Past Programs
The following describes some of Southeastern’s international initiatives, including lectures and programs:
November 1998 Visit by distinguished Mexican PoetCarlos Fuentes. Mr. Fuentes presented a lecture on Latin American Poetry for the Southeastern community.
March 1999 - International Poetry Day. Mexican Poets Verónica Murguía and Héctor Manjarrez presented poetry and lectures for Southeastern Community.
September 1999 - Visit by President of Haiti Rene Preval. President Preval presented a lecture on Haiti and Caribbean Regional Development for the Southeastern community.
November 1999 Visit by Vice-President of Costa Rica Astrid Fischel. Vice-President Fischel presented a lecture on Costa Rican Development Programs for the Southeastern Community and was awarded an Honorary Degree by the University. The Vice-President signed an Agreement of Cooperation between Southeastern and the government of Costa Rica.
March 2000Inter-American Development Bank Annual Meeting and Youth Summit. The University cooperated in sponsoring activities related to the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Southeastern faculty presented lectures at the prestigious international meeting and a Youth Summit was held on the Hammond campus that brought together Southeastern students and youth leaders from around the world that were participating in the IDB’s Youth Programs.
May 2000 Visit by President of Inter-American Development Bank Enrique Iglesias. Mr. Iglesias presented a lecture on Hemispheric Development for the Southeastern community and received an Honorary Degree from the University.
January 2002 Visit by Costa Rica Minister of Justice Monica Nagel. Ms. Nagel presented a lecture on the Costa Rican Justice System for the Southeastern community.
Seminars on International Development
April 2001 The “Seminar: Development and Management of Agro-Industrial and Rural Micro-Enterprises” was the inaugural program by Southeastern’s Program for Youth Leaders of the Americas. The seminar, presented for the Programa Jóvenes Constructores de Paz (Young Peace-Builders Program) of Cundinamarca, Colombia, brought close to fifty youth leaders and entrepreneurs from Colombia’s rural sector to the Hammond campus for three-and-a-half weeks. The Seminar was attended also by Governor of Cundinamarca Alvaro Cruz Vargas; Secretary for Social Development of Cundinamarca Octavio Villamarín; and President of University of Cundinamarca Alfonso Santos. The Seminar’s success led to the signing of Agreements of Cooperation with Jóvenes Constructores de Paz (JCP) and the Government of Cundinamarca, Colombia.
Seminar Lecturers included: Dr. Stephen Bender, Principal Specialist, Unit of Sustainable Development and Environmental Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS); Dr. Roy Thomasson, Chief Executive Officer, Young American Business Trust, OAS; Eduardo del Buey, Director Office of External Relations and Public Information, OAS; Dr. Christof Kuechemann, Deputy Manager, Social Development and Public Governance, Sustainable Development Department, IDB; Dr. Mark D. Wenner, Financial Specialist, Rural Development Unit, Sustainable Development Department, IDB; Dr. Francisco Proenza, Coordinator Food and Agriculture Organization - IDB Program; Mrs. Marta Estarellas, Director Youth Program, IDB; Dr. Roberto Forero, Deputy Director, Agrarian Policies and Organic Cultivation, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA); Mr. John Hyatt President, International Freight Forwarders & Customs Brokers Association of Louisiana; and others.
March, 2002“Seminar: Development and Management of Cultural Micro-Enterprises” was presented for Panama’s Autoridad para la Micro, Pequeña y Mediana Empresa (AMPYME Authority for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) and the FUNDARTE arts program. The Seminar brought 25 young Panamanian artisans and community leaders to Hammond for two weeks. Activities included expositions of Panamanian folk art on the university campus and in Hammond Square Mall, and lectures on development, culture, and folk-art by leading experts from the Louisiana state government, regional chambers of commerce, the IDB, the OAS, and other organizations. A series of lectures parallel to the Seminar, including presentations on Kuna culture and religion, was presented to the Southeastern community. The success of this Seminar led to the signing of Agreements of Cooperation with Panama’s AMPYME and the Panamanian Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MICI) in summer of 2002.
Seminar Lecturers included: Dr. Rochelle Beck, Project Director, Artisans Enterprise Network and Product Designer, Casa del Sol Inc.; Dr Susan Benson, Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development, OAS; Ambassador Juan Manuel Castulovich, Permanent Representative for Panama at the OAS; Eduardo E. Linares, Alternate Director for Panama, IDB; Maria Teresa Villanueva, Micro-Enterprise Unit, IDB; Felipe Martinez, Project Manager, Louisiana Department of Economic Development; Dr. Larry Collins, Director of International Trade, Louisiana Economic Development Office; Laurel Wyckoff, Assistant Secretary, Louisiana Office of Cultural Development; Mrs. Tiffany Landry, Southern U.S. Trade Association (SUSTA); Bill Lusk, Bill St. John, and Tony Cassard, W.R. Zanes and Company of Louisiana, Inc.; Max Moreno, Vice President of International Affairs, Bank One of Louisiana; and others.
January andMarch 2003Special English as a Second Language (ESL) Program presented for Corporación Jóvenes Constructores de Paz (CJPC) and the Government of Cundinamarca, Colombia. The seven-week program brought 36 CJPC members to Southeastern’s campus. The ESL program integrated Southeastern faculty and students with the Colombian visitors in various educational, social, and cultural-exchange programs. The success of the ESL program led to the signing of an Agreement of Cooperation with the Universidad de Cundinamarca, Colombia.
