LMU’s College of Business Administration has been selected to receive the Center for International Business Education (CIBE) grant from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) for years 2018-2022. The total federal funding over the next four years is just over $1 million. The CIBE grants were 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.
“This is a very prestigious award not only for the College of Business Administration but for the whole LMU community,” said Dayle M. Smith, dean of the College of Business Administration. “In fact, LMU is the only master’s serving university to win this grant award since the program started in 1989.”
The DOE CIBE program provides funding to U.S. institutions of higher education for curriculum development, research and training on issues related to U.S. trade and competitiveness. The key roles of the CIBE are as follows:
- to serve as national resources for the teaching of improved business techniques, strategies, and methodologies that emphasize the international context in which business is transacted
- to provide instruction in critical foreign languages and international fields needed to provide an understanding of the cultures and customs of U.S. trading partners
- to provide research and training in the international aspects of trade, commerce and other fields of study
- to provide training to students enrolled in the institution or institutions in which a center is located
- to serve as regional resources to local businesses by offering programs and providing research designed to meet the international training needs of such businesses
- to serve other faculty, students and institutions of higher education located within their respective regions
The LMU CIBE aligns with the university’s mission to cultivate a “globally imaginative” campus that provides students with a transformative education that is global, creative and interdisciplinary. LMU CIBE will focus on 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.
Dr. Yongsun Paik, principal investigator, and Dr. Marki Jones – director and assistant director of LMU’s Center for Asian Business, respectively – who worked closely with colleagues across LMU and within the L.A. Chamber of Commerce, spearheaded the grant application.
“This grant will help us develop future global business leaders and increase global competitiveness of U.S. companies,” said Paik. “Maximizing our location in Silicon Beach and building upon the CBA’s strong reputation, LMU CIBE will play a key role in advancing existing programs to deliver a more creative, innovative curriculum in global marketing, talent management and international entrepreneurship.”
“This grant is an enormous achievement for LMU and will propel the CBA as a global business center of excellence,” added Jones. “I am very proud to have been a part of the CIBE grant development process, along with Dr. Yongsun Paik, and look forward to making a significant contribution toward the promotion of global understanding and the development of global business leaders, thereby increasing U.S. competitiveness in the global market.”
Paik and Jones wish to thank many contributors for their support, including Dr. Thomas Poon, executive vice president and provost; Dr. Dennis Draper, former dean, College of Business Administration; Dr. Dayle M. Smith, dean, College of Business Administration; Alice Martini Doyle, assistant director, Pre-Award Services, and Bianca Trujillo, grants specialist, Office of Research & Sponsored Projects; as well as College of Business Administration colleagues and advisory board members.
