On Wednesday, Oct. 16, the Elizabethtown College International Business (IB) Department welcomes 28 IB Advisory Board members, traveling from as far as Texas and California, to attend the annual International Business Day.
“We have IB Advisory Board members who loyally return every year,” said Dr. Hossein Varamini, the Turnbull-Jamieson Professor of Business and director of International Business at Elizabethtown. “I attend meetings in Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Chester County to meet new people. I try and have two or three new individuals present at IB Day, each year.
“I tell students they are being provided with more than 500 years of collective, diverse experience,” Varamini said of the members’ dedication and interest in Elizabethtown College’s IB students and program, hiring students as interns or full-time employees.
“I tell students they are being provided with more than 500 years of collective, diverse experience.”
Gerrit Zwergel, vice president and chief financial officer of KBA North America Inc., will travel from Dallas, Texas, to attend. Zwergel and his wife originally are from York, Pa., and have both been involved in the IB advisory board. “Over the past 13 years, we have hired several Elizabethtown College IB graduates and have always been impressed with their preparation, knowledge, dependability and determination to succeed,” Zwergel said. “In my mind, this exchange is an invaluable opportunity for students to connect with professionals and potential employers, as well as gain insight into their fields of interest,” he said, encouraging attendance.
“Dr. Varamini and students are very receptive and cooperative. IB Day is a unique and innovative program for this area,” noted Martin Brill, program manager of International Trade at Kutztown University Small Business Development Center, who also plans to attend IB Day, as does F. William Bogle, president of Genesis Packaging Technologies.
“William can’t stop talking about Elizabethtown College’s IB students and programs at conventions,” Varamini said of the influential attendee.
IB Day registration and continental breakfast begins at 9 a.m., followed by an advisory board meeting from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Later, advisory board members and students are divided in panels based on interests and talents. Each includes five to six board members, providing students with a variety of information and experiences. “My favorite part of IB Day is the panel session,” said junior IB student Katie Brumbach. “The professionals always have great advice and continually expand my mind as to how International Business is used in the workplace.”
Afterward, students and professionals have lunch in the KAV, where they can talk and mingle in a more personal and conversational manner. “It gives students a great opportunity to have in-depth and individualized discussions with people who have a lot of great experience in the field,” said senior IB student Nathan Fosbenner.
The day culminates with keynote speaker, Wilfred Muskens, deputy secretary for international business development at the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, who speaks at 1 p.m. on “PA: A Serious Player in the Global Marketplace.” With this in mind, Varamini pointed out that “Pennsylvania has 23 trade representatives to help companies conduct international business; that’s the biggest count of representatives for any state.”
The global marketplace is competitive, Varamini added, noting that he works to prepare his students to function effectively in this environment by providing a supportive academic program, as well as hands-on, practical experience. “At Elizabethtown College, we instill the thought of ‘shared value’,” the program director said. “It’s the ethical realization that your decisions impact people and the planet. It’s our social responsibility to project them.”
IB Day is projected to conclude around 2 p.m., but students and professionals are welcome to stay and mingle.