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The Business International Studies Network Comes to Campus
October 12th through 14th, the Naveen Jindal School of Management proudly welcomed the annual Business International Studies Network (BisNet) conference. BisNet members came from business schools across the nation to discuss, collaborate, and share insights on maintaining active study abroad and international exchange programs.
While gathered at JSOM, BisNet members observed a keynote address by UT Dallas associate professor, Dr. Timothy Bray, on Covid-19 and future pandemics. In the following sessions, BisNet members participated in conversations surrounding risk management, marketing global programs, and faculty-led trips abroad.
The BisNet Mission
Founded in 2002, BisNet gathers representatives from leading business schools that have thriving study abroad and international exchange programs. Together, BisNet members tackle the challenges that come with sending students around the globe, from generating interest to collaborating with international universities.
Members of BisNet typically meet twice a year, once during the NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference and again in the fall at a participating business school. With the Covid-19 pandemic having thrown study abroad programs into disarray, BisNet members had more than enough to talk about at the 2022 conference.
Discussion on Marketing Study Abroad Programs
Kim Cahill, Director of the Moran Center for Global Leadership at the Villanova School of Business, and Gabrielle Mirasola, Assistant Director of the Global Experiences Office at NYU Stern School of Business led a Thursday afternoon session on marketing programs to students. Methods of marketing under discussion included word of mouth, faculty support, social media, ambassador programs, and search engine optimization of study abroad webpages.
Cahill emphasized that one of the primary challenges in renewing interest in study abroad programs was the slim pool of current students who had been able to successfully complete a program, as the Covid-19 pandemic saw severe travel restrictions and the suspension of many programs. Without students to spread the word of their experiences abroad, many of the avenues for marketing, such as word of mouth and social media, were wanning. In several groups, the BisNet members discussed how to face this and other challenges in marketing programs to students.
Collaboration on Best Practices
Friday’s opening session was moderated by Phyllis Tutora, Senior Director for International Executive Programs at the Fox School of Business in Philadelphia, and Jennifer Hilton Montero, the Director of International Initiatives at UT Dallas. An opening topic of interest was the issue of decentralization in universities, and how most schools operate with autonomy which can mean less support from other schools in the realm of programs like study abroad and international exchange.
Tutora and Montero shared what’s working and what’s been a challenge at their respective institutions, and then opened the floor for groups to exchange ideas. The moderators asked the discussion groups to think specifically about what has changed since the pandemic and what institutions have taken away from the experience.
BisNet Adjourns Until NAFSA Conference
Following a general business meeting on Friday afternoon, the BisNet conference concluded with some members promising to be present at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference, currently planned for end of May in 2023. Overall, the BisNet conference gives members the opportunity to work at improving their international education programs, focusing their institution’s efforts on gifting students with a more global perspective.
