Gov. Bob Riley, along with various members of Auburn University’s faculty, left Saturday for a trade mission to South America, in hopes to increase trade relations and academic understanding. This mission also includes Alabama business owners, as well as Tuskegee University professors.
“This is the first time higher education has been involved in trade relations,” said Paula Bobrowski, CLA Associate Dean of Research. “I take great pride in that."
Auburn faculty received the opportunity, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The three initiatives of the program include: “faculty awareness of the social, political, economic and business environments in Latin America, a focus on student programs and academic enrichment, as well as state and local business,” said Beau Lore of the Alabama Development Office.
Departments and colleges represented in the trip include the College of Business and the College of Liberal Arts, as well as the College of Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine and the Vice President of Outreach.
“We will be visiting a university in each country, looking into faculty and student exchanges, as well as visiting central banks and learning about the cultures,” Bobrowski said.
Prominent Alabama businesses taking part in the trip include Altec Worldwide LLC, Nidek Medical Products Inc. and Progress Rail Services.
These businesses will be looking to encourage trade with Chile and Argentina.
Medical products, mining equipment and agricultural equipment are likely to be well received imports of these countries. Vehicles, organic chemicals and industrial machinery top the lists of current exports to the two South American countries.
“The South American Trade Mission will allow local businesses to enhance their relationships with international businesses, providing additional opportunities to companies with operations in Alabama,” said Dr. Joe Hanna, Chair and Professor of Supply Chain Management.
Learning more about the culture and economy will help the faculty prepare classes enabling students to take a Certified Global Business Professional exam.
“We will be developing curricula that can be used in a variety of courses,” said Sharon Oswald, Head of the Department of Management.
Using information about the business practices of Chile and Argentina will allow College of Business faculty to prepare a more in-depth and culturally-sound curriculum for international business programs.
“We are operating in an increasingly global marketplace, making international relationships more important for business success than ever before. Due to the interconnected economic environment, many companies are focusing on international relationships to find both new sources of supply and new markets to sell existing products,” Hanna said.
Along with meetings between faculty and their counterparts, Gov. Riley will be meeting with high-ranking government officials. Auburn faculty will also be meeting with the chamber of commerce and ambassadors, as well as learning about culture through Argentinean tango dancing.
The group will return to Alabama June 7.
