Kelley Program immerses foreign students in IUPUI culture
9/21/2009 (Kelley Indianapolis)
The Kelley School of Business Indianapolis continues to make strides in expanding diversity both on and off campus with success stories like the school’s 2+2 Dual-Degree Program.
Developed in 2005, the 2+2 program is a partnership with Trisakti University in Jakarta, Indonesia. A dozen Indonesian students have participated in the program, which requires them to complete their first two undergraduate years at their home university and then finish the final two years at IUPUI, including coursework with the Kelley School of Business and the Department of Economics at Trisakti.
The benefits to the students are enormous: not only do they complete the program with two undergraduate degrees, but they also absorb American culture and relish in the diversity and opportunities available on the IUPUI campus.
“I learned how to deal with different cultures and different people more deeply, because I needed to adapt myself more to where I am,” said Edvan Gunawan, who recently graduated.
“This enriched my perception of western culture,” he added. “For example, I admire American people and their patriotism to their country. I tried to see the good culture from the U.S. that I can apply to myself and my country in the future.”
The language barrier is a major obstacle to overcome as part of the program. Many of the students had taken English as a second language, but at IUPUI they were required to make entire presentations in English. The embracing culture of the university and Kelley helped them overcome the challenges, some said.
Sabrina Lestari, the first student to participate in the program, referred to her experience as “priceless.” “The experience I got from the program taught me to socialize with international students as well as American students, and the most important thing (it taught me) to be a better and stronger individual,” she said.
The benefits have been reciprocated for IUPUI and Kelley Indianapolis. The university serves students from 49 states and 122 countries. In addition, IUPUI supports student exchange agreements with more than 70 countries, comprising more than 30 percent of all the study abroad opportunities offered through Indiana University, according to IU’s Office of International Services.
The Kelley School of Business as a whole currently has more than 40 undergraduate students with international backgrounds and nearly 200 minority students. Last week, Associate Dean Phil Cochran and Ken Carow, chair of the undergraduate program, visited China to explore the possibility of expanding the 2+2 program with Sun Yat-sen University, a top 10 Chinese college.
In addition, a group of undergraduate students embarked on the first ever Kelley Indianapolis study abroad trip to Strasbourg, France, and a second visit is planned next year— all aimed at bringing international business culture back to IUPUI.
“Working with these (2+2) students has been a privilege and an amazing experience for me,” said Jane McDonald, assistant director for Student Services for Kelley Indianapolis and a liaison to the 2+2 program.
“It’s a bittersweet time when graduation rolls around because it means they will be going back home,” she added. “But, of course, I’m so happy to see them meet their goal and graduate with a dual degree from Kelley and Trisakti University.”
David Jones, director of the IU Center on Southeast Asia, said the students involved in the program enjoy its structure and benefit from the talented faculty at Kelley.
“The 2+2 program represents the best of both worlds,” Jones said. “Students learn from faculty members, fellow students and business leaders in Indonesia and the U.S. Graduates are almost uniquely well-prepared to assume positions of leadership in international business and related fields.
In addition to the professional development advantages provided by 2+2, Meilla Miranti had additional incentive to succeed when she participated. Her mother is the dean of the economics faculty of Trisakti University in Indonesia and was able watch Miranti graduate from Kelley Indianapolis in the May commencement ceremonies.
“Studying at Kelley has given me confidence to see what I have in me,” Miranti said. “Friends, professors, my advisor all taught me that everyone can be a success if they really want to. I didn’t know that I would experience all of these but I’m glad I did.”
