A $165,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Business and International Education Program will give
Saginaw Valley State University students the opportunity to go global.
The grant will help SVSU students fund overseas studies in emerging markets in eastern European countries like Bulgaria and Turkey. A portion of the grant dollars also will help fund pay for interns who work with economic development corporations in the region. The grant dollars also will help fund the development of a global business program aimed at mid-career professionals who are looking for additional training and credentials.
In addition to helping students, SVSU officials also hope that the grant will help attract international business to the region and provide an increasing number of students interested in international business with another educational opportunity.
The overseas studies program also will make overseas studies more affordable and feasible for students, says George Puia, associate dean for external relations and faculty research at SVSU. Traditional overseas programs often last for a semester or a year, but this one will provide students with an intensive two-week program after instruction in eastern European languages. The shorter time frame also is geared toward students who may have jobs and are working their way through school.
"In two weeks, you're more than a tourist," says Puia, who also is the Dow Chemical Company centennial chair in global business at SVSU.
Students who agree to take six credits of an eastern European language will be able to access the overseas program, Puia says. The grant dollars help fund half of the $2,000 all-inclusive trip for students.
The grant, which will provide funding for two years, helps area companies by training a workforce that is more globally oriented, he says.
"We're in a global economy, and so every business in the region needs workers who know how to to work at level," Puia says. "We think it's transformative."
Writer: Jenny Cromie
Source: Saginaw Valley State University, George Puia
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