Professor Hao Lou and Professor Chris Thompson

The College of Business Global Consulting Program (GCP) will be held in Tokyo in May under the leadership of Professor Chris Thompson of the College of Liberal Arts and Professor Haoru of the College of Business.

Tokyo is one of two new sites at GCP this year, said Lou, who co-directs the Tokyo program with Thompson. Tamarind in Costa Rica is also a new location, with sites returning in Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Italy.

CIBED Director Andrew Puchel said: “The benefits of this interdisciplinary leadership collaboration will have lasting positive benefits for participating students or global partnerships for years to come.”

Like much of Ohio University’s work in Japan, this one goes back to a 50-year relationship between Ohio University and Chubu University in Aichi Prefecture. But OHIO’s relationships – both with faculty and with the alumni network in the country – now extend well beyond the Chubu region.

Since 1973, Ohio State and Chubu University have exchanged faculty annually through the Visiting Professorship Program, offering students and professors a unique opportunity to have a truly international learning experience. A faculty member who comes to Ohio from Chubu University is called Robert Glidden Visiting Professor. His OHIO faculty member who travels to Chubu University is Visiting Professor Kohei Miura, named after the founder of Chubu University.

A cultural anthropologist and Japanese teacher in the Department of Linguistics at the College of Arts and Sciences, Mr. Thompson was selected as a visiting professor in 2018. Mr. Lou was a member of his selection committee several years ago as an exchange professor. So when the College of Business wanted to add Japan to its popular consulting program to prepare students for the challenges of the global business environment, it was no surprise Lou reached out to his Thompson. did.

“Hao actually sought me out as the Chinese destination was being phased out. With that in mind, we contacted Musashi University in Tokyo, which is sending students.Dr.Brian Masshardt of Musashi was able to provide a unique placement location using the large OHIO alumni network in Japan. decided to hire us,” said Thompson.

“Expanding the Global Consulting Program to Tokyo is a great collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business. I am very much looking forward to benefiting from the combination of expertise.With the help of the OHIO Alumni Network in Japan, students will have a life-changing experience where they can learn from and contribute to an alumni-run bilingual workplace. I will be engaged.”

Alumni Work Placement

“I have been engaging OHIO graduates in the Tokyo workplace for years because I developed the Japan Global Engagement Project, formerly known as the Iwate Prefectural University (IPU) Tsunami Volunteer Project,” Thompson said. In 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake struck the Pacific Ocean off western Japan, sending walls of water over 100 feet high crashing into some coastal areas. Over 20,000 people died. In addition to hands-on volunteer assistance, Thompson’s projects continue to focus on the cultural impact of disasters and how communities are recovering.th A year of activities in Iwate on the weekend of September 24th.

“As a cultural anthropologist and linguistics teacher, I have always been interested in sites where OHIO students can use their OHIO degree and the Japanese language skills we have taught them to work in Japan. We also have OHIO alumni, and thanks to our exchange program, we plan to place Tokyo Global Consulting Program students in workplaces run by OHIO alumni,” said Thompson. Global Consulting Program.

Possible internship locations include a French restaurant run by two OHIO graduates, and an NGO (non-governmental organization) that promotes exchanges between Japanese from African countries and Japanese residents run by an OHIO graduate. organization), and a Japanese event planning company whose sales representatives are recent graduates from Ohio.

“These sites were all carefully selected because they are bilingual work environments where everyone works in English. It’s possible,” said Thompson. Another site he has is a sports management company affiliated with the Faculty of Management in Tokyo.

“The alumni bond I have developed is the foundation that allows me to share this experience with business colleges and Ohio campuses. It is no secret that many Japanese students in Ohio are business majors. Dr. Lou understands the value of these bonds and how alumni relationships work outside the United States. He has provided me with the opportunity to work with him through his wonderful experience leading

Increase your presence in Tokyo

Thompson said the relationship with Musashi University is not as prominent as the Chubu partnership, but it is vibrant.

“Many of the OHIO faculty and administrators are unaware of the extensive ties that OHIO, especially the Ohio Intensive English Program (OPIE) and the Department of Linguistics have had with Musashi over the years. “We have collaborated extensively, on student exchanges, and on government visits over the years.

Also, Dr. Charlie Morgan, Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences, is on sabbatical in Japan this year. He directs his OU-MU exchange program.

Currently, 8 OHIO students are studying abroad in Japan this semester. 4 are Chubu and 4 are Musashi.

To learn more about the OHIO Business College’s International Business Education Development Center or the Global Consulting Program, please contact Puesche at [email protected]