Business Study Abroad Program Awarded Grant

The Freeman Foundation awarded APU a $66,667 grant funding the John Leighton Stuart Scholars program. Headed by Stuart Strother, Ph.D., professor of economics in the School of Business and Management, the program provides administrative, logistical, and financial support to APU undergraduate students studying and working in summer business internships in China. Students in the program take short business classes at Zhejiang University, the largest university and one of the most prestigious in China. They also visit important companies and historical sites.

The key component of the program involves undergraduate students completing internships at major business firms in China. “Numerous top firms throughout China would love to have APU students intern for them,” said Strother. “The new economy is increasingly global, and businesspeople today must have some understanding of the importance of China not just as a low-cost sourcing location, but also as an emerging consumer market and innovation center.”

“It is one thing to sit in a class and read about international trade, but practical field training provides a whole new kind of learning,” said Sean Janas, a sophomore business major who hopes to participate in the program this summer. “China has been the hub of international business for the past decade, and experiencing business there will give me tools I won’t find anywhere else.”

John Leighton Stuart, the program’s namesake, served as a missionary, theologian, scholar, and U.S. ambassador to China who devoted his life to God, the United States, and China. The new program dedicated to Stuart supports students who want to follow in his footsteps, inspired to serve God and the world in great ways. “As a Christian business professor, I have a responsibility to prepare our students as global Christian citizens while working in business,” said Strother. “This grant is a great affirmation of our work.”

Since 2004, about 250 APU business students have studied abroad in China, many ranking the trip as one of their most transformational undergraduate experiences. With this grant, $2,500 and $5,000 scholarships are available to students, along with the business internship.

Posted: April 29, 2013