The 5-day conference entitled 3rd International Congress – Entrepreneurship: A Challenge for Local and Regional Development concluded on November 6th in Bogotá, Colombia. This event was hosted by the School of Entrepreneurial Sciences at Corporación Minuto de Dios and organized by Rudolf Infante. Special guest presenters included Maribel Lorenzo of Biadosa in Spain, Lorena Gomez of FOSSIS in Chile, Wilfredo Chavez of UPAGU in Perú, and Dr. Mike Daniels and Rachel Wilcox of Columbus State University.
MBA Director Dr. Mike Daniels concluded his visit on Thursday after presenting three times to professional and student audiences at the conference. Another goal of this trip was to assess the quality of instruction and facilities in preparation for a CSU/Uniminuto collaborative alliance to build a Colombian version of CSU´s AACSB accredited MBA program. Upon his return to the United States, Daniels wrote to his host and conference organizer Infante about how pleased he was with the results of the collaborative discussion.
As the Program Coordinator for the English Language Institute (ELI), Wilcox had goals on this trip which included the continuation of many international agent relationships, meeting with potential future CSU and ELI students, continuing Summer Immersion Excursion recruitment for 2010, and serving as interpreter for Dr. Mike Daniels when necessary. The Summer Immersion Excursion will bring visitors to CSU from Colombia to experience the American culture first hand. Fellow presenter Chavez was so intrigued by the Summer Immersion Excursion proposal offered to Uniminuto that he has plans to take the idea back to his university in Perú as well.
Wilcox also made presentations in Spanish before audiences that included current students, business owners, and alumni at Uniminuto´s Bogotá campus. She will continue to present and meet with members of faculty and staff at the Popayán and Cali campuses during the upcoming week. In appreciation of the collaborative campus-wide effort that helped in preparation for this trip, Wilcox said, “The Continuing Education, marketing, recruitment, and CIE staff really pulled together to help make these presentations a success by adding a voice and a face to our university with DVD, print media, and captivating photography that brought our message home.”