Foreign invasion: UNC must take advantage of new business program

The recent partnership with French business school SKEMA was heralded by N.C. State University Associate Dean Steve Allen as “a pretty big deal.”

Allen is right — and the opportunity to connect with a school as internationally connected as SKEMA is one UNC should continue to capitalize on as well.

Under the proposal, the university’s foreign business programs will establish a physical campus at N.C. State.

UNC and Duke have been in talks with SKEMA to see what they can bring to the table as well.

There is no denying that SKEMA’s students will bring our state — and more specifically the Triangle area — one important step closer to furthering international communication.

The foreign business program chose N.C. State over sites in Florida and California primarily due to its proximity to Research Triangle Park. SKEMA has established campuses in other high-tech hubs such as Sophia Antipolis, France, and Suzhou, China.

N.C. State’s programs and incentives for SKEMA are certainly impressive. The school offers convenient housing and local internship placement, sweetened by a close proximity to Research Triangle Park.

But more importantly for SKEMA — and UNC — is the fact that the primary partnership between it and N.C. State does not rule out academic relationships with other universities.

The time is now for new, more positive discussion to begin among the universities to get UNC involved with the international program.

Action must be taken while student and professor exchanges and advanced discussions with UNC and Duke University are still under way.

The January arrival date brings a fresh urgency to our involvement.

UNC should make sure to establish it’s part in the collaboration early, and UNC faculty and administrators from all departments — not just the business school — should take advantage of the opportunity.