Eduardo Mordujovich sits in his class on financial economics this semester. Mordujovich, a former English major, took part earlier this year in Cornell's Summer Program in International Business. Robert Barker/University Photography
The past summer, 17 students became the first to complete Cornell's Summer Program in International Business.
Studying economics and accounting, engaging in management simulations and listening to guest speakers, the students took four intensive, three-credit classes over an eight-week period. Designed initially for liberal arts undergraduates looking to gain a foundation for careers in international business, the program wound up attracting a broader clientele.
Former English major Eduardo Mordujovich '98 credited the program with sharpening his focus on how he wants to finish his college career. "It made the option of going into business pretty viable," he said.
Attending the program after having taken a semester off to assess his academic career, Mordujovich came back to Cornell this semester as an economics major with his eye on a corporate business career in his hometown of Miami.
Many of the participants in the program did not have liberal arts backgrounds, however. Some, like hotel management student Amy Schiller '98, one of three women in the program, already had several business-oriented classes under their belts and were looking to gain a better understanding of international business. Schiller said she was looking for a "more global perspective" than she was getting in her other classes.
Given the background and makeup of the inaugural group of students, Jonas Pontusson, program director and European studies professor, said he has re-examined some aspects of the program for the future.
"We had in mind the French-major type, who was worried about what they would want to do, was interested in international affairs but had no background in business," Pontusson said about the early planning for the program. "But it turned out that the clean-slate French major wasn't the person attracted to this program."
Instead, he said, the International Business Program tended to attract economics, government and Industrial and Labor Relations students who often were looking for something beyond the level of their class offerings.
Both Mordujovich and Schiller agreed that participating in the program benefited them, but they suggested that, in the future, it should focus less on business basics and more on the specifics of international business.
"Because it was the program's first year, it was kind of an experiment," Schiller said. "We were like guinea pigs -- but in a good way," Mordujovich agreed.
This summer's offerings were: "The Political Environment of International Business," taught by Pontusson; "Organization and Human Resources Management Simulation," taught by ILR professor emeritus William Wasmuth; "Economics in International Perspective," taught by senior economics lecturer Jennifer Wissink; and "Introduction to Financial and Management Accounting," taught by Ithaca College accounting associate professor Don Collins.
Next summer, Pontusson said, the program will be 10 instead of 12 credits, but will have an extra two-credit option, and will add a course taught by Jan Katz, senior lecturer in international business, focusing on multinational corporations.
But Pontusson said the focus of the program essentially will stay the same.
"We are, in the first instance, about providing a foundation, with courses that you cannot take during the regular year," he said.
"[The program] gave me a chance to take courses that I wouldn't normally have taken," said Schiller, agreeing with Pontusson's assessment.
The government class, Schiller said, "really gave me a look at something I hadn't seen; I came in without knowing anything on the topic and was able to read on it and participate in discussions as a member of academia. During the school year, classes usually stick to the syllabus; but in these classes, we started out with the syllabus and ended wherever our conversations took us."