June 8, 2006

MEDIA CONTACT:
Sarah Kunkleman: (202) 994-4413; sarahek@gwu.edu
Matt Lindsay: (202) 994-1423; mlindsay@gwu.edu

GW-CIBER Web site:

www.gwu.edu/~business/CIBER

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY RECEIVES FOUR-YEAR, $1.37 MILLION GRANT TO ESTABLISH CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

Prestigious Grant from U.S. Department of Education Title VI Program Provides Funding to Further International Business Education, Language Training, and Research Capacities to Promote U.S. Competitiveness

WASHINGTON -- The George Washington University is one of 31 U.S. universities to be awarded a prestigious grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). The CIBER program provides funding to universities for curriculum development, research, and training on issues of importance to United States trade and competitiveness. This is the first time GW has received a CIBER grant.

GW will receive $342,000 a year from 2006 to 2010 from the Department of Education, for a total of $1.37 million over the four years. The grant requires the University to provide additional funding of at least 50 percent of the award total. GW is one of only six private universities to receive CIBER grants for 2006-2010, along with Brigham Young University, Columbia University, Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Southern California.

"GW's School of Business strives to enhance the capacities of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the business community to be productive and principled members of society - the CIBER grant will provide additional resources to pursue this goal," said Susan M. Phillips, dean of the GW School of Business. "We look forward to working with diverse groups across the University to create interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach efforts that leverage the outstanding resources of GW and the nation's capital."

Under the unified theme "Institutions and Development in International Business," the GW-CIBER will focus its work in six substantive areas: Global Governance; Diasporas in Development; International Security and Crisis Management; Trade, Investment, and Labor Issues; Business and Society in Critical Countries; and Business Languages. The GW-CIBER also will include an interdisciplinary summer doctoral program, initiatives to promote international careers, and faculty development programs for teaching international business negotiation and for researching and teaching related to the GW center's theme of Institutions and Development.

"The CIBER grant is a great testament to the strength of not only GW's international business and international affairs programs, but to the outstanding teaching, research, and community activities of the entire University," said Hildy Teegen, professor of international business and the principal investigator for GW's CIBER proposal. "The CIBER grant is a truly interdisciplinary initiative with faculty from every school at GW participating and key administrative personnel from across campus involved."

GW's CIBER is led by the following focal area coordinators:
- GW-CIBER Director: Hildy Teegen, professor of international business
- GW-CIBER Outreach Coordinator: Valentina Marano
- Global Governance: Stephen Smith, professor of economics and international affairs
- Diasporas in Development: Jennifer Brinkerhoff, associate professor of public administration, of international business, and of international affairs
- International Security and Crisis Management: Robert Weiner, professor of international business and international affairs
- Trade, Investment, and Labor Issues: Michael Moore, professor of economics and international affairs
- Business and Society in Critical Countries and Careers in International Business: Liesl Riddle, assistant professor of international business and international affairs
- Summer Doctoral Program: Jennifer Spencer, associate professor of international business
- Business Languages: Margaret Gonglewski, associate professor of German

Created under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to increase and promote the nation's capacity for international understanding and economic enterprise, CIBER grants are the most prestigious Title VI awards for international business in the United States. Requirements for the grant include: interdisciplinary programs that integrate business with languages and/or area studies; programs available to members of business community; collaboration with universities, institutions, agencies, businesses, and associations to promote international expertise and awareness; and research geared towards international aspects of business and to U.S. competitiveness.

GW's School of Business prepares students for professional management careers. The depth and variety of its academic and professional programs, including five specialized master's programs, provide rich opportunities for students in the school's core Bachelor of Business Administration, Master of Business Administration and doctoral programs. GW's undergraduate- and graduate-level international business programs rank among the world's best.

For more information about the GW-CIBER, please contact the GW-CIBER Director Hildy Teegen at teegen@gwu.edu or the GW-CIBER Outreach Coordinator Valentina Marano at vmarano@gwu.edu.
For more information about GW's School of Business, visit http://business.gwu.edu.
For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.

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