Starzen Internship

It's a long way from Cold Spring, Minnesota to Tokyo, but this summer, College of Business (COB) student Lee Hoyhtya will find out just how far! Hoyhtya, a senior in Management was one of the applicants selected to participate in this year's Starzen internship program.

The Tokyo based Starzen Company offers COB students an intensive four week study in Japan. The program is set up to familiarize the intern with Japanese culture, business practices and the operations of the firm. Hoyhtya will also earn internship credits.

Eligibility requirements include formal admission to the College of Business, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater, enrollment at MSU the semester immediately following the internship and completion of the Japanese language courses prior to the internship.

Hoyhtya more than met the requirements over several other applicants. Bill Brown, one of the directors of the program states that "Lee continues to push the limit on his learning capabilities and reaches out for service and achievements. His GPA is incredible and his desire to learn all he can is contagious." Brown has no doubt that Lee will gain an incredible amount of skills and be able to share this experience for years to come.

The second participant in the Starzen Internship is Kendra Baranko, a junior in Finance. Baranko, another incredible student, spent this spring on an International Exchange program in New Zealand.

Included with the internship is housing at a company dormitory, transportation fees and daily food allowance.

Summer Study Abroad

Four COB students took advantage of a summer study abroad program in Lithuania and Ireland. Lee Hoyhtya, Lindsey Butts, Chris McSherry and Andrea Schatzka spent two weeks in Lithuania and Ireland participating in a strategic management course and studying businesses in those countries.

These MSU students accompanied Dave Foster, adjunct instructor of management and Mike Reilly, professor of marketing, who team-taught the strategic management course to a group of 50 Lithuanian students at the Vilnius University International Business School. This experience provided our students with the opportunity to participate in the strategy course provided by their professors plus gain the knowledge of attending school in a foreign classroom.

In addition, the COB students visited various companies in these countries and had the opportunity to evaluate business and international strategies.

"Clearly, the students were able to see first-hand the application of strategic principles in real international situations. They also gained a broadened understanding of the cultures in both countries," Foster commented.