LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Communication and leadership skill-building on a local scale and faculty and student exchange opportunities on a global scale comprise the basis of three diverse Jesse H. Harper Endowed Professorships awarded by Rider University's College of Business Administration (CBA).

The three recipients are: Dr. Susan Denbo, associate professor of business policy and environment; Dr. Joy Schneer, associate professor of management and human resources; and Dr. Christine Lentz, associate professor of management and human resources. Their grants will be effective July 1.

In the fall of 1994, a $1.83 million bequest from the estate of Lois A. Harper created the endowed professorship in memory of her husband, Jesse H. Harper, a member of Rider's Class of 1949. Its purpose is to enhance teaching in the CBA and improve the instructional program through the professional development of faculty.

Dr. Denbo hopes to enhance the quality of teaching among CBA faculty through improved case discussion leadership. Faculty will be invited to participate in a year-long seminar devoted to teaching and writing cases. A professional consultant will conduct two case workshops as a supplement to Dr. Denbo's seminar, and four faculty members will be able to attend a program on discussion leadership at the Harvard University Business School.

The proposal enables cross-functional integration and provides opportunities for faculty to increase their scholarly output by writing cases that can be published as well as used in the classroom.

Dr. Schneer's proposal focuses on cultivating the internal resources of faculty, allowing them to create teaching excellence in dynamic courses that develop students' interpersonal and leadership skills -- key components of the CBA mission.

The funding will help faculty members define their style in the classroom through self-assessment and feedback from an outside expert. It will also enable them to hone their interpersonal skills through experiential techniques in classroom pedagogy.

Dr. Lentz's initiative will have a more far-reaching impact on faculty in the literal sense. She plans to work on the development of an academic partnership with Sanda University in Shanghai, China, with whom Rider has agreed in principle to develop joint exchange programs involving students and faculty.

Interested CBA faculty will have the opportunity to teach electives at Sanda and to conduct research with multinational corporations in Shanghai. Eventually, undergraduate and MBA students at Rider will also be able to study at Sanda and complete internships in Shanghai. The grant's resources will assist with the cross-cultural and language training needed for faculty to adapt their teaching styles to a different audience.

Drs. Denbo, Schneer, and Lentz bring the total number of Harper Professorship recipients to 12 since the first grants were awarded in 1996.

Rider University is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian institution with a 353-acre main campus in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and a 23-acre campus in Princeton, New Jersey. The University offers 60 undergraduate programs and 17 graduate programs in the Colleges of Business Administration; Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences; Continuing Studies; and Westminster Choir College.