Print VersionA Sampling of CIBER-Funded Curriculum Development
Fall 2002 Spring 2003 Fall 2003 Spring 2004 Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Spring 2006 Spring 2007 Fall 2007 Spring 2008 Fall 2008
Establishment of a Permanent Economics and Business Research Station in Lima, Peru
Chandini Sankaran, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Division of Business and Economics, UW-Stevens Point. Marianne Johnson, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, UW-Oshkosh.
CIBER will send four UW system professors to Peru in January 2008 to establish a permanent economics and business research station for students to gain project management and economic development experience. The project will lead to the development of a sustainable collaborative semester-long international learning experience for undergraduate students interested in economic development and international business. While in Peru, students will take a full course load, study Spanish intensively, and develop a business expansion plan for local businesses. Students will remain enrolled at their home universities and participate in class via web-conferencing and online assignments. This will add additional international content to existing courses. This experience aims to promote the international competiveness of American firms once the students enter the workforce. A permanent research station of this kind will allow for repeated, long-term interaction of faculty, and enhance inter-campus faculty exchange and collaboration.
Chinese Language and Culture Education for Business
Bethany O’Day, Associate Dean, Department of Adult Basic Education/ESL, Northcentral Technical College Sarah Bailey, Chinese Critical Language Fellow, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
CIBER will fund the efforts of Northcentral Technical College to provide business education and training in Chinese language and customs for current and future business professionals. The program will provide sought-after instruction in “workplace Chinese” and allow Wisconsin companies to compete in and with Chinese businesses with an understanding and respect for the language and cultural norms. This innovative project will establish three one-credit courses on Chinese language and culture customized for time-stressed professionals. Long term, the program looks to develop a full three-credit college course that will focus on doing business with China as an elective for NTC students. This project addresses the real need for continuing education opportunities for central Wisconsin businesses focused on preparing a globally competitive workforce.
Internationalization of the Spanish for Business Curriculum at UW-Eau Claire
Juan Carlos Chaves, Assistant Professor of Spanish, Department of Foreign Languages, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
CIBER will provide funding for Professor Chaves to attend the Mercosur Program: Professional Development in International Business, which will provide extensive programming for Spanish language faculty to immerse themselves in the business environment in South America. The information collected throughout this 13-day seminar will provide him with a basis to re-write the Spanish for Business Curriculum at UW-Eau Claire. Professor Chaves will attend this program in hopes of later re-designing the existing curriculum to include more components of internationalization in his already successful major in Spanish for Business/Professions.
Study Abroad/Internship in Dublin (SAID)
John Howat, Associate Professor of Finance, Department of Finance and Business Law, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
CIBER will provide support for UW-Whitewater’s establishment of a study abroad and internship program (SAID) in Dublin, Ireland, for MPA and MBA students. This program will implement an international component for MPA and MBA students for which there is currently none. SAID will comprise a six-week online preparation course in international trade, currency exchange rates, and international business and law. This will be followed by a six-week stay at the University College Dublin, with opportunities in the classroom and at local companies and financial institutions. This will enable students to close the gap between the academic and professional workplace. The program will capitalize on the growing Irish economy and its role in the EU, and offer students experience directly related to their intended major fields of study.
Strengthening Study Abroad Program Opportunities to Africa through Diversity
Louis Nzegwu, Executive Director, International Business Resource Center, Department of Business and Accounting, University of Wisconsin- Platteville
CIBER has partially funded up to six underrepresented students from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to participate in an upcoming short study tour of North Africa. The program aims to expose currently underrepresented student populations to study abroad opportunities and to expand student’s global awareness. The program will examine North African business practices and culture, and is scheduled to take place in Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt, during June 2008. The study tour will produce a greater number of students with the capacity to understand global business, cultural awareness in the world marketplace, and creative leadership on the international level. The project will internationalize the business curricula, while broadening and deepening UW-Platteville’s commitment to international experience and diversity recruitment.