Overview
Virginia Tech, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, will host the German Fulbright Institute from August 23, 2024 to September 14, 2024.
The Summer Institute includes a unique and innovative core academic component offered through Virginia Tech’s College of Business, along with a number of experiential co-curricular components with partners like APEX Center for Entrepreneurs, Virginia Tech’s Corporate Research Center (Check out the CRC’s Game Changer week, a great opportunity to meet industry leaders and trailblazers in transformative technologies). More details, including a final schedule, will be shared with students prior to the start of the program.
An integral part of the Summer Institute will be introducing students to the American college campus experience as well as providing a perspective on the diverse range of activities that are part of US higher education, including Virgina tech lecture halls, centers for entrepreneurial innovation, research institutes, student life organizations, community outreach, recreational and professional sports, etc.
We will also provide opportunities for German Fulbright students to engage with US students to build relationships with peers. More specifically, we will connect the German Fulbright students with undergraduate Pamplin students as part of a mentoring program. German Fulbright students will participate in recreational and networking events with American student hosts, and be offered opportunities to engage in professional development opportunities with American students. In addition to matching students with German Fulbright students for daily conversations, we are looking forward to developing lasting relationships across countries.
The co-curricular aspects of the program will complement the academic content of the “Foundations of Entrepreneurship” course. They will allow for additional dialogue on and experimentation with the course themes, with breakout one-on-one or small group conversations with peers throughout.
The Summer Institute is designed to be a transformational experience for the German Fulbright students, as well as the faculty and staff who will teach, serve, and learn alongside of the students on a daily basis for three weeks, both inside and outside the classroom. The overarching goals are for the students to:
- Enhance their knowledge of the United States and the US system of higher education;
- Experience academic life and studies on an American campus;
- Re-evaluate views on entrepreneurship within the framework of entrepreneurial thinking;
- Gain the confidence to pursue future business opportunities;
- Expand their intercultural competencies; and
- Develop their English language proficiency.
Students will leave with:
- A stronger command of the English language; a better understanding of US higher education; a deeper understanding of US culture.
- An entrepreneurial mindset and a personal toolkit of methods and practices that will enable you to create and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities, marshal resources, and engage in entrepreneurial teams;
- A commitment to continuing to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for communicating, collaborating, and connecting across disciplines and differences; and
- A number of new personal and professional relationships that will last a lifetime.
Students will stay within walking distance to central campus in traditional double rooms in the Hyatt place
All rooms are equipped with the following:
- Two queen size beds
- Private bath
- Daily sheet and towel service
- Coin-operated laundry facilities
- Minifridge, coffee maker, and microwave
- 43” flat-screen HDTV
- Vending areas
- Central air conditioning
Students will be provided breakfast daily at their hotel, in addition to a dining plan that provides two meals per day ( lunch, and dinner) at one of the on-campus dining facilities, D2 in Dietrick Hall. D2 is a buffet-style, all-you-care-to-eat dining facility featuring eight food shops/stations. Food will also be served during scheduled events/workshops.
Round-trip transportation from the airport to Virginia Tech is provided, along with transportation to all scheduled co-curricular site visits and extra-curricular activities occurring off campus.
Students can also make use of the free Blacksburg Transit, a bus system that serves Virginia Tech campus, the greater Blacksburg area, and the neighboring city of Christiansburg. Download the app for up to date routes and scheduling information.
