NEWSLETTER - EDUCATION

Foster Faculty Selected for Asia Connect Program

by Jim Foley, Director of International Trade Center & NAFTA Opportunity Center
Spring 2003

Dean Baer announced that nine faculty have been selected to participate in the Asia Connect program. The program (previously knows as Target Asia) is funded through the U.S. Department of Education to expand business education for students and business with a focus on Asia. The program is administered by the International Trade Center.

The nine faculty are: Kevin Ahlgrim (finance), Chad Autry (marketing), Shyam Bhandari (finance) Ed Bond, (marketing), Mark Brown (BMA), Jennifer Burgess (BMA), Mitch Griffin (marketing), Janett Highfill (economics), and Larry Weinzimmer (BMA). Each will participate in a faculty development program to enhance their knowledge and research related to Asia, with a specific focus on China. The program also provides for each faculty to travel to Asia either for individual study or with Bradley University programs. Four of them have already completed their travel when they accompanied the EMBA class to Shanghai last fall. Roy Schmidt (BMA) was also selected as the professor for the new course The Business of Chinese Culture (IB208), the development of which is funded by the Asia Connect program. The new course will include travel by the class during March 2004 to China for study.

The Dean also announced that two students were selected to participate in the Asia Connect student research project in China. Kaley Keeley, Fairbury, IL., and Charlie Truong, Marrero, LA., each traveled to China during the March spring break to conduct market research for their consulting project client Blackhawk Environment Inc., Naperville, IL. Blackhawk manufacturers pumps for environmental applications. The students interviewed government officials and potential buyers to assist in developing an international marketing plan for their client. The work is part of the BMA 452 projects. A full report from their trip will be in the next newsletter.