Center for International Business Studies

 WHAT?
• Five weeks of instruction and team-building at TAMU in College Station in June
• A three-week field trip to Europe in July (specifically, Holland)
• Team challenges and assignments that need to be completed independently
• Ample opportunity for cultural immersion, independence, and problem-solving
• A team project to be completed in Holland
• Organized sight-seeing activities and fun team challenges
• The opportunity to extend your stay in Europe after the course ends

WHEN?
Summer II, 2010

WHO?
• Students: Up to 60 Mays undergraduates ("BUAD" designation) in good academic standing, on a first-come, first-served basis. *
• Faculty: Drs. Lesley Tomaszewski and Roemer Visser. Both are seasoned instructors for BUSN 205.

*  Because we want all the selected students to be in good academic standing at the end of the Spring 2010 semester, we reserve the right to waitlist people at the time of their application, if their academic standing at that time is a potential cause for concern - even if they are among the first 60 to apply.

HOW (MUCH)?
• The program fee is $4,000. This includes:
      - All overnight accommodations (Hostel in Amsterdam and dorms in Maastricht)
      - Airfare
      - Daily allowance for food
      - All public transportation
      - Admission expenses for any group activity
• The program fee does not include:
      - Tuition and fees for taking BUSN 205
      - Incidentals (souvenirs, passport application fees, etc.)

NEXT STEPS?

Questions & Answers:

Q. What is BUSN 205?
A. BUSN 205 is a required, 3-credit-hour, sophomore-level course that was developed to improve the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; to work with others; and to act ethically. Normally, students enrolled in this course are placed into teams and, after going through a team development process, are asked to complete a service project for a non-profit agency in the Bryan / College Station community. The project is the vehicle that the students use to enhance the skills mentioned above.  This summer course, offered for the first time, will add a cross-cultural component to these three learning objectives. There will not be an opportunity to complete a service project abroad. However, you will still be placed in teams of five to six and taken through a team development process at TAMU during Summer I. Each team will be asked to complete a research project that relates to ethics. You will be immersed in Dutch culture for most of the time you are there. This will challenge your skills in communicating across cultures, solving problems, and working with others.

Q. Can I take other courses in the summer?
Yes, so long as it is in Summer I. BUSN 205 will be listed as a ten-week course. The class content and many of the assignments will be taken care of in the first five weeks (which coincides with Summer I). The field trip will take place in the first three weeks of Summer II. This means that students could take additional courses during Summer I 2010, without any conflict, but not during Summer II.

Q. Do I need to worry about safety issues?
A. Of course, you always need to pay attention to personal safety. But the Netherlands is a safe country with very low rates of violent crime. Food safety and drinking water meet or exceed Western standards, there are no diseases that require special vaccinations, and health care is of high quality. One specific risk, associated with any large city, is that of theft and pick-pocketing.   The following are specific measures put in place to minimize risk:
• You will be told how to minimize the risk of theft or pickpockets
• All students will be required to take the same flight to the Netherlands
• You will be required to carry a cell phone at all times
• Each team will be required (and each student will be encouraged to) carry an English - Dutch dictionary
• Prior to departure, each team will be required to submit a risk management plan. This plan identifies the main risks to the welfare of the team and its members and lists strategies to reduce those risks. Items to be considered include:
   - Allergies, health care, and medical attention
   - Getting lost
   - Communicating with the team / faculty members
   - Theft of credit cards, passport, other personal items
   - ATM cash withdrawals
• When traveling, each team will be required to check in periodically via cell phone
• You will be asked to avoid traveling alone, even during free time on the weekends
• Each team will be asked to collectively look out for the well-being of its members.
• Even for day trips to other countries (such as Germany, France, and Belgium), each team will be required to report back in Maastricht at the end of the day.
Maastricht University is a partner institution of Mays Business School. For the majority of the stay in the Netherlands, its dorms will serve as the home base (http://www.unimaas.nl/guesthouseum/). The university is staffed with experienced, English-speaking professionals who are available to lend their expertise if needed. Wireless Internet is available.  Still, it is important to know that you will not be kept "in a bubble."  You will travel by public transportation (bus, subway, tram, and train), mostly in your teams. While you will always have the means to contact one of the faculty members, you will not always be supervised by them. This means that there is always some risk of unforeseen events. You will play a major role in minimizing risk yourself, and showing good judgment is the best way to do that.

Q. Do I need to speak Dutch?
A. No, you don't. A dictionary would be very helpful of course, to help you navigate the written language, but the Dutch are among the most proficient in Europe in speaking English. You will encounter very few people who do not speak English.

Q. I heard this course is very time-consuming. Will there be time to sight-see and have fun?
A. Yes, there will be plenty of time for sight-seeing and having fun. For one, the weekends are considered personal time. But even during the week, you can use the days labeled "team day" at your discretion. While you will need some of this time to complete your team project, you will not need all of it. How this time is spent is up to your team.

Q. What kind of activities will we be doing while over there?
The exact schedule is not yet set, but basically, the schedule can be divided into four kinds of activity: class time, team days, team challenges, and personal time. As part of class time, we will have two to three guest lectures, one or two site visits, and we will meet in one of Maastricht University's lecture hall for final presentations. Team days are days set aside for your team to independently work on your team project. Team challenges are activities that do not necessarily relate to the team projects, but help build / maintain a team. There may be a guided bicycle tour of historic Amsterdam, followed by a team-based scavenger hunt; some kind of team challenge underground in Maastricht's centuries-old tunnels and caves; or there may be an Amazing Race-inspired day of international travel. The weekends will be personal time - time that you can spend completely at your discretion.

Q. Who are these faculty members?
A. Dr. Lesley Tomaszewski, class of '95, has been teaching BUSN 205 since the Spring of 2008. Moreover, she worked in the Study Abroad office for several years and will be able to put that knowledge to good use. Beyond that, she has visited the Netherlands more than a dozen times and conducted her dissertation research in several European countries.  Dr. Roemer Visser is a Dutch national who has been teaching BUSN 205 since the Spring of 2007. Born and raised in the Netherlands, he studied and worked there before moving to the U.S. He speaks the language fluently.

Q. Can I extend my stay if I want to look around a bit more?
A. Yes - in fact, the end date of July 28th was picked in part to allow for this to happen. You will need to decide fairly early in the Spring of 2010 whether or not you are going to do this, however.

WHY:
• Get a significant experience abroad under your belt before you finish your first year at Mays!
• Get an unforgettable cultural immersion experience under the guidance of experienced faculty
• Make an investment in your personal and professional development by broadening your horizons
• Get a leg up on your competition for internships and jobs
• Get three required credit hours taken care of in the process

***Applications will be accepted beginning OCTOBER 26th (1:00 pm) until NOVEMBER 13TH (Noon)***

***DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM HERE*** (please TYPE application)

For More Information, Contact:
Dr. Roemer Visser 
Undergraduate Special Programs Office
242D Wehner
979.845.7482
Email:  rvisser@mays.tamu.edu