Mark Hoelscher, MQM; Iris Varner, MQM; Peter Kaufman, Marketing; Aslihan Spaulding, Agriculture; Klaus Schmidt, Technology
In this session, participants will learn about the Export Project, which pairs student teams with local businesses interested in exporting. These students and businesses take a semester to learn all about the export markets in the selected countries and to devise a plan for developing markets and beginning the export process for their products. The student teams then travel overseas to the target country and, along with an academic advisor, spend four weeks exploring potential and developing markets for their chosen product. The process concludes with a professional report and oral presentation to the sponsoring company. Currently in the planning phase for its third year of operation, the Export Project has previously sent student teams twice to New Zealand and once to Germany. Our desire is to increase international experience for faculty as well as students. To date, 16 students have been impacted and a select number of junior faculty have gained international exposure. The Export Project is a collaborative effort among five professors from two Illinois State University Colleges and four departments. The colleges involved are the College of Business (COB) and the College of Applied Science and Technology (CAST). Participating from within the COB are the Marketing Department and the Department of Management and Quantitative Methods. Participating from within CAST are the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Technology. The Export Project is a recent recipient of a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, which will provide funding for the next two years.
