MEXUS Program. INSTITUTION San Diego State Univ., CA
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 416 780 HE 031 026 AUTHOR Branan, Alvord; Hergert, Michael TITLE MEXUS Program. INSTITUTION San Diego State Univ., CA. SPONS AGENCY Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE 1996-11-30 NOTE 267p. CONTRACT P116B30969 PUB TYPE Guides Classroom - Teacher (052)-- Guides Non-Classroom (055) Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC11 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Business Education; *College Second Language Programs; Communicative Competence (Languages); Cross Cultural Training; Cultural Awareness; *Curriculum Development; *Experiential Learning; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Intercultural Communication; International Educational Exchange; *Internship Programs; Language Fluency; Modern Languages; *Partnerships in Education; Second Language Learning; Spanish; Undergraduate Study; Universities; Work Experience Programs IDENTIFIERS *Mexico ABSTRACT The MEXUS program, a transnational, undergraduate, dual-degree program in the United States and Mexico, addresses the problem of how universities can better prepare students to manage business in an interdependent global marketplace. The program was initiated as a consortium of four institutions (San Diego State University and Southwestern College (California); and in Mexico, Centro de Ensenanza Technica y Superior and the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California). Students spend a minimum of two years studying in the United States and a minimum of two years studying in Mexico, receiving undergraduate degrees from both countries: a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and the Licenciatura en Negocios Internacionales. As of mid-1997, 120 students were enrolled, and five had already graduated. Report sections include a project overview, purpose, background and origins, project descriptions, evaluation of project results, and a summary. Extensive appended materials include publicity documents, student presentations, applications, curricula, advising guide, two evaluation reports, a curriculum design paper, minutes of an advisory council meeting on effective publicity, tests of ethnocentrism and oral proficiency, program agreements, and Chapter 12 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. (BF) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** Grantee Origanization: San Diego State University International Business Program 5500 Campanile Drive, BAM 427 San Diego, CA 92182 -7734 Grant Number: P116B30969 Project Dates: Starting Date: September 1, 1993 Ending Date: November 30, 1996 Number of Months: 39 Project Directors: Dr. Alvord Branan/Dr. Michael Hergert MEXUS Program San Diego State University, BAM-427 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182-7734 Telephone: (619) 594-7297 fax:: (619) 594-7738 [email protected] mbergert4mai1.sdsu.edu roexus(a),mail.sdsu.edu littp://rohan.sdsu.edddeptimexus Program Officer: Charles Storey Grant Award: Year I 5V,496 Year 2 $65,980 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Researchand improvement Year 3 584 524 EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) )(This documenthas been reproduced as Total $257,000 received from the person ororganization originating if. Minor changes have beenmade to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinionsstated in this document do not necessarilyrepresent official OERI position or policy. BEST COPY AVAILABLE a Grantee Organization: San Diego State University International Business Program 5500 Campanile Drive, BAM 427 San Diego, CA 92182-7734 Grant Number: P116B30969 Project Dates: Starting Date: September 1, 1993 Ending Date: November 30, 1996 Number of Months: 39 Project Directors: Dr. Alvord Branan/Dr. Michael Hergert MEXUS Program San Diego State University, BAM-427 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182-7734 Telephone: (619) 594-7297 fax: (619) 594-7738 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] http://rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/mexus Program Officer: Charles Storey Grant Award: Year 1 $86,496 Year 2 $85,980 Year 3 $84,524 Total $257,000 3 The Project Summary The MEXUS Program is the first transnational, undergraduate, dual-degree program in the U.S. and Mexico. Students in this program spend a minimum of two years in the U.S. and a minimum of two years studying at a Mexican university and receive undergraduate degrees from both countries: the Bachelor of Arts in International Business and the Licenciatura en Negocios Internacionales. The MEXUS program commenced in November 1993. As of spring 1997, MEXUS has reach all the goals outlined in the original FIPSE proposal: O As of 1996/97, MEXUS has a total of 120 U.S. and Mexican students. 0 In December 1996, MEXUS graduated its first two students. O In May 1997, three additional students will graduate. Project Directors: Dr. Alvord Branan/Dr. Michael Hergert MEXUS Program San Diego State University, BAM-427 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182-7734 Telephone: (619) 594-7297 fax: (619) 594-7738 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] http://rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/mexus 4 MEXUS PROGRAM San Diego State University - BAM 427 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182-7734 Teresa Cisneros Donahue (619) 594-7297 Executive Summary A. Project Overview The MEXUS Program is the first transnational, undergraduate, dual-degree program in the U.S. and Mexico. Students in this program spend a minimum of two years in the U.S. anda minimum of two years studying at a Mexican university and receive undergraduate degrees from both countries: the Bachelor of Arts in International Business and the Licenciaturaen Negocios Internacionales. The MEXUS Program was initiated as a consortium of four institutions of higher education: San Diego State University (SDSU), Southwestern College (SWC) in Chula Vista, California, the Centro de Enselianza Tecnica y Superior (CETYS) in Tijuana, Mexico, and the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California (UABC) also in Tijuana, Mexico. As of spring 1997, MEXUS has reach all the goals outlined in the original FIPSE proposal. MUCUS has a total of 120 U.S. and Mexican students (the original objective in the program). In December 1996, MEXUS graduated its first two students. In May 1997, three additional students will graduate. Selection criteria for the MEXUS students have been set high since the implementation of the program. As a result, the quality of students in the program is superior. The average MEXUS student graduates in the top 8% of her/his high school class with a 3.6 grade pointaverage. This students typically scores 120 points higher on the SAT than the student body at SDSU and compiles an impressive 3.4 g.p.a. B. Purpose The MEXUS Program addressed the problem of how universities can better prepare students to manage business in an interdependent global marketplace, specifically the U.S.- Mexican Market. International business programs around the U.S. have attempted to encourage study or internships abroad in order to provide a direct foreign experience. Although theseprogram are quite useful, they fall short of providing students with the in-depth experience necessary to assimilate a foreign culture and to acquire the skills needed for managing in the emerging world economy. The MEXUS Program, on the other hand, was designed to provide total immersion training in international business that will produce the kind of manager needed for the next phase of the business evolution. Three years after the implementation of MEXUS, our understanding of the problem addressed in our original proposal, has not changed. On the contrary, the need for international 5 managers has increased. Now, more than ever, we believe that the MEXUS program has become a model in international education of how to address this problem. Furthermore, we believe that the principle underlying the training of truly international managers should be more broadly disseminated. Hence the necessity to adapt the MEXUS concept in other disciplines. One of the most important administrative pitfalls that should be avoided in order to ensure success in such a complex and ambitious endeavor, is to start only with one partner university abroad. We started our consortium with four partner institutions. Consequently, from an administrative point of view the program has become extraordinarily complex. In three years we have had to develop 11 different curriculal. Implementation is bordering on the overwhelming. All students must be carefully advised individually in order to ensure that they fulfill graduation requirements in a timely manner in both countries. In conclusion, more is most assuredly not always better. The lesson learned is a clear one. Limit any dual degree program to one partner per country. C. Background and Origins The four participating institutions in MEXUS were chosen for different reasons. All four are located within a 15 mile radius, thus facilitating implementation of the program during the initial years. Second, all four schools are members of large academic networks and could ultimately provide access for MEXUS to an enormous pool of students, making the potential impact of MEXUS in other postsecondary settings far reaching. The MEXUS Program was built upon existing relationships among the four campuses, as well as among their affiliated system schools. Extensive groundwork had already been laid to implement MEXUS when the FIPSE grant was