Growing Global

by David H. Henard, Director of International Programs

Friday, Dec 05, 2008

The launch this fall of our new Master of Global Innovation Management (MGIM) degree program in the NC State College of Management's Jenkins Graduate School of Management is an initial milestone in our strategic initiative to globalize our undergraduate and graduate curriculum. It is the first of what we anticipate will be a number of new global partnerships that will provide business-focused international study and internship opportunities for our students.

The primary audience for the MGIM program is students with bachelor’s degrees in engineering, science, and other technical fields who would like to gain business knowledge and skills before entering the work force. Interestingly, the number of business students applying to the program shows how well they understand that they will be working in a truly global marketplace and how important it is to gain global business knowledge and experience in an international setting.

First Semester Exceeds Target Enrollment

Our enrollment target for MGIM’s first year was between 10 to 15 students. We exceeded that, with 18 students enrolled, and are on track to boost enrollment even higher in 2009. The students are currently studying at the Université Paul Cezanne near Aix-en-Provence, France, and will be coming to our campus in January for their spring semester. They will then earn master degrees from both NC State and our French partner university after completing a summer internship. You can read more about this program by following the links below.

As the college’s first director of international programs, I did some initial research to see where in the world our students have historically gone for their study abroad experiences. Over the past ten years, the majority of the college’s students have studied in European countries but interest has been building in Asia, as well as Central and South America. I hope to grow student interest in these established programs while providing even more opportunities over the next few years.

Students selected their programs from the options available through NC State and other universities. Included were a number of students in the Hamilton Scholars program, a joint, dual-degree program that involves both the College of Management and College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS). As part of the international studies degree portion of this program, Hamilton Scholars need to complete an international study experience.

Our ‘Growing Global’ Vision

Our vision at the College of Management is to collaborate with a host of other university programs and build on existing programs like the Hamilton Scholars to develop an international studies network that includes coursework and internship experiences that will prepare our business students for the global economy. We are off to a good start with course offerings in China, France, Austria and elsewhere.

I would like to see the college’s faculty and staff participate in exchanges as well. Linda Taylor, our director of career resources, recently returned from preparing the MGIM students in France for interviews, American style. Two of our faculty taught business courses abroad this past summer: Debra Brown, in China, as part of the university’s ongoing academic outreach to Zhejiang University, and I took a group of international marketing students to France. Master of Accounting students studied accounting at the NC State College of Design’s Prague Institute in the Czech Republic, with Bruce Branson, professor of accounting, and Marianne Bradford, associate professor of accounting. International faculty are also now teaching at our campus in Raleigh, N.C., so that even those students who choose not to study abroad still benefit from the college’s globalization initiative.

The college’s leadership team continues to seek out international education and internship opportunities for our students and research partnerships for our faculty. This year, Dean Ira Weiss traveled to Zhejiang University in China, Associate Dean Steve Allen traveled to Taiwan, and numerous faculty members expanded or continued relationships with colleagues around the globe, including Ireland, Japan and the Dominican Republic.

We will be reporting on our ‘growing global’ efforts as we move along. I welcome you to check back at the college’s website for additional information.

Regards,
David Henard
Director, International Programs, College of Management