Austin Williams Participated in AU's Dauch College of Business in Taiwan Summer Program

2015 Sep 1

Nine Ashland University students and Dr. Kris Parsons, chair of AU's Accounting/IS department, spent six and a half weeks of their summer in Taiwan as part of the University's Dauch College of Business in Taiwan summer program.

One of the students who participated was Austin Williams of Etna, OH. Williams is majoring in finance.

The other students who participated included Lindsay Barth, a marketing and entrepreneurship major from Salem, Ohio; Jay Beardsley, a business management major from Bowling Green, Ohio; Kara Cousins, a Finance major from Apple Valley, MN; Melissa Haber, a business management major from Medina, Ohio; Kimberly Hurley, a finance major from Ashland, Ohio; Daniel Metheney, an accounting major from Newport, Ohio; David Shaffer, a business management major from Granville, Ohio; and Patty Stimpert, a business management major from Ashland, Ohio.

The students spent much of their time at Providence University in the Wu Chi district of Taichung, Taiwan. The summer program involved students enrolling in two Providence University classes - Mandarin Language and Cross Cultural Business and Management Seminar. Providence University paired the students with learning partners, who were Providence University students interested in improving their English and knowledge of the American culture.

"A key objective of the program is to provide meaningful exposure to an Asian market and culture for Ashland University's business students," said Dr. Khush Pittenger, professor of management and coordinator of the COBE in Taiwan program. "It is a unique opportunity as not many students are likely to travel to Asia on their own and there are no other Ashland University travel abroad programs that focus heavily on Asia."

According to Pittenger, Chinese economy is in the news frequently and such international experiences bring to life what students read in textbooks and newspapers. Pittenger also thanked Alan and Julie Roth for providing the generous financial support to make this program possible and affordable for Ashland University students.

This year's program involved students visiting a number of Taiwanese local enterprises, including Gold-Joint Industries - ACE, a Taiwanese-based geosynthetic company; DeFood - an Asian food processing plant which introduced students to green manufacturing; and Honor Seiki Co. - a CNC Machine manufacturer which uses robotic manufacturing process. In addition, the students did some sightseeing and visited Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, and Taichung as well as towns in southern Taiwan and Sun-Moon Lake.

Dr. Jeff Russell, dean of the Dauch College of Business and Economics, said this program is a great opportunity for Ashland University students to experience urban attractions of the third-largest city in Taiwan, which has a population of one million plus. "Any international experience significantly improves students' visibility with prospective employers," he said.

Williams noted that he had an unforgettable experience - watching Jason Giambi and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez play baseball.

"One of my favorite things about this study abroad experience was the ability to explore the country and what is a summer without baseball. We figured out a way to get to Taiwan Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, which was an incredibly beautiful ballpark," said Williams. "This was a cool experience - definitely one I won't ever forget."

He is the son of Robert and Yvonne Williams of Etna. Williams is a 2013 graduate of Watkins Memorial High School.

The students maintained a blog at https://dauchcobe.wordpress.com/ that describes the trip and their activities, as well as a twitter account at @COBEinTaiwan.

Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students. ###