June 2003 The “Seminar: Development and Management of Agro-Industrial Rural Micro-Enterprises” was presented for AMPYME, Panama. Close to thirty entrepreneurs from Panama’s rural sector attended the two-week program in Hammond. A parallel series of lectures was presented to the Southeastern community. Joaquín Fábrega, Director of AMPYME, Margarita de Durán Adviser to AMPYME, and Leda de León, representing Panama’s Ministry of Industry and External Commerce, and also attended the Seminar.
Seminar Lecturers included: Alvaro Ramírez, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Division Chief, IDB; Willie J. Stafford and Eric White, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Larry Collins, Director, Louisiana Economic Development; Marisol Canedo, Director, International Business and Trade Development, Metrovision Economic Development Partnership; Dr. Hector Zapata and Dr. Roger Hinson, Louisiana State University Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness; Felipe Gomez, General Manager Perishables Group of New Orleans; Jennifer Seaux, Marketing Director, Associated Grocers, Inc.; Joe Burnett, Director of Produce, Associated Grocers, Inc.; Lamar Marshall, General Manager, Wal-Mart Distribution Center, Louisiana; and others.
February 2004 The “Seminar:Development and Management of Tourism Micro-Enterprises” was presented for AMPYME, Panama. Twenty-seven entrepreneurs working in the tourism area attended the Seminar, along with representatives from AMPYME, the Panamanian Institute of Tourism (IPAT), the Panamanian Ministry of Labor (MITRADEL), and the Panamanian Press.
Seminar Lecturers included: Cecil Miller, Director, Inter-Sectoral Unit of Tourism, OAS; Guillermo Castillo, Specialist, Information Technology for Development Division, Department of Sustainable Development, IDB; Larry Collins, Department of Economic Development, Louisiana; Garry Matherne, Deputy Secretary, Department of Revenue, State of Louisiana; Mike Prejean, Director International Marketing, Louisiana Office of Tourism; Rusty Juban, Assistant Professor, Department of Management, College of Business & Technology, Southeastern Louisiana University; Brett Craig, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center; Eugene Schreiber, Managing Director, World Trade Center of New Orleans; Lisa Ponce de Leon, Executive Director, Louisiana Tax-Free Shopping For International Visitors; Tico Soto, Tourism Sales Manager, New Orleans Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau; Carlos Sampson and Andrew Atchley, Doubletree Hotel New Orleans; Nigel Garbutt, New Orleans General Manager, CruiseLink II LTD., Carnival Cruise Line; Bob Bourg, Vice President and General Manager, Destination Management, INC; Maria E. Lobo and Ninoska Katan, MultiTravel of New Orleans; and others.
Study Abroad Programs
Southeastern has implemented a number of Study Abroad Programs over the years. Approximately one hundred students have participated each year over the past few years in programs in Costa Rica, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Austria, and Jamaica. New programs in Spain andChinawere added for 2008 and a new program to Englandis being added for 2009.In addition, Southeastern is part of study abroad consortia with programs in Britain and France.
Institutional Development at Southeastern
Summer Fall 2000 As a result of discussions with the IDB, Southeastern developed the Program for Youth Leaders of the Americas to coordinate with the IDB’s Youth Programs. Southeastern’s Program for Youth Leaders of the Americas was presented to administrators at the IDB, Organization of American States (OAS), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and similar institutions in Washington, D.C.
Summer 2002 Southeastern’s International Initiatives Office begins operations. The IIO is charged with coordinating the University’s expanding international activities and study abroad programs.
Agreements of Cooperation
To facilitate realization of its international initiatives, Southeastern has signed Agreements of Cooperation with a number of Universities and other institutions in the United States and abroad, including:
March 1999 - Alianza Honduras- Louisiana. After the Hurricane Mitch Disaster of 1998, Southeastern cooperated with other Area Universities and New Orleans Metrovision to develop proposals for Aid to Central America.
Summer 2002 Southeastern signed an Agreement of Cooperation with Universidad Tecnológica de Honduras (UTH), the fastest-growing private university in that country. Southeastern faculty and administrators cooperated in the development of a Joint Program in Business Administration. The program transplants Southeastern courses in Business and related disciplines to the UTH. Some courses will be offered via distance-education technologies (internet, compressed video, etc.) and on-site by Southeastern faculty. Students enrolled in the joint program will complete their last year of course work in residence on Southeastern’s Hammond campus and will receive degrees from both universities. The program, totally in English, is the first of its kind in Honduras. The program was approved by the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System in 2003. Other cooperative projects in applied sociology, education, and nursing, bringing together faculty from Southeastern and the UTH, are under development.
Summer 2002 Southeastern signed Agreements of Cooperation with Panama’s AMPYME and the Panamanian Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MICI) in summer of 2002.
August 2003 Southeastern signed Agreement of Cooperation with the Panamanian Ministry of Labor (MITRADEL). Additional Seminars for Panamanian AMPYME and other institutions were proposed.
In addition to the Agreements listed above, Southeastern has also signed the following Agreements of Cooperation:
Austria
Johannes Keppler University. Linz, Austria
Costa Rica
Universidad de Costa Rica. San José, Costa Rica.
France
Ecole Superieure de Commerce International (ESCI). Avon-Fountainbleu, France.
Groupe Superieur de Commerce Montpellier. Montpellier, France.
Groupe Ecole Superiure de Commerce Normandie. Normandie, France.
CODOFIL Consortium of Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Lafayaette, LA)
Mission Interuniversitaire de Coordination des Echanges Franco-Américans (MICEFA. Paris, France).
Germany
University of Applied Science, Fachhochschule Furtwagen Fachbereich Wirtschaft. Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany.
Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences School of International Business. Reutlingen, Germany.
Panama
Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge). Panama City, Panama.
Spain
European School of Management. Seville, Spain.