Over the past 30 years, the world has been brought to the doorstep of business unlike any other time in human history. Modern business education must therefore be global in its perspective. D'Amore-McKim has always prioritized developing a global mindset in our students and learners.

One of the many ways we do this is through our Bachelor of Science in International Business (BSIB) program, which gives our students the opportunity to study in one or more foreign countries and gain work experience at home and abroad through two or more cooperative education assignments. Ultimately, students who choose BSIB learn how a globalized economy impacts business, especially within their business concentration areas of study. D'Amore-McKim faculty are committed to continuous improvement of the BSIB program and recently voted to add a new core course on managing international business in both developed countries and in emerging market contexts.

We also continue to work on new ways to customize the educational experience we offer. For instance, last year we added the BSIB/International Affairs combined major, and our faculty just approved a new BSIB/Economics combined major that will be available in the fall of 2023. It is especially relevant given events including the rapid growth in importance of Emerging Markets, the U.S. economic relations with China, the global supply chain challenges, and the reshaping of the EU due to Brexit among others. Such major reordering of global business has brought to the forefront issues such as the impact of rising tariffs, the gains from trade and their distribution across countries, as well as the pattern of trade.

Another academic option for fall 2023 is a new Emerging Markets minor that combines coursework on the economic, political, and business challenges of operating in emerging markets with a hands-on, immersive field study component. This interdisciplinary minor will be open to business and non-business students, including BSIB students.

The BSIB degree program has become very popular with our prospective students. In fact, our incoming freshmen selected BSIB at a record rate – six times more than previous classes. I believe it is partly because Northeastern has gained strong international recognition for our global student opportunities. A very recent proof point is recognition from NAFSA: Association of International Educators, which selected Northeastern's Global Cooperative Education Program as a Spotlight recipient of The Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. The award highlights innovative collegiate internationalization programs and initiatives that are making significant, well-planned, well-executed, and well-documented progress toward comprehensive internationalization—especially those using innovative and creative approaches.

I'd like to especially thank Assistant Director, Global Programs and Assistant Co-op Coordinator Elisha Clark and Associate Co-op Coordinator, Global Programs Michelle Fiorenza-Hagopian for co-authoring our award application with colleagues from the College of Engineering and the College of Science. The award is a testament to the efforts the D'Amore-McKim Co-op Team and our Co-op colleagues across Northeastern have invested in elevating the global stature of Northeastern. 

While we always strive to help students develop a global mindset, we recognize that there is no substitute for an extended international immersion. Since our founding 100 years ago, we have embraced experiential education, and the BSIB program is a natural extension of the philosophy in the modern world. We will continue to explore more avenues for our students to have these enriching and important experiences.

Emery

Emery Trahan
Interim Dean
D'Amore-McKim School of Business

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