Poole College Hosts European School of Business Administrators, Discuss Study Abroad at Reutlingen
During the week of October 17, NC State Poole College of Management hosted two administrators from the European School of Business (ESB) at Reutlingen University near Stuttgart, Germany, and discussed the study abroad program between the two schools. Their meetings included sessions with current, former and future student participants in an academic exchange that is part of the relationship between ESB and Poole College. Also attending were ESB and NC State international program administrators and NC State foreign language faculty.
ESB is one of nine schools in the International Partnership of Business Schools (IPBS) that Poole College joined in 2009 to expand opportunities for its students to study business in an international environment.
“This kind of international experience – including learning to discuss business in another language – is essential for today’s global business environment,” said Poole College’s dean, Dr. Ira Weiss.
“Whether you are interested in working for a company that has international operations, or prefer a small organization, chances are you will have some interaction with the international marketplace. Our exchange partnership with ESB provides students a quality academic, personal and professional learning opportunity,” Weiss said. The exchange program includes a full schedule of business courses, some taught in English, others in German, as well as an international internship arranged by ESB’s career staff.
The highly ranked ESB has about 2,000 students and a global alumni network. The collegiate community provides an environment that would be familiar to U.S. students, including clubs, entertainment, sports and school spirit. Nora Breker, Carmen Pirker and Katharine Peter are the first ESB students attending Poole College through this relationship.
As part of the ESB exchange agreement, Poole College is encouraging students to consider a year abroad at ESB. One Poole College student has already completed that experience – Marissa Magee, now a business administration junior back at Poole. At ESB, she had taken businesses courses taught in English that would apply to her major at Poole College, along with German language and culture courses taught in German. She also completed an internship.
Another Poole College sophomore, Alzabeth Roman, has started the planning process to complete her junior year at ESB, beginning in fall 2013. She attended an ESB-Poole College information sessions to learn more about the program and what she might expect during her year in Germany. Topics discussed included housing options, cost of living, the internship experience, and career resources. She also discovered that one of the ESB students was in several of her classes.
Although the deadline to apply for the academic year abroad isn’t until February 17, 2012, Roman is already starting to work with Deborah Anderson, Poole College undergraduate advisor and study abroad coordinator, to arrange her academic schedule to accommodate the international studies and stay on track for her graduation requirements from NC State.
That kind of coordination and close communications is a key benefit of the IPBS relationship, Weiss said.
Dr. Shannon Davis, associate dean of undergraduate programs in Poole College, coordinated meetings for the ESB administrators’ site visit. Participants included Julie Scheetz and Jorg Naeve, from ESB; Dr. Helga G. Braunbeck, associate professor and German section coordinator, and Dr. Ruth Gross, professor of German and Foreign Languages department head in NC State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences; NC State international studies administrators , and Poole College staff and faculty.
