Bryant’s international business program joins elite consortium

Bryant accepts an invitation to become the eleventh member of the Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education.

Bryant University’s international business degree program has accepted an invitation to become the eleventh full member of the Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education (CUIBE), a group of nationally ranked international business programs

Founded in 2003, CUIBE aims to promote, enhance, and innovate the way international business is taught. Through research, publications, and seminars, it disseminates knowledge to members and the broader academic community.

Full membership is granted following an intensive study and site visit by a CUIBE evaluation team. To qualify, programs must meet a variety of requirements that include:

Accreditation by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business;
A separate degree, major, or concentration in international business. (Bryant’s degree program leads to a Bachelor of Science in International Business.);
A formal language preparation program (Bryant’s IB majors must minor in a foreign language.);
Overseas experiences and activities such as study abroad, internships, and/or study tours that are part of the international business program. (Bryant IB majors are required to earn at least 12 credits through study abroad programs; international internships also are available.)

Arvind Phatak, a professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business and director of the Temple Center for International Business Education and Research, was one of the CUIBE members who conducted the Bryant site visit.

“I was amazed at the extent Bryant University as a whole, and the College of Business in particular, is involved with internationalization,” says Phatak. “From the University’s Sophomore International Experience – a fantastic initiative – to the U.S.-China Institute to the Chafee Center for International Business and its massive data collection that serves as a campus and regional resource, the breadth of the University’s global outlook is impressive.”

Allan Bird, director of the International Business Institute at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and chairman of CUIBE’s steering committee, says, “Bryant’s commitment to the ideals of CUIBE are exemplary, and I look forward to the collaborations to come.”

Madan Annavarjula, associate professor of management and director of Bryant’s IB program, says, “Bryant is proud of its international business program, and we want others to be able to see what we are doing. At the same time, we also want to learn from the best programs in the country.

“Being accepted as a full member of CUIBE not only adds merit to and recognition of our efforts, it also contributes to our goal to be a nationally ranked international business program within the next five years.”

Established in 2004, Bryant’s Bachelor of Science in International Business comprises 205 undergraduates, including 35 seniors who will become Bryant’s first BSIB recipients when they graduate this May.

Bryant will host the 2008 CUIBE spring conference April 24-26. For more information, visit CUIBE Conference.

The 10 CUIBE founding members are Florida International University, George Washington University, Northeastern University, San Diego State University, Temple University, University of Oklahoma, University of Hawaii, University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of South Carolina, and Washington State University.

To learn more, visit CUIBE.