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Plus3 Students Gain Close-up Look at Global Business Environment
In its seventh year, the University of Pittsburgh's College of Business Administration, in partnership with the Swanson School of Engineering, sent a record number of participants abroad with the award winning Managing in Complex Environments/ENG 12 Plus3 study abroad program. A total of 107 students participated in this year's program, 39 CBA students and 68 Engineering students, at four destinations including Santos, Brazil; Valparaiso, Chile; Beijing, China; and Augsburg, Germany.
Upon enrollment in the program, students attended a series of workshops during the spring term designed to introduce them to the country and industries they would visit during the two week international component of the program. Students visited multiple companies including Audi in Germany, Lan Airlines and Viña Indómita vineyard in Chile, and Hyundai in China. Additionally, participants attended lectures and participated in pre-departure cultural events.
While abroad, students had the opportunity to meet and build relationships with students from local universities including UNISANTOS - Catholic University of Santos and UNISANTA - Santa Cecilia University in Brazil, Tsinghua University in China, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa Maria in Chile, and Universität Augsburg in Germany. Each group was lead by a Pitt faculty member, this year, two from the Swanson School of Engineering and two from the College of Business Administration. Following the two weeks abroad, students prepared a written and oral group project focused on one of the company visits. Projects were presented at the beginning of the fall term.
When discussing his favorite part of the program, 2008 Chile participant Tim Kraus commented: "By far, my favorite parts of the Plus3 program were the company visits. I always knew I wanted to complete the Certificate Program in International Business but I didn't quite know how I might apply it or what I could potentially do with it after graduating. I just knew I wanted to be abroad. Going on Plus3 gave me the opportunity to engage in question and answer sessions with representatives from multinational organizations and small companies as well. It gave me a much broader view of international business than I had before. It put many things in perspective that I had no clue about prior to departure."
Kraus added that participation in the Plus3 program influenced his course of study. "It solidified my decision that one day I would like to live and work abroad. Having been able to speak Spanish for two weeks allowed me to realize just how much I love the language and want to continue studying it."
The CBA Study Abroad Office and the Engineering International Initiatives Office will announce the Plus3 2009 destinations later this fall.