What about the undergrads?

This past week, the Kelley School of Business, in conjunction with American Banking Association's Stonier School of Banking at Georgetown University, made headlines on a plan that will allow for the two schools to interconnect their degree programs and improve education. Once again, leave it to the business school to show why it ranks amongst the best in the nation by being an innovator in education.\nAlthough expanding the boundaries with other distinct graduate universities around the country is of great benefit, the business school ought to strongly consider using its technological resources in the best interests of its undergraduate curriculum. Each summer, thousands of students, business students included, stick around for summer sessions in order to complete some of the rigorous undergraduate requirements. Although an individual has the option to complete classes in a six-week time frame and head wherever, the reality is that finding an internship for the remainder of summer is virtually impossible. I myself have the distinct privilege of being affected a great deal by this, as I had to pass an opportunity to intern at a top flight firm in San Francisco this summer in order to take classes so that I may graduate by December. The thing that has been so mightily chiseled in our heads from our career perspective courses is hypocritical because taking an internship is not always an option or a prerogative. For many, graduating within a certain time frame is not only important, but it is more economical and efficient than having to stick around for additional semesters -- simple fundamentals that are supposedly learned in any finance class. \nWith the advent of rapidly expanding technology and increasing connectivity around the world, it is about time that major educational institutions such as IU find a way to harness its increasing power and influence. The business school needs to develop an online program that allows for students to continue their studies while gaining that valuable experience in the real world. If IU can allow Georgetown graduates to take online finance classes from our campus, why can't they let their own undergrads take those same classes online while away on an internship?\nWith more than 5,000 students gracing the hallways of the undergraduate facility, the business school needs to rethink the boundaries of education and achieve its half of the commitment to excellence to the undergraduate majority. There should be no excuses that it can't be done; since 1999, Kelley School Direct has instituted an online business program that allows for professionals to earn higher-level degrees while continuing employment. \nAccording to senior Doug Schwegman, the idea of having classes offered online while undergraduates pursue internship opportunities is of importance.\n"They encourage professional experience outside the classroom; why not find a way to integrate it with education for undergraduates," he said. "They only seem to cater to the graduate students." \n Of course, there will be those who argue that students involved in the upper-level courses should be instructed by a professor. I see the validity of this in ways, but if we were confined to barriers, business school alumni such as Mark Cuban wouldn't be where they are today. Business thrives on innovation, not some annual ranking in U.S. News & World Report. A truly great institution will find a way to break barriers and integrate new and effective educational techniques while students pursue internship opportunities.\nIU is one of the most wired and integrated campuses in the country, so why not find a way to innovate our great institution and give some assistance to the undergraduate class? We pay our fees and work hard to develop character, why not throw us a bone once in a while? After all, we are what makes the Kelley School of Business, not some students in Georgetown.