UNIVERSITY

VIU NEws
viu.edu
VIU Educating the World
“Selfies” Go Viral
New in Online Learning
VIU’s goal to provide a top-notch education at
the most affordable rate possible is met semester after
semester as students enroll in both residential and online
programs. As the university grows, so does its diverse family
of students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The unique
culture created by such a varied group of individuals
permeates into every part of the university’s workings.
From student clubs and events, to classroom discussions,
to community volunteering and outreach, VIU does the
work of educating students in their academic areas and
also enlightening the entire community to the benefits
and rewards of building a transnational environment.
Each semester, our students come from their home
countries ready to improve themselves and advance
their careers; and each semester, VIU graduates a group
of highly-qualified and contagiously innovative young
professionals who are ready to build successful careers.
The university continues to grow as students go out and
show their friends, families, and employers the incredible
value of a VIU education. Virginia International University
is truly educating the world, one bright student at a time!
Selfies
are
becoming more and more
popular these days and
the word is becoming
more widely used by
young people and older
generations alike. Even
NASA took advantage
of this pop culture trend
with their “Global Selfie”
Earth Day initiative in
which they asked people
from all around the world
to snap and then submit
their own selfies. On their Facebook page, NASA Climate
Change posted that they’d received around 50,000 photos
through various social media platforms. If you need more
proof of the selfie phenomenon, turn on the radio and
maybe you’ll hear the song “#SELFIE” by the Chainsmokers.
The song jokes of young people’s obsession with cheesing
for their own cameras.
Recently, VIU students – and even VIU President
Dr. Sarac! – have jumped into the selfie craze. They can
be spotted
taking photos
of themselves
and preserving
memories with
their friends
at fun events
like the Alumni
Dinner and
graduation.
Some readers may be familiar with any of a handful
of online learning platforms. Websites like edX, Coursera,
and Udemy allow users to enroll in online courses for
free or for a small fee. Current trends on these sites
seem to focus on courses in computer science (e.g.,
“Learning Oracle 12c” and “Pattern Oriented Software
Architecture”), self-improvement (e.g., “Becoming
a Resilient Person” and “Double Your Productivity),
healthcare (e.g., “Fundamentals of Immunology”),
business (e.g., “Supply Chain Management”), and ethics
(e.g., “Social Science of Wrongful Conviction”). For
anyone who has not taken an online class, trying out
one of these free courses is a great way to test the waters
and explore. Experienced and novice online learners
who are ready to pursue a degree can take their online
learning to the next level by enrolling in courses with VIU
Online (online.viu.edu). Courses recently offered include
“International Marketing,” “Web Development Methods,”
“Teaching with Technology,” “Business Ethics & Law,” and
dozens of others in the fields of business, computer
science, education, public and international affairs, and
ESL.
1If I don’t have an official English
language proficiency score, will I be
admitted to VIU?
You can still be admitted to VIU. You will
be able to gain conditional admission to
the university. Upon your arrival in the US,
you will take our English Placement Test.
(VIU also accepts several English language
proficiency tests, including TOEFL, IELTS,
PTE, iTEP, and MELAB.) Please visit the
VIU website at www.viu.edu for more
information about how to fulfill the English
language proficiency requirements.
70 University Magazine, VIU Summer 2014
2I’m an international student and
I would like to gain some work
experience after I graduate from VIU. Is
it possible?
Yes! International students who hold an
F-1 visa are eligible to apply for Optional
Practical Training (OPT), which allows them
to work in the United States for up to 12
months as a complement to their studies
after they graduate. Our International
Student Services Office will provide
assistance to international students through
the OPT application process.
3
W
here will I live while studying at
VIU?
We understand that housing is a very
important aspect of a student’s life. The
Office of Student Affairs will assist you
with locating suitable housing in the
area that is most convenient for you. If
you are looking for housing, you simply
need to fill out the Housing Request
Form and email it to housing@campus.
viu.edu.
4
C
an I transfer the credits from my previous
institution toward a new degree at VIU?
If you already took some classes and would like to transfer
the credits toward your new degree at VIU, we will happily
accept up to 50% of transfer courses from your previous
institution. Transferable credit is considered upon the request
of the student at the time of initial registration. To determine
what credits will transfer in, you will just need to submit your
transcripts and the Transfer Credit Evaluation Request Form to
our Admissions Office. Additional documentation – such as
course descriptions, syllabi, and academic catalogs – may be
requested to assure that the transferred course is equivalent to
one of the courses required for completion of a program at VIU.
The School of Business at VIU held a successful
pilot study of the new Major Fields Testing
(MFT), an international testing standard for business
students, which will now be implemented
school-wide. Students in the school will be piloting
new CAPSIM business simulations this summer,
which are used by major corporations and
universities around the world to practice realworld
business scenarios.
Summer 2014 University Magazine, VIU
71