The Center for International Business Education and Research (FIU-CIBER) in the College of Business Administration at Florida International University received a major funding grant for 2006-2010 from the U.S. Department of Education. The award is for $1,360,000 for four years ($340,000 per year). FIU-CIBER, which has previously received major grants from the department, was one of 31 CIBERS across the country to get the financial support.
“This year, the competition was very stiff, but we deliver unique programs that are clearly recognized in the international business community,” said Mary Ann Von Glinow, CIBER director and professor in the Department of Management and International Business in the college.
The grant proposal enumerated 47 activities FIU-CIBER felt met legislative mandates. The authors grouped them under two broad themes: “Improving U.S. International Competitiveness in Today’s World of Heightened Security” and “Using Languages and Technology Wisely in International Business: Improving K-12, College, and Organizational Absorption.”
The proposal explained that FIU-CIBER’s goal “is to make all our constituents more competitive in the global economy and continue as a local and regional resource for promoting U.S. businesses’ global reach.”
“Our emphasis on improving U.S. international competitiveness in a world of heightened security and on using languages and technology wisely speaks to the heart of issues confronting global commerce today,” Von Glinow said. “Having the grant renewed makes it possible for us to continue to offer our teaching, outreach, and research programs without disruption.”
Being recognized through the grant is one more sign of the increasing prominence of the international business programs offered in the college.
“When we were funded for the first time in 1995, the university wasn’t on anyone’s radar,” Von Glinow said. “Today, with the renewal, we are clearly a force to be reckoned with.”
