**Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)**

**North American Mobility Program**

***Project Abstracts - FY 2003 Awards***

**P116N0300001**

**Niagara University (NY)**

**Title: "Accounting and Business in the 21^st^ Century: The Integration
of the Curriculum in North America"**

**Partners:** Southern Oregon University, OR; Université du Québec a
Montréal, CAN; University of Windsor, CAN; Universidad de Guanajuato,
MEX; Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, MEX

The partners in this consortium plan to produce business graduates with
strong knowledge of comparative accounting systems, business practices
and cultural systems among the United States, Canada and Mexico. The
proposed project will involve faculty and students from six institutions
in the development of integrated curriculum in accounting. Each
institution will target seven students over a three-year period for a
total of 42 students. The length of the studies for students will be one
semester per the individual institution's schedule. Building on the
experience of these students and on faculty collaboration, the consortia
of participating institutions will develop an integrated, tri-national
course in comparative accounting systems. This course will be offered on
an on-going basis following the end of the project, as will be the
collaborative student exchange program.

FY 2003 Award: \$29,838

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$199,656

**Project Director:** Alfonso R. Oddo, Niagara University, Accounting
Department, Perboyre Hall, Niagara University, NY 14109, Tel.: (716)
286-8158, Fax: (716) 286-8206, E-mail: <aroddo@niagara.edu>

# P116N030003

# Coastline Community College (CA)

# 

**Title: "North American Approaches to Enterprise Control (NORATEC)"**

**Partners:** Utah Valley State College, UT; North Island College, CAN;
St. Francis Xavier University, CAN; Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán,
MEX; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, MEX

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) remains an unfulfilled
promise for many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canada,
Mexico, and the United States. The North American Approaches to
Enterprise Control (NORATEC) project is aimed at students enrolled in
undergraduate business courses, or business schools, at public
institutions of higher learning. The project goal is to develop
curricula and practices that will prepare students to guide SMEs
effectively through the NAFTA environment. For exchange students, a
program of service learning internships will offer work experience with
local employers, especially business and service organizations with an
international focus. The project will develop, deliver, and evaluate
three courses: Strategic Planning for Business (examines the
interrelation between a firm's business strategy and the constraints and
opportunities of the NAFTA environment);

Web Site Design and Management (a hands-on course in developing Web
sites for business applications targeted at users in the NAFTA region);
Psychology and Culture of the Host Country (examines popular thought
patterns that may have an impact on marketing, employer/employee
relations, government regulatory posture, and other issues of concern to
business managers).

NORATEC will provide study abroad opportunities for a total of at least
64 students: 22 from Canada, 20 from Mexico, and 22 from the U.S.

FY 2003 Award: \$30,000

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$200,000

**Project Director:** Shanon Christiansen, Coastline Community College,
11460 Warner Avenue, Fountain Valley, CA 92708, Tel.: (714) 241-6184,
Fax: (714) 898-5031, E-mail: <schristiansen@cccd.edu>

**P116N030005**

**Michigan Technological University (MI)**

**Title: "ExCit: Expanding Cities- People, Water and Infrastructure"**

**Partners:** University of Cincinnati, OH; University of British
Columbia, CAN; Université Laval, CAN; Universidad de Sonora, MEX;
Universidad de Guadalajara, MEX\
\
This program will establish a consortium of six research-based
universities in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. The focus area for the
mobility program is decision making to meet growing demands on urban
water resources systems. The consortium universities will exchange
students and faculty in several engineering and science disciplines
(e.g. civil engineering, geological engineering, environmental
engineering, and geology) involved in finding technical solutions to the
problems of expanding cities. Students in the social sciences also will
be exchanged, recognizing that the solution of such problems involves
critical political, social, and economic aspects.

At least 48 students will be mobilized among the participating
universities through one- to two-semester visits and up to 60 more
students via short-term, intensive courses. Student activities will
consist of three stages: intensive language training; coursework in
water resources and sustainable development; and professional or
research internships with local businesses, municipalities, and agencies
or at the host university. Students enrolled in semester-long exchanges
will be required to register in a pre-specified general course in
sustainability and water resources at their host university. It is
expected that each student exchanged will provide an international
perspective on issues discussed in these courses and thereby impact the
education of students at the host university. Faculty activities will
focus on the development of a general Web-based course in water
resources and intensive courses in urban water issues, and on the
compilation of a collection of web-based case studies in water resources
systems in North America.

FY 2003 Award: \$29,904

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$205,114

**Project Director:** Alex Mayer, Michigan Technological University,
Department of Geological & Mining Engineering & Sciences, 1400 Townsend
Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, Tel.: (906) 487-3372, Fax: (906) 487-3371,
E-mail: <asmayer@mtu.edu>

**P116N030006**

**University of Louisville (KY)**

**Title: "The North American Conflict Resolution Program: A
Cross-Cultural, Interdisciplinary Experiment in Peace-building"**

**Partners:** University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI; University of
Manitoba, CAN; Université de Montréal, CAN; Universidad de Colima, MEX;
Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, MEX

North American communities face a host of contentious social problems
whose substance is often further complicated by cross-cultural
misunderstandings and the lack of a single shared North American
language. Some of these issues are social; others are political,
economic, or ethical. Some, like domestic violence or the inequitable
treatment of minorities, occur within all three countries. Others, such
as immigration or pollution, are transnational, the problems themselves
reaching across our borders. The North American Conflict Resolution
Program will aim to create citizens of North America equipped to assess
and handle these conflicts skillfully, peacefully, and effectively.

