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Study Abroad: A unique exchange program between ASU and Belgium university

The Walker College of Business offers many international study opportunities. One of the more unique involves a semester-long international entrepreneurship course, which this year brought together students from Appalachian State and the Universite Catholique de Louvain (UCL) in Belgium.

Overseen by Bryan Toney, Director of Appalachian State’s Center for Entrepreneurship, and Dr. Frank Janssen, Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Louvain School of Management, the course is a part of MGT 3190, International Entrepreneurship. This semester’s class involved 20 students from ASU and 19 from UCL.

In February, the ASU students traveled to Belgium for a week of travel and study. Then in late March those same students played host to their European counterparts for similar activities here.

“Students learn on so many different levels with this unique course format,” said Toney. “In addition to learning about international business and how to develop business plans, they build strong friendships by hosting each other in their homes, resulting in a deep understanding of each other’s culture.

“Both ASU and UCL students actively participate in the delivery of the course by organizing group activities for their guests. In the end, they all find it difficult to say goodbye to their new international friends,” he said.

While in Belgium, the ASU students lived with their UCL counterparts for a week. After developing business ideas, the students divided into 10 multicultural teams and began working on business plan projects. In addition, they attended a lecture on the European Union, visited with two Belgian entrepreneurs, toured a traditional small Belgian brewery, and visited the European headquarters of Greensboro-based Center for Creative Leadership. There they met with CCL staff and participated in leadership exercises.

The group also visited historic sites in Brussels, Leuven and Bruges before returning to North Carolina.

Students from UCL arrived in North Carolina March 28. The group first took in a Bobcats game in Charlotte before coming to Boone for an intense week that included company visits, sightseeing and final business plan presentations. The group was hosted by Joseph Miller at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, where they heard about one of the world’s largest art supply businesses.

Then they met with John Allen from Allen Industries, one of the nation’s leading commercial sign manufacturers. They were later braved a cold windy day to visit Grandfather Mountain and speak with its president, Crae Morton. The week culminated with a visit to the Center for Creative Leadership’s corporate headquarters in Greensboro. While there they saw the American side of this innovative leadership training company and participated in interesting exercises that helped them reflect on what they learned during the semester.

The relationship with the Universite Catholique de Louvain has developed as part of the Consortium for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises and Entrepreneurship Education (SMEEE). It is comprised of universities in Belgium, Spain and Germany plus the University of North Florida and Clemson University.

Since the SMEE’s inception in 2003, 27 Appalachian State students have spent at least one semester abroad on student exchanges, and more than 100 have traveled to Europe as part of short-term courses. Also, 10 ASU faculty and staff have been to Europe leading student groups, attending consortium meetings and participating in faculty exchanges and joint research.

The International Entrepreneurship course itself has been delivered in two different formats 11 times in exchange programs with five different universities in Spain, Belgium, Austria and Germany.

A new version of the course, CIS 3549: International Entrepreneurship and Global Technologies, will be offered in Fall 2009 with the European University of Madrid’s Valencia campus. For more information, contact Dr. Dawn Medlin, Chair of the Computer Information Systems Department at 828-262-2411 or Bryan Toney at 828-262-6196.

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entrepreneur@appstate.edu
828-262-6196