Loyola Marymount University is once again part of a select group of universities to be awarded a Center for International Business Education (CIBE) grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The CIBE grants were created by Congress under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to provide funding to U.S. institutions of higher education for curriculum development, research and training on issues related to U.S. trade and competitiveness. LMU is one of 16 schools to receive this very prestigious and highly competitive grant with total federal funding of $1.2 million over the next four years.
“I really wanted to prove that it was not pure luck that LMU received this grant back in 2018,” said Yongsun Paik, LMU CIBE director and principal investigator of the grant application. “This renewal validates that we are successfully fulfilling our mission to provide impactful and transformative global learning experiences for our students, faculty and business partners.”
Paik, along with Marki Jones, CIBE program management director, and Jennifer Tyler, CIBE administrative coordinator, have worked diligently to enhance LMU’s international footprint within the following four themes: 1) innovative global marketing; 2) global talent development and foreign business language education; 3) international entrepreneurship; and 4) global sustainability and business ethics. Cybersecurity was added as a theme in the new grant cycle.
LMU CIBE achievements include introducing an international business minor, developing three new business language courses, increasing participation in study abroad and international internship programs, supporting faculty research and curriculum/course development projects related to international business, launching a faculty development in international business program in South Korea, expanding international business outreach to minority-serving institutions and community colleges, and collaborating with business partners to increase their capacity for international trade and foreign direct investment.
“The last four years have demonstrated just how effective we can be with CIBE funding,” said Dayle Smith, dean of LMU College of Business Administration. “I am particularly proud of our center’s mission-based approach. We do a lot of partnering with community college districts and other agencies in the region to expand access to international business education.”
Looking ahead, LMU CIBE will continue to strengthen and expand international business programs that meet four main objectives: 1) global leadership development for students, 2) instilling a global citizenship consciousness in students, 3) supporting faculty research, curriculum development and professional development, and 4) increasing U.S. business capacity through community outreach.
“It is an honor to be selected to serve our nation again in this important work to increase international understanding and to foster programs, instruction and research on issues of importance to U.S. trade and competitiveness,” said Jones. “We’re excited to see what we can accomplish in the next four years and beyond.”
Click here to learn more about the LMU Center for International Business Education.