General to instruct at UMPI
PRESQUE ISLE — The Business Department faculty of the University of Maine at Presque Isle is partnering with Retired Air Force Brigadier General John Bubar this semester to incorporate professional competencies into academic coursework at the University.
During the fall semester, General Bubar helped design two courses and has been involved in teaching one of them. UMPI Associate Professor Robert Murray and Bubar have been team teaching a special topics course in business administration.
Students in the special topics course are learning project management skills, team building and leadership skills, while working on a project dealing with the campus’ commitment to sustainability. In addition to providing valuable experience for the students, the course is helping the campus meet its American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment goals.
Bubar is also developing a course in collaboration with Assistant Professor of Business Management Carolyn Dorsey and Dr. Jacquelyn Lowman, assistant professor of journalism and mass communication. The course, Strategic Professional Communication, will be a capstone course for seniors in the business administration program. It will focus on the oral and written communication skills needed by employees.
“John’s expertise and experience in the military, in business, in academe, and in volunteer positions has provided an opportunity for the business faculty to see the UMPI business program through a different lens,” said Clare Exner, chair of the College of Professional Programs at the University. “John’s perspectives and insights have added a great deal to our curriculum development process. While this partnership with John began as an experiment, it has been so rewarding that we are looking forward to using it as a model for additional opportunities to collaborate with business leaders and others.”
Bubar served in the Air Force and Air National Guard for 36 years before retiring in 2006 as a brigadier general. During his service time in the Air Force, Bubar served as an instructor and as the director of the Air National Guard’s Commander Development Course. In addition to his military experience, Bubar worked for American Airlines as a pilot until 2005, when he retired. Bubar earned his bachelor degree in business administration from Colby College in 1968 and his master’s degree in business administration in 1970. He is currently working on his masters in fine arts in creative writing from the University of New Hampshire.
