Contact: Sammy McDavid
A federal grant is providing Mississippi State University with more than $300,000 to help increase awareness of international business education and opportunities.
College of Business and Industry faculty members Edwin H. Duett Jr. and Richard L. Still are co-directors of the two-year statewide project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Duett teaches finance; Still, business law.
The project's formal title is the Partnership for the Enhancement of International Education, Training and Awareness.
"As a land-grant institution, Mississippi State has an important role in helping guide the state in its continuing evolution from a largely rural agrarian society to an industrialized, emerging urban-suburban environment," Duett said.
"Through this grant, we plan to forge an alliance among the university, economic development associations, chambers of commerce, businesses, and community colleges," he said.
Duett said statewide surveys and interviews, along with reviews of current activities in the field, were used to develop their four-goal plan. The goals include:
Improving the quality of undergraduate and graduate international education;
Assisting in the training of business managers and leaders in international activities, opportunities and practices;
Expanding the state's knowledge of international trade practices; and
Developing a one-stop import/export referral service.
The project will depend heavily on the assistance of trade associations, businesses, development associations, and others, Still said.
"These partnerships will be used to develop a quarterly workshop series, a certification program in international trade for the banking community and a quarterly newsletter to keep members informed," Still added.
For additional information on the Partnership for the Enhancement of International Education, write in care of the Department of Finance and Economics, Box 9580, Mississippi State, MS 39762. The telephone number is (601) 325-2341.