Global Business English Immersion Camp from the University of South Carolina

The Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina conceived the idea of a Service Learning Project that would create an opportunity for Undergraduate Business students, especially those in the #1 ranked Undergraduate International Business Program in the country, to introduce business skills and cross-cultural communication to high school students in emerging democracies. The 2004 Business English Immersion Camp in Cluj-Napoca, Romania was an outgrowth of the collaboration between the Moore School of Business, the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), and the Columbia, South Carolina Sister Cities Program of the World Affairs Council. Program costs were underwritten by the assistance of CIBER, the Moore School of Business, and the Walker Institute for International and Area Studies. Students were also actively involved in fundraising efforts and received corporate support from Merrill-Lynch, Bell South, and Trendset Inc.

Dr. Carolyn Jones, Undergraduate Assistant Dean of the Moore School of Business, initiated collaboration with seven Cluj-Napoca high schools. A business curriculum geared toward a week-long Global Business English Immersion Camp was developed to introduce business skills and topics to the Romanian high school students. The Moore School of Business students, ranging from sophomores to seniors, were excited about the opportunity to teach the skills they had learned in their classes at the Moore School of Business. Classes developed included: Networking, Photography/ Web Page Building, Marketing and Global Brands, The Global World/ Outsourcing, Globalization and Human Rights, Entrepreneurship, Business Ethics, and Cultural Values. The camp also included a day of visiting local businesses and a day of cultural sharing between the USC team and the Romanian students.

In July 2004, thirteen University of South Carolina students and six staff members traveled to Cluj-Napoca, Romania for the week-long Camp. Seven local high schools in the Cluj metropolitan area participated, with twelve students from each high school competing for the slots in a highly competitive selection process. The response to the camp far exceeded expectations. It could only be called a resounding success for all participants.

The Moore School of Business invited the College of Arts and Sciences to participate in the summer 2005 Global Issues Immersion Camp. The inclusion of liberal arts students in 2005 broadened the spectrum of courses offered to the Romanian students, something their teachers had requested after the 2004 camp. The 2005 Global Issues English Immersion Camp not only will include the business curriculum but will also teach modules in political science, democracy, creative writing, and environmental issues, broadening the international business and international studies education of both the US and Romanian students. During the 2005 student camp, a seminar for the participating Romanian high school English teachers will be offered by USC instructional team members. The content will contain Microsoft Power Point instruction, a lecture on Shared Perspectives on European Politics, and a seminar on Entrepreneurship.

A number of opportunities continue to grow out of the Global Business English Immersion Camp, including an official visit by the International Relations Officer from the Mayor's office in Cluj, an E-Pals program linking Moore School of Business students with Romanian students electronically on joint projects, discussions on business incubator startup in Cluj, and a book drive to develop an English literature library in Cluj.

Romanian students and teachers were overwhelmed that a team of Americans would visit their city and share with them a life-changing experience. The 2004 program planted a seed for future growth, which the 2005 program can nurture and propagate. All who participated agreed this was a program that empowered and encouraged students on both sides of the ocean to continue their studies into the world of International Business.

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