U.S. Rep. Cuellar announces new international business program

Date of Release: 05/08/2006

SAN MARCOS—An innovative business program combining multidisciplinary degrees with a sister cities project will put Texas State University-San Marcos on the cutting edge of international business studies.

U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar announced a grant that will help fund the program’s first two years at a 1 p.m. press conference on campus Friday.
“When you have a university like Texas State that is emerging as a leader in international business, it is essential that funding is in place to support those goals,” Cuellar said. “I want to be a friend to this university as it moves into international business, because that’s the direction the world is going.”

The five-year academic program will include a B.A. degree in International Studies and an MBA degree with an emphasis in international business. A second component of the program will take advantage of an existing Sister Cities Trade and Investment Promotion relationship between San Marcos and the northern Mexican city of Monclova.

“This will make a large contribution to enhancing our Latin American business program,” said Denise Smart, dean of the McCoy College of Business Administration. “It provides an opportunity to partner business with the College of Liberal Arts. The combination broadens our ability to link management education with international business.”

The program also seeks to develop more faculty with international business expertise, increasing applied research into international business issues and developing new student exchange and study abroad programs, including more internships with international corporations, explained Jack Mogab, director of the Center for Latin American Commerce. At the graduate level, students will specialize in various world economic regions, such as Asia, Latin America or Europe.

“We think it’s the ideal preparation for the 21st century,” Mogab said. “We hope we will be preparing the future business leaders of Texas for the 21st century. Very adept at working in a global economy and a global wordl for that matter.

“The second component--the SCTIP project--is particularly exciting,” he said. “We’re partnering with the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce, along with San Marcos Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the city to work with their counterparts in Monclova to explore the potential for international business opportunities.”

The SCTIP project will survey businesses in central Texas and northern Mexico to determine their international business needs and interests, analyze their needs to determine potential for trade and investment among the firms and organize a trade mission to Monclova, Mexico, for business representatives from Texas and Mexico.

The grant will provide funding of $163,233 over two years, with the university providing matching funds.