At the heart of this undertaking is our determination to deepen the
understanding among our students of why social, political, and armed
conflicts arise in general, and in North America in particular. The
students will learn how to analyze different kinds of conflicts and
formulate possible resolutions. They will enhance their study of
disputes, disagreements, and violent conflict within Canada, Mexico, and
the United States by studying in foreign societies. During their time
abroad, students will participate in internship programs, enabling them
to assist professionals in the field and learn peace-building and
conflict resolution practices firsthand.

In addition to mobilizing 72 students, the partner universities will
develop a common website rich in peace-building and conflict-resolution
materials, develop curricula, disseminate collaborative publications,
and foster an ongoing, innovative cross-national dialogue about North
American disputes and their possible solutions. The partners will also
lay the groundwork for continuing the student exchanges beyond the
duration of the grant.

FY 2003 Award: \$30,000

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$203,544

**Project Director:** Michael R. Fowler, Muhammad Ali Institute,
Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292,
Tel: (502) 852-0058, Fax: (502) 852-5622, E-mail:
<michael.fowler@louisville.edu>

**P116N030007**

**Kansas State University (KS)**

**Title: "North American Food Safety"**

**Partners:** Michigan State University, MI; University of Guelph, CAN;
University of Alberta, CAN; Universidad de Sonora, MEX; Instituto
Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, MEX

Food safety education and harmonization across Canada, Mexico, and the
United States will facilitate trading among the NAFTA partners. This
proposal will provide students with an international experience focused
on food safety training and research. Additionally, a proposed structure
of a North American food safety distance education network for future
implementation and program sustainability will be developed.

The objectives of this project are to provide students in food science
and related fields with an international experience focused on food
safety training and research, and to propose a structure of a North
American food safety distance education network for future
implementation and program sustainability and establish a model for
future student mobility and curriculum development initiatives.

It is planned that 54 junior/senior level undergraduate and second/third
year graduate students in food science and related fields would each
have a semester experience over the last 3 years of the project. The
unique aspects of food safety training and research in each country will
be part of the mobility experience that provides students with
international perspectives of food safety research and knowledge about
rapid methods and automation in microbiology, Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems, food service safety and
sanitation, and international food laws and regulations. Faculty and
staff overseeing the mobility experience in food safety will explore how
to structure an international food safety distance education curriculum
during annual meetings and through other interactions. This curriculum
would compliment the intent of international training in food safety and
would ensure sustainability beyond the life of the grant.

FY 2003 Award: \$26,314

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$203,943

**Project Director:** Curtis L. Kastner, Kansas State University, 148
Waters Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, Tel: (785) 532-1234, Fax: (785)
532-5862, <ckastner@ksu.edu>

**P116N030012**

**American University (DC)**

**Title: "North Americans Studying North America: A Continental
Curriculum"**

**Partners:** University of California, San Diego, CA; Columbia
University, NY; University of Alberta, CAN; Carleton University, CAN;
McGill University, CAN; Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, MEX; Centro de
Investigación y Docencia Económicas, MEX

Still missing a decade after the initiation of the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a sense of partnership among Mexico, Canada,
and the United States---guided by the larger perspective from these
three countries' leaders. The time has come to educate a generation that
thinks "continentally" on issues of security and development and in
areas of transportation and infrastructure, education, the environment,
and labor.

The "Consortium for a Continental Curriculum" will instruct
participating students about issues of security and development and in
areas of transportation and infrastructure, education, the environment,
and labor. Students and faculty in business, economics, international
relations, other social sciences, cultural studies, and law will
explore: the environment and sustainable development, trade relations,
and public policy.

The partners are unique in their geographical diversity (including the
three North American capitals), their focus on undergraduate and
graduate education, and their commitment to a long-term partnership. The
consortium plans joint research, thesis and dissertation supervision,
shared courses, summer institutes, and certificates or degrees in North
American studies. The U.S. partners will sponsor 30--40 students going
to Mexico and Canada and host a similar number in exchange. The period
of study will be six weeks to a year.

FY 2003 Award: \$30,000

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$200,001

**Project Director:** Robert Pastor, American University, 4400
Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016-8026, Tel: (202)
885-2728, Fax: (202) 885-1366, E-mail: <rpastor@american.edu>

**P116N030013**

**Daytona Beach Community College (FL)**

**Title: "Education and Mobility in Hospitality and Tourism Management
(EMHT)"**

**Partners:** Horry-Georgetown Technical College, SC; Holland College,
CAN; New Brunswick Community College, CAN; Universidad Autónoma de
Coahuila, MEX; Universidad Regiomontana, MEX

The consortium Education and Mobility in Hospitality