Issue date: 5/9/05 Section: Campus News

Roch

At age 82, James Roch is not a typical graduate student.

Roch, a wheelchair user with severe hearing loss, does not need to leave his home in Chippewa Falls to take courses toward his master's degree in business administration. Instead, the Internet offers him what the traditional classroom cannot.

"I didn't make good use of my time in my undergraduate degree," said Roch, who is pursuing his MBA through the University of Wisconsin's Internet Business Consortium MBA program, which offers online courses through UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Parkside. "My whole goal in my four years at the university was to get by without writing a term paper."

Roch earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1951 through the GI Bill after serving four years in World War II.

"My conscience bothers me that I didn't make good use of the money at the time," he said.

MBA program Director Robert Erffmeyer, who teaches Roch's current course, said he has been "a model student" and sets a positive example for other students.

"He's not content to just sit back at home. He's engaging himself, and I think he sets a great example," Erffmeyer said. "I hope when I'm 82 I can do what he's doing."

The online course format is especially beneficial for Roch, who uses a wheelchair and would have a difficult time attending regular classes on campus. Most students in the program are between 25 and 35 years old, working full time and raising a family, he said.

"In Jim's case, it's a situation where he probably would not have found the campus accessible ... whereas in the online program, he can handle it," Erffmeyer said.

Roch began learning to use computers through a senior center course, and has personal caregivers help him post assignments.

"He's really kind of embraced technology, I think," Erffmeyer said. "It's wonderful to see the technology embraced by someone who wouldn't normally be able to come to campus. ... It allows him to participate in educational goals he has."

The college experience has changed significantly since Roch earned his bachelor's degree, he said.

"The courses are a lot, lot tougher than my undergraduate work," Roch said. "I really don't think my roommates in my undergraduate work could handle the courses I'm taking at UW-Eau Claire."

Another surprise, he said, was the high price he must pay for his courses.

Continued...

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