opportunities to further growth. As the Reverend Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., former Superior General of the Society of Jesus has observed,
"We aim to form leaders in service, men and women of competence,
conscience and compassionate commitment."
Accordingly, the university offers a wide variety of voluntary service opportunities through its Center for Service and Social Action and Campus Ministry department. Through the center, students spend a few hours each week with community-based service organizations and agencies in the greater Cleveland area. Campus Ministry and the University Honors program offer several opportunities to serve the community, in regions that extend beyond Cleveland. Throughout the year inter and intra national immersion trips are offered to students and faculty members. These opportunities enrich student learning and meet community needs while providing the opportunity to develop professional connections and personal friendships.
John Carroll’s faculty is diverse and strongly committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service. 92.8% of the 220 full-time faculty hold the terminal degree in their field (typically Ph.D. or equivalent). Class sizes are typically small, ranging from 10 – 25 students for 3rd and 4th year courses to 30 – 35 for 1st and 2nd year courses. The overall average student/teacher ratio is 14:1. In many disciplines, particularly in the hard sciences, students are actively involved in faculty research, and the majority of students go on to graduate or professional programs upon earning their degrees, including the fields of law, medicine, and business. John Carroll faculty members take pride in their willingness to develop close relationships with students, whom they assist in endeavors both inside and outside the classroom.
There are numerous opportunities for students to get involved with their peers in on and off-campus activities, such as clubs, fraternities, competitive and intramural sports, honor societies, performing arts, music, and the like. The campus features a student-run newspaper, FM radio station, top notch sports and exercise facilities, a theater, as well as a state-of-the-art library. A full range of support services exists, from the Career Center, to the Writing Center, to the Center for Students with Disabilities, to mention but a few. The Office for Multicultural Affairs looks after students from minority backgrounds, while the Center for Global Education is in charge of our international students.
The city of Cleveland offers opportunities for a huge variety of recreational and cultural activities. Downtown Cleveland is only a short 30 min. train ride away from campus. It is a hub for arts and culture, possessing one of the world’s top orchestras and a first class art museum, and, of course, the world best basketball player in LeBron James. Three major league sports franchises call Cleveland home.
John Carroll University offers international students the amenities of a major metropolis while at the same time proving them with the comforts of a small-town atmosphere. It is truly an ideal place to spend one’s educational career. It is easy to get to, affordable, and offers high quality services.
Dr. Andreas Sobisch, Director
Center for Global Education
Dr. Sobisch is the director of John Carroll University's Center for Global Education. The center is responsible for facilitating the internationalization of the curriculum, including developing student/faculty exchanges, both short and long-term study abroad opportunities, as well as assisting in the recruitment of international students to the university.
Dr. Sobisch is a native of Hamburg, Germany and has lived in the United States for almost 30 years. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and has been teaching at John Carroll for the past 19 years. His teaching and research interests are European politics, international security issues, and international political economy.
Dr. Sobisch is participating in the Indo-American Education Summit in hopes of initiating contacts with India institutions of higher learning for the purpose of developing mutually beneficial relationships.