Thursday, December 11, 2008
A popular KU study abroad program that draws more than 150 Jayhawks each year to Italy, has moved from the University of Kansas to the University of Iowa.
The program, called CIMBA, the Consortium Institute of Management and Business Analysis, has been sponsored by the University for more than eight years and offers classes in business, journalism and communications in Paderno del Grappa.
Al Ringleb, a former professor of business at the University, is the program’s executive director. An Iowa native who has close ties to the University of Iowa, Ringleb moved the program to Iowa’s university when the University’s contract with the program expired this summer.
“We fully expect that this transition will not have a negative impact on students attending from KU,” Ringleb said in a telephone interview from Italy.
Tim Shaftel, professor of business and faculty advisor to the Office of Study Abroad, said that KU students would still be able to participate but must obtain credit from the University of Iowa.
Shaftel said he expected most classes would transfer and that there would be no change in the price for KU students.
Several KU professors travel to Italy each semester to teach classes. KU professors and students have predominantly led the program in attendance, but that is expected to now shift to Iowa.
“Iowa was interested in running it,” Shaftel said. “KU was feeling that the administration of the program was more of a burden than it wanted to take on.”
Iowa faculty, in the meantime, see the takeover of the program as an opportunity.
“Like Kansas, we work hard to maintain a national reputation, and heading this international program really aids in that mission,” said Gary Gaeth, a professor of marketing and faculty director of the program on the Iowa campus. “It’s great for our students, our reputation, and faculty development.”
Gaeth said he still expected a high level of participation from KU students. Last spring, 56 KU students attended the program, though 21 attended this fall semester. Updated enrollment figures anticipate 70 KU students will attend this spring semester.
Ringleb said although the switch to Iowa was a tough decision, it was necessary. He pointed to Iowa’s progress in neuroscience, brain imaging and leadership development as motivating reasons for the move.
Ringleb said that growing up in Iowa did leave him a little biased in regards to the move, as did friendly relations with other University of Iowa leaders. He said that Sally Frost Mason, now the president of the University of Iowa, and the former dean of the KU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, also helped in his decision to take the program to Iowa.
Ringleb said he had always hoped to see more involvement from the University of Iowa, which was not a participating school in the program until it took over in August.
“If it hadn’t been at Iowa, I probably wouldn’t have been as interested,” Ringleb said.
Although the University of Kansas no longer oversees the program, Ringleb said that he still would like it to play an important role.
“There was a strong sense of loss, even though it was a move forward,” Ringleb said.
The University still maintains a program office on the KU campus, although with a much smaller staff than it once had.
“The KU student has really set an impressive standard,” Ringleb said. “With a KU student, you’re starting with a product that has a high sense of value and purpose.”
Students now wishing to attend the program in Paderno can find more information at www.cimbaitaly.com or by visiting the Italy Program office in Summerfield Hall. Applications for the summer semester are due Feb. 1.
— — Edited by Jennifer Torline
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