Baruch College Expands Global Cultural Exchange Certificate Program

Connecting international and Baruch students to bridge world cultures and experiences

December 17, 2018

Baruch College’s International Student Service Center (ISSC) has launched a new chapter of its signature Global Cultural Exchange Certificate program as part of its ongoing commitment to bring a global perspective to students’ college experience.

For 2018-19 academic year, the program participants—most of whom are also members of the Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK (Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge) initiative—come from either South Korea (nine students), China (10 students), or the United States (14 students). All students in this program have the first-hand opportunity to expand their cultural knowledge by meeting people from different backgrounds and learning from each other about their country’s rituals and traditions.

Building Relationships Through Shared Experiences

The program features a variety of activities throughout the year, including introducing international students to American culture such as jazz music from Lincoln Center. Program participants have already seen a presentation about American football. Students will also tour Wall Street and compete in a capital markets trading simulation.

The program also includes support for career readiness. All students learn about networking strategies and proper dining etiquette to prepare for job interviews.

Along the way, the students will explore their cultural and language differences, and discover their similarities.

Global Experience Right at Home

Last year, international students from China joined Baruch students to participate in the program. For Baruch students, the experience broadened their worldview:

“The program expanded not only my network but my knowledge and understanding of a group of people that I could never relate to in the past,” said Emmanuel Oladejo (’21), majoring in business administration. “Growing up in Nigeria, I was exposed to a lot of European influences and the only information I received about China were in the movies that I watch. Thanks to the Global Cultural Exchange Certificate program’s goal to foster and nurture the bond between students like myself and international students, my admiration for Chinese culture has increased drastically.”

Esteban Santana (’21), majoring in business administration and international business, said participating in this program was beneficial because he was able to experience intercultural communication and its barriers early in his academic career.

“Being able to communicate with people from around the world made me realize that even though globalization keeps us close, as students and future business men/women we have to always take into account our geographical distances and our distinctive traditions,” Santana said. “Being that in the future I see myself living in China and working there for a few years, this program gave me the ability to experience what my future in China may hold.”

Baruch College: An Eye on Global

Baruch College recently strengthened its global footprint as the Zicklin School of Business formed new partnerships with several international universities for students to obtain dual-degrees. The new partners to join the College’s innovative MBA/MS global dual-degree program are Shanghai International Studies University, Renmin University of China, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and University of Padova.

These new partnerships add to the existing MBA/MS dual degree programs the College already has with College of Management Academic Studies in Israel (COLLMAN)—which graduated its first cohort of students in June—and Peking University HSBC Business School in China.

International Education Week Participation 

The College also recently celebrated International Education Week (IEW) held on November 12-16 with a wide range of activities to inform students of the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. IEW is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education promotes programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences.

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