By Lisa Miller, director of Global Insight Expeditions, On-Campus Global Programs
The 2015 Global Insight Expeditions (GIXs) have come to a successful conclusion! You’ll find great blog posts by some of the student participants on this site. I thought I’d write a brief post myself providing some context for the experiences that they describe.
For background, GIXs are faculty-led courses that take place outside the US. They are 8 – 10 days in length and provide opportunities to interact with local businesses, nonprofits, governments, and entrepreneurs and engage in cultural activities. They're held during March break and satisfy the Global Insight Requirement. This year about 135 students participated in seven GIXs to Georgia and Armenia, Japan, India, Israel, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the UAE & Qatar.
Each GIX has a theme. This year’s course titles included “The Three Indias: Doing Business across Economic and Cultural Divides”; “The UAE and Qatar: Sustaining Globalized Economies”; and “Japan Today: Through the Lens of the 2011 Tohoku Triple Disaster.” Students rated the GIXs very highly in terms of helping them to understand key aspects of the business environment and the values, beliefs, and norms of the host countries.
We pick destinations based on a variety of criteria. Some of the countries visited—such as India—are large players in the global economy and on many students’ “bucket lists.” Others, such as Georgia and Armenia, were brought to our attention by Tuck community members who knew them well. All destinations, however, share some common characteristics: passionate, knowledgeable Faculty Leaders; great business and cross-cultural learning opportunities, and alums who are willing and able to help.
Each day on a GIX there are two to three structured activities that illuminate the themes of the course. There is no formula for a high-value activity—they come in many different forms:
• In Israel, pitch sessions from talented young entrepreneurs and dinners in the homes of local people from across the political and religious spectrum
• In Qatar and the UAE, a lively, candid panel discussion with business people with years of experience in the region and a reflection session led by the professor
• In Armenia, a trip to the Presidential Palace to meet with the president’s chief of staff and a trip to a seminary to meet with a bishop
• In Georgia, discussions with some of the country’s leading CEOs and the opportunity to experience ancient wine-making techniques, traditional dance, and polyphonic signing
• In South Africa, a trip deep into a platinum mine and soccer with kids in an economically disadvantaged community
• In Japan, a meeting with the lead government-appointed investigator of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and a homemade dinner with residents of a fishing village
• In India, visits to Infosys, Mahindra & Mahindra, the Dharavi slum, and a rural village outside of Bangalore
• In the Netherlands, lectures by some of the leading minds in the health care field on topics ranging from drug pricing to euthanasia
A wide variety of activities helps to ensure a more complete learning experience, a deeper appreciation of the country and its culture, and the desire to re-engage in the future. Enjoy reading about our students’ experiences in their own words, and perhaps I’ll see you at a GIX information session one day!
Read about this year's Global Insight Expeditions from Tuckies themselves: Georgia and Armenia, UAE & Qatar, India, Israel, South Africa, Japan, and the Netherlands.