A few thoughts about international relationships and agreements

Article Type: Dean's forum From: American Journal of Business, Volume 28, Issue 2

It is now 1:30 a.m. and I am sitting in Cairo International Airport waiting for a flight that departs at 3:30 for Amsterdam and then, after a 2-hour layover in Amsterdam, heads back to the USA. If I factor in the westerly headwind that will add about an hour and a half to the trip.

What put me in this position? The college received a grant from the state department and then there was the signing of a memorandum of understanding with another university. Both projects turned out well.

I, like many others, have been devoted to international/global business during my career. Each time I travel abroad, whether it is with a group of students or faculty, I learn so much. It is wonderful that so many more schools are taking global educational possibilities seriously and that it has become an integral part of missions and of accreditation standards. Like almost everything worth doing, there are chances for success and failure, but the positives substantially outweigh the risks.

There are many keys to developing relationships with universities or agencies in other countries. Clearly, you have to be opportunistic and may be a little entrepreneurial. The benefits of a strong relationship are many, including: faculty enrichment, recruiting additional students, developing joint research, and increasing your brand recognition both locally and internationally.

Even in countries that are culturally similar your own, there are always significant differences. Therefore, another key to forging relationships is to be blessed with faculty who have international connections either because of where they were born or because of their international reputation. If they are willing to champion a project, there is a much higher probability of success.

A supportive administration is another key factor. Clearly, the president and provost have the ultimate say in whether an agreement will go forward. It is helpful if your president and provost can be directly involved since it is almost certain that you will be entertaining the president of a potential international partner at some point and many leaders in many countries will only interact with someone in a similar position.

A supportive faculty that is open to new and exciting experiences, such as exchanges or supervising student research, is important. The relationships that are developed by faculty are important to program sustainability. Since many of these university agreements are based on individual contacts and relationships, it is important that relationships become stronger and broader so that you can carry on if the original contact retires or leaves.

Hospitality is critical. In many cases, partnering institutions will be very gracious. It is only natural that that level of hospitality be reciprocated when they visit. To support this, an understanding of the country and the institution are very important.

Finally, if there is a good basis for a relationship, a realistic financial analysis is critical because you would like to, at a minimum, break even on the relationship. Everyone needs to be on the same page and the realization that deans and other administrators will change over time is important to consider. You also have to remember that it is imperative to have a legal review of an MOU. It is worth remembering that it is much easier to enter into a formal relationship than it is to find out that it does work and have to break it off. Both sides may lose face in the process.

Epilogue

Shortly after leaving Cairo, the Morsi government ended. However, we still have very strong relationships in Egypt that will continue. There will be bumps in the road, but the core value of the relationship is there.

Tom Sharkey

College of Business Administration, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA

About the author

Thomas W. Sharkey is the Interim Dean in the College of Business and Innovation, University of Toledo. Thomas W. Sharkey can be contacted at: tsharke@utnet.utoledo.edu