A new twist on a longtime business course has added a unique dimension designed to deepen and expand the experience of studying the business climate in another country first-hand.
The International Business Study Abroad program offered through the College of Business Administration has been offered for nearly two decades, which means many of the students who took advantage of the offering while earning their degree are well into their careers and have a wealth of experience to offer college students.
So Professor of Business Administration Gregory Ulferts and Lecturer Terry L. Howard ’03, ’05, ’07, who organize the trips, saw value in capitalizing on that and recently added a mentorship aspect into the class.
“The results are very positive,” Ulferts said. “Students learn from the alumni who are sharing their business knowledge and alumni get new ideas from the students.”
The mentorship is in only its second year, but it is so exciting to organizers that they decided to write a paper about it. Ulferts, Howard and Associate Professor of Health Services Administration Renady Hightower ’16 — who participated in the program as both student and mentor — will present their research later this month in Seattle at the World Forum of the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS), of which Ulferts is executive director.
The class focuses on globalization and technology and innovation within the context of the given country, Ulferts said. While the classwork is done mostly online, it all builds to the trip, which also has an important cultural appreciation component.
Through this class students have studied business and culture South Korea, Barcelona, Greece, Rome, Ireland and, in May, Costa Rica. These trips are planned with student budgets in mind and, because of Ulferts’ connections and relationships made over the years, cost about half as much as those planned as a tourist.
“We expect students to be exposed to the larger world of business and develop leadership skills,” Ulferts said. “These students learn a new way of doing things because they are pushed outside of their comfort zone.”
“It was great to learn about the dimensions of international business, and then have the opportunity to be immersed in a city and gain a new perspective on how business operates around you,” said Mary LeAnnais, who took the class this past semester. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2016 and took this class toward her master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, which she finished this year.
The mentor feature was added when Ulferts said he and Howard were looking for ways to get alumni more engaged with the University. Mentors were chosen from those who have traveled with the trip before because they know the expectations.
Alumna Camisha Mills ’10 attended several trips and became a mentor two years ago. She has arranged meetings in Barcelona with BASF, where she works in purchasing. She said she enjoys the role of mentor she played last year in Spain and this year in Costa Rica.
“Each of the mentors focuses on a small group of students,” she said. “We discuss the issues of business and encourage them to get engaged in learning about other cultures. We lead by example and help live that service principle that Detroit Mercy has as part of its mission. I also enjoy the networking opportunity with alumni and soon-to-be-alumni.”
Teodora Gavric traveled to Costa Rica with some 30 other students in May; she graduated that month with a master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. She was drawn to the class because she was interested in exploring the different factors affecting businesses in other countries. In Costa Rica, she heard about the country’s educational system, a university, industries, a coffee plantation and Sibu Chocolatier.
“This class affected me in so many ways,” she remembered. “When I arrived in Costa Rica, the first thing my classmates did was go out for lunch. The waiter gave us straws wrapped in paper that said 100 percent biodegradable. This concept was amazing to me because I saw it is possible for such a small country to use limited resources and conserve their rainforests with little things like recycling and making biodegradable products.”
The students stayed in the capital city of San Jose, and not a resort, which Gavric said gave her the opportunity to see how the residents live.
The mentorship was a real bonus, Gavric added.
“I loved being able to connect with other students and Detroit Mercy alumni,” she said. “We developed many professional relationships through this trip. Job opportunities can come up though this awesome method of networking. Mentors from different generations shared their experiences and related them to our current experiences.”
LeAnnais echoed those sentiments.
“I loved the alumni mentorship aspect because not only was it a fantastic excuse to talk to people and get to know others that I may not have initiated a thoughtful conversation with otherwise — due to the large number of people on the trip and the tight itinerary — but it was also a really good networking opportunity,” she said. “Now that I’m an alumna I am absolutely planning on attending next year’s trip, and I can’t wait to see what the professors have up their sleeves.”
Gavric said the experience helped develop leadership skills and respect for other cultures.
“When visiting the churches, I saw the beauty in the architecture and how people take time out of their day to stop in to pray for a few minutes,” she said. “I saw how conservative the people are and how much religion meant to them and it made me reflect on the importance of religion in American communities and my own faith as well.”
Mills finds the entire trip mind-opening and says it’s important to her position with an international company like BASF.
“I feel like continuing education is an important aspect of business, and understanding how global operations work,” Mills said. “The fact that the University provides that opportunity to students and alumni is priceless.”
