Smith Welcomes International Exchange Students

Smiths Center for Global Businesshosted a lunch for international exchange students on Monday, September 11, 2006, in the Executive Dining Room. Students from Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, China, and Taiwan attended the event. Associate Dean Scott Koerwer, the staff of the Center for Global Business, and several American mentors welcomed the new students. The lunch provided an opportunity to deepen new friendships. It also provided a forum for questions about the Smith School, the Washington, D.C., area, and U.S. culture.

These international MBA students bring first-hand knowledge of foreign markets and an enthusiasm for learning about the U.S. environment during their time here, said Vinod Jain, director of the Center for Global Business. "At the Center for Global Business, we cultivate relationships with students, universities and businesses from around the world. Today's lunch was a great example of how even casual exchanges can make for a meaningful academic experience.

International students on U.S. campuses are an under-utilized resource, Jain continued. In the coming months, we hope to develop opportunities for greater interaction between international and domestic students at the Smith School and with the business community in the greater Washington metropolitan area.

Some MBA exchange students are here for only fall semester. The contingent from Denmark indicated they had chosen the University of Maryland for their overseas experience because of its excellent curriculum, renowned faculty, and proximity to a major metropolitan center in Washington, D.C.

▓ Susannah Campbell, MBA Candidate 2007, Smith Media Group