KNOXVILLE — University of Tennessee’s Global Business Institute (GLOBI) has received $195,000 in grant monies to enhance international education in UT’s College of Business Administration and to provide services and international training to local business.

About $180,000 of the grant money comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s Business and International Education Program (BIE). The Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership contributed $15,000. UT provided matching funds of $250,000 to bring the total to $448,000.

“We have tried for two years to receive funding from this highly prestigious, competitive program, and we are honored to be a 2006 recipient,” said Matt Myers, GLOBI director.

Most of the BIE grant money will be used to internationalize the college’s undergraduate programs and support its study abroad campaign. By the end of the funding period, the college’s goal is for 20 percent of graduates to have had an international experience.

BIE funds will finance faculty-led, study-abroad trips; train faculty on integrating internationally oriented topics into the curriculum; fund students’ international experiences; and restructure the curriculum so that international experiences can earn degree credits. Money also will be used to support and develop curriculum for the college’s new International Business collateral, which includes a mandatory study-abroad component.

The remaining funds will be used to support GLOBI’s partnership with the Global Business Center of East Tennessee and Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership. Through this partnership, seminars and conferences on relevant international topics are delivered to the local business community.

More than 100 applicants competed for BIE funding; 24 received grants.

Myers said GLOBI officials are working toward having the U.S. Department of Education designate UT as a Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER).

“Only 30 universities nationwide are CIBER schools. CIBER schools are known to offer the ultimate in international education; they form a powerful network focused on improving American competitiveness and providing comprehensive services and programs that help U.S. businesses succeed in global markets. Receiving a BIE grant is a mark of distinction, and it can be a stepping stone to this very elite designation,” he said.

GLOBI was established to help internationalize UT’s College of Business Administration. It serves as a vital resource for faculty, students, business, government, and community leaders. GLOBI seeks to have a positive impact on the college by helping it achieve its innovative initiatives to internationalize the curriculum; student life and learning; and faculty teaching, research, and collaboration.
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Contacts:

Amy Blakely, (865) 974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu
Cindy Raines, (865) 974-4359, craines1@utk.edu

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