Business College Awards Harper Professorships

Leadership skill-building and teaching enterprise integration more effectively across the curriculum form the basis of Rider University’s 2003-2004 Jesse H. Harper Professorship awards.
     The Harper Professors are Dr. Steven Lorenzet of Robbinsville, assistant professor of management and human resources, for a project that focuses on identifying how leadership and interpersonal skills can be taught, and Dr. Lauren Eder of Hopewell, associate professor of computer information systems, for a project that will provide the business faculty the skill and resources to teach enterprise integration better.
     Lorenzet’s project will identify how leadership and interpersonal skills can be taught and what pedagogical support and training are necessary for CBA faculty teaching these skills. He will also identify methodology needed to assess the level and success of skill learning by business students. He intends to build on work of the CBA’s Leadership Task Force and support development of the Center for Leadership Studies and Service.
     Eder’s project will provide CBA faculty with teaching resources necessary to more effectively integrate enterprise resource planning (ERP) across multiple disciplines. As a result, students will be better prepared for career success through experiential learning focused on how information, money and materials move across the enterprise. Eder will seek long-term partnerships with technology-based businesses such as SAP to further sustain and strengthen this effort.
     In the fall of 1994, Rider received a $1.83 million bequest from the estate of Lois A. Harper establishing the endowed professorships in memory of her husband, a 1949 graduate. The purpose of these professorships is to enhance teaching at the University’s business college and improve the instructional program through professional development of its faculty.
     Drs. Lorenzet and Eder are the 20th and 21st faculty members to receive Harper Professorships since the first awards were made in 1995.
     “The Harper endowment continues to help us innovate and further strengthen the College of Business Administration’s tradition of excellence,” said Dr. Manmohan Chaubey, CBA dean.       “While the projects are professionally stimulating for our faculty, they are most beneficial to our students who gain much from our enhanced curriculum.”
     Over the years other Harper projects have resulted in new initiatives and stronger, more creative programs including health care, global business, small business and entrepreneurship, Minding Our Busines, enhanced use of technology, and the integrated business/science curriculum. Just last week the CBA dedicated The Wall Street Journal Room, a wireless computer/seminar facility, which stemmed from a portion of accounting professor Larry Prober’s 2001-2002 award.

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