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MGIM Program Receives Honorable Mention in Annual Heiskell Awards

Building on successful past student and faculty exchanges, North Carolina State University’s Jenkins Graduate School of Management and Université Paul Cézanne’s IAE Graduate School of Management (IAE) launched the Master of Global Innovation Management (MGIM) in fall 2008.

The program allows students to earn a degree from each of the participating schools: NC State and IAE, and includes an internship that can take place in the United States, Europe, China, or other approved settings.

“Though the program is housed in respective graduate business schools, it is designed to educate primarily engineering, science, and other technically-oriented students,” says Ira R. Weiss, dean of the College of Management at NC State. “This program was developed with the principal aim to provide engineering students with the skills and know-how necessary in global organizations to effectively transfer technologies to markets,” says Marc Pena, president of the University of Paul Cézanne.

NC State is one of only eight universities to be recognized by the awards this year. NC State has made internationalization a key component of the university’s mission and has developed more than 200 international linkages, including dual-degree programs, research and collaboration agreements, faculty-led study abroad programs and bilateral exchange agreements.

“As international dual degree programs offer potential to build long-lasting academic programs and strong institutional linkages that impact more students with both academic and cultural competence, the dual-degree is an important component of our globalization strategies on campus,” said vice provost of International Affairs, Bailian Li. “The MGIM is one example of such successful dual-degree programs at NC State.”

The Heiskell Awards were established to promote and honor the most outstanding initiatives in international higher education among the members of IIE Network. IIE’s membership association includes more than 1,000 institutions. The Heiskell Awards will be presented at a ceremony in New York City on March 19, 2010, as part of IIE’s 5th annual Best Practices Conference for campus professionals. The winning initiatives are profiled on IIE’s Best Practices in Internationalization website.

IIE Heiskell Awards recognize achievements in the categories of Internationalizing the Campus, Study Abroad, and International Exchange Partnerships. This year, in an effort to showcase initiatives that are working to make the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields more global, the ‘Internationalizing the Campus’ category is awarding exceptional programs that bring international elements to the study and teaching of engineering. The winner in this special focus category is Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA). The University of Colorado at Boulder (Boulder, CO) was selected to receive honorable mention.

For the second year, IIE presented a special Study Abroad for Community Colleges award to recognize the significant strides these institutions have made throughout the decade. From academic year 2003/04 to 2007/08, the number of community colleges offering education abroad programs increased by 22% according to IIE’s 2009 Open Doors report. This year’s winner is the College of Lake County (Grayslake, IL), with honorable mention awarded to Howard Community College (Columbia, MD).

Other Award Winners

  • Study Abroad: Angelo State University (San Angelo, TX) and Washington & Jefferson College (Washington, PA), for their separate initiatives.
  • International Exchange Partnerships: A partnership between California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA) and École Polytechnique (Paris, France), with honorable mention going to North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC) and Université Paul Cézanne-IAE Aix-en-Provence (France).

“By recognizing excellence and innovation, the Institute hopes to support IIE network members in their endeavors and to signal a new and important role for international educators on campus,” explains IIE president Dr. Allan E. Goodman.

The members of the selection panel for this year’s awards include some of the leading names in international education: Stephen Dunnett, professor and vice provost for International Education, State University of New York at Buffalo, and past president, Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA); Uliana Gabara, dean of International Education, University of Richmond, and past president, Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA); Judith Irwin, former director of International Initiatives, American Association of Community Colleges; Brian Whalen, president, The Forum on Education Abroad; and Sebastian Fohrbeck, director, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

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Dr. David Henard (left) lead faculty member for the MGIM program, and Stephanie Borrego, assistant director, meets with the 2009-10 MGIM students who are now studying at NC State for their spring semester.