Please Support WWU’s International Business Students!
Our five international business professors give our students a broad grounding in international business concepts. The wide perspectives (Ted Alden in public policy; Shih-Fen Chen in marketing; Skylar Powell in organization theory; Tom Roehl in economics and East Asia; Shantala Samant in strategy and emerging markets) give academic breadth to the students, a far cry from a time some of you may remember where you took a ‘Tom Roehl’ major. To get even more out of this conventional grounding, however, we are asking your support to help students gain experience outside of Western. Study abroad, international internships, as well as domestic experiences outside the classroom give the students the opportunity to apply the principles from the classroom and get yet additional perspectives. As Professor Roehl put it in a message to the virtual graduation
last year:
Here is a picture of Roehl making a virtual graduation video. To see the full video, go to our LinkedIn group page, WWU International Business Alumni. Not a member? Send Professor Roehl a request to join.
We thank many of you for supporting these initiatives on Give Day the past few years (last year 24 of you provided more than $8000 toward these twin goals. The gifts were about equally split between study abroad and domestic student experience support. That student experience support paid for a team of our students to participate in the NASBITE International market Research Case Competition. In only our second year, the Western team made the finals. Unfortunately, we lost to Ohio State, but so did Michigan State and George Washington!
Last year’s contribution level was ‘best of the rest,’ trailing only the much larger programs in Accounting, Marketing and Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. Let’s try to keep that position and come up in the rankings in the number of alums contributing.
A Program To Be Proud Of
Our students continue a record of outstanding performance, both in the classroom and in the community. This 
year we nominated Taliah Coe. Her scholarship, and creative leadership of a organizing a food and clothing drive by members of her Track and
Field Team made her a strong candidate. Like so many of our students, she has learned to use her network to make things happen for things she values. Another runner up. RATS!
Funding Priorities:
- The International Business Study Abroad Scholarship
Your WWU Give Day donation will allow us to give stipends toward airfare to our IBUS students to help them travel and gain professional experience abroad. Studies show, and data from our own alumni confirm that those who have meaningful study abroad experiences have better career opportunities.
While scholarships exist for tuition, the cost of airfare is a major barrier for many of our students who wish to travel abroad. This stipend will open the doors for these students and give them a global experience that they will bring back to Western’s campus. With current contributions each year, we can give 10 of these $1,000 stipends, with your support, we can increase that amount to an even more impactful level to meet the needs of this new environment. And of course, it would be great if we could give all thirty international business students in each cohort that same level of help.
- The International Business Program Fund
Before COVID, we entitled this as “Bringing IBUS students to the Seattle market.” With COVID, ironically, because of enhances to our virtual environment, we can think about a wider market where our students can interact. Building the WWU International Business program brand requires both professors and students to be more visible in the Seattle and the wider market. This includes our first participation in a national case competition and opportunities for students to participate in training programs (e.g., an export marketing two-day session that let our students learn from and meet successful international marketing managers and get job advice).
Last year, with no airfare costs, we were able to let our students participate in the NASBITE International Case competition. Other students interested in international marketing attended a two day virtual international marketing training program that even included career advice from successful managers from around the US. We think some of these types of activities will continue even after COVID restrictions end. We also look forward to resuming face-to-face activities. Events like field trips to visit companies, networking events with alumni, and attendance at international trade and country-specific programs all add significant value to the program. Contributions to the International Business Fund will allow us to continue and expand these kinds of student activities.
International Business Challenge Funds!
The first $1,000 in gifts to International Business Study Abroad Scholarships will be matched dollar for dollar by Professor Tom Roehl, who has been teaching in IBUS since 1999 and is dedicated to the success of his students and the program. Thank you for joining him in investing in International Business students!
We know that many of you are not in a position to make financial contributions at a given time. Remember that you can help is so many other ways as well. You can let us know about internships and jobs (maybe even posting to the LinkedIn group as job openings appear at your firm); you can provide assistance to current students interested in your company or field of expertise. You can pitch Western’s international business program to family and friends looking for universities for their children. If you have not yet registered for WeConnect, our Career Center’s program to connect alums to current students, please consider doing so. The IBUS group there could be better represented.
Thank you for considering supporting the International Business program and stay safe. We look forward to face-to-face interaction as the crisis recedes.
