International Business Immersion Program Concludes

IBIP, a program co-sponsored by the European Union Center including participation by EUC Director Bryan Endres, concluded its 2011 trip in October. Read the brief news article about the program below or on the Office of International Programs Monthly Newsletter.

The 2011 International Business Immersion Program (IBIP) concluded on October 6, 2011, as the 24 participants, divided into six groups, premiered their final video projects about their research findings on the European food and agribusiness industry. Since 2001, the IBIP experience has allowed students to gain an international perspective and network to build on for future study abroad experiences, internships, and careers. This year's theme was "Firm, Channel, and Industry Dynamics within the European Agri-Food Sector" and featured a visit to Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. The topics of this year's final video projects included sustainable cocoa, free range chicken, canola oil, and a comparison of the European and U.S. recycling industries.

Reflecting on the experience, participant Elizabeth Steger, a Finance in Agribusiness major in ACES set to graduate in spring 2012, says, “After participating in this trip I am very interested in having the opportunity to visit other countries for work, or even live abroad for a period of time for a career. I think this trip gives us a great advantage due to the knowledge and experience we have gained academically, personally, and professionally.” For more information on IBIP, visit the program's website.

International Business Immersion Program Concludes

Read More

Newcastle University Conference Explores Options for a Sustainable Countryside

The Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability and the Newcastle University Law School hosted a conference to address emerging challenges to rural areas, including responding to climate change, food security, renewable energy, and changes to crop and livestock production systems.  EU Center Director A. Bryan Endres served as the opening speaker, presenting a talk on sustainable bioenergy and legal approaches to ecological protection.  Specifically, the presentation discussed the intersection of biotechnology, invasive species and state regulatory regimes within the context of novel plants grown for conversion into bioenergy.

Two other plenary speakers, László Máthé from World Wildlife Int’l, and Patrick Begg from The National Trust (UK), explored, respectively, issues of renewable energy and sustainable rural enterprises.  Separate break-out sessions focused on issues related to climate change, biotechnology and energy strategies.  In the conference’s closing session, conference organizer and Dean of Newcastle Law School, Professor Chris Rodgers, summarized many of the legal/policy issues stakeholders must confront in shaping the future of the UK countryside.  One key component of a sustainable countryside is the need to view rural landscapes from a multi-functional perspective in which food and energy production sustains economically viable communities, while protecting biodiversity and other ecosystems services, including preserving recreational opportunities for the general public—a challenging endeavor that benefits from conferences such as this, which brings together multiple stakeholders from diverse disciplines.

Newcastle University Conference Explores Options for a Sustainable Countryside

Read More

Illini in Belgium

A delegation of students and faculty from the University of Illinois traveled to Belgium in May 2011 as part of the International Business Immersion Program (IBIP), which featured a course and study tour focusing on European agricultural production and business. The IBIP Europe Immersion Program 2011 was organized by Professor Andrea Martens and Meredith Blumthal, and sponsored by the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences and the College of Business, and co-sponsored by the European Union Center (EUC) and the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER).

Pictured above: IBIP Europe Immersion Program 2011 students are joined at a Friends and Alumni Reception, including Baron Piet van Waeyenberge (front row, center), a 1961 alumnus of the University of Illinois Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE); Maurice House, Minister Counselor for Agriculture of the US Mission to the EU and ACE alumnus from the 1980s; and Professor Emeritus Joseph V. Leunis, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and ACE alumnus from the 1960s. Also pictured are IBIP Director Andrea Martens (front row, far left); EUC Director Bryan Endres (back row, second from right), and CIBER Associate Director Lynnea Johnson (middle row, third from right). 

Below, IBIP students and organizers in the grand square in Brussels.

Illini in Belgium

Read More