CME Students, Acting Dean Playing Role in Brazil Mission
April 26, 2012 - Campus Bulletin
University of Guelph business students and their professor will meet high-ranking government and university officials in Brazil this week.
Prof. Sylvain Charlebois, acting dean of the College of Management and Economics (CME) — along with marketing students Ben Bickers and Maggie Chen, and accounting student Dave Howard — will attend an “Education in Canada” reception Friday in Sao Paulo.
The event is part of an unprecedented visit to Brazil by 30 Canadian university presidents.
The reception will be hosted by Canadian Governor General David Johnston, who is heading the Brazil visit, sponsored by the Government of Canada and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
During the visit April 25 to May 2, the university presidents’ group will promote Canada’s universities and Canadian partnership opportunities in research, innovation and higher education.
The delegates will also visit Rio de Janeiro, Campinas and Brasilia.
Charlebois and his students were already in Brazil with officials from Metalumen Manufacturing Inc., a Guelph-based lighting systems company, and received an invitation to attend the reception.
“We are very much looking forward to the experience,” Charlebois said. “Our students are thrilled to meet the Governor General, in Sao Paulo of all places.
The U of G students had won their trip in a Bridges to International Practice competition after developing a business plan for Metalumen’s expansion into the South American country.
The competition was part of an international marketing course taught by Charlebois in the Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies. The trip to Brazil is intended to allow the students to put their skills into practice.
“Business students are increasingly confronted with many issues that require a global education focus,” Charlebois said. “As such, CME wants its students to become global thinkers.”
