CIBE Consortium Selects CIBER CMCC Grant Award Winners

In partnership with the CIBE Consortium for Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) and Community College (CC) (CMCC), the Center for Global Business (CGB) awarded five faculty the CIBE CMCC Grant in September 2020. The consortium is comprised of nine universities that are all home to a Title VI CIBE grant. The CMCC acts as a resource multiplier in connecting schools across the CIBE network with MSIs and CCs nationwide to increase the visibility of and access to innovative development opportunities for faculty, staff, and students for the purpose of internationalizing business education. The consortium awarded grants totaling $30,000 to the University of Central Florida, Alabama A&M University, Bowie State University, Florida Memorial University, and College of Southern Maryland to support their global business initiatives for minority institutions and community colleges.

To be eligible for this grant, applicants must be faculty, administrators, or students of an MSI or CC, and applications must include the development of a deliverable as part of their funding request that will ultimately contribute to a portal of resources that will be available to other faculty across the CIBE network and to the public at large. This grant round also focused on the incorporation of new technologies and opportunities to engage students, faculty, and staff with the world in new and innovative ways. The proposals below were awarded to faculty to create innovative international business education in a virtual environment.

The Globalizing an Online Graduate-Level Business Education course at the University of Central Florida will “increase awareness and promote global business education expertise in Florida’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs”. The online course will include a global business education module and merge new technologies to connect students around the world through Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). The proposed activity will educate both faculty and students around international business, utilize virtual technologies to increase student engagement within the course, and share additional research and materials at future forums.

The COBPA Faculty-Led Virtual Exchange Program in South Africa at Alabama A&M University will expose their business students to the opportunity to engage with academics, business owners, students and everyday South Africans to better understand the economic landscape of the country. This interactive virtual opportunity will allow COBPA business students to learn about and engage with an entirely new culture and apply their business knowledge in a country with different economic conditions. The institution foresees this program being the beginning of more economical study abroad options for students.

Additionally, awards to faculty at Bowie State University, Florida Memorial University, and the College of Southern Maryland will allow students to connect with companies and business influencers all over the world at the 2020 Legacy Global Summit, connect five business schools at HBCUs and in Africa to work together on various projects through COIL, and support the update of an International Business course making it more relevant in today’s ever-changing global business environment respectively.

The Title VI CIBE program is a federally-funded program awarded through competitive application to 15 universities across the United States. It was created by Congress under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to increase and promote the nation's capacity for international understanding and competitiveness. Administered by the U.S. Department of Education under Title VI, Part B of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the CIBE network links the manpower and technological needs of the United States business community with the international education, language training, and research capacities of universities across the country.

Learn more about the CMCC and the Center for Global Business. Make sure to check out CIBERCMCC.org if interested in applying for the CIBER CMCC grant next spring.

This program was sponsored in part by CIBE, a Title VI grant provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

— By Jordan Heitzner, Graduate Assistant, Center for Global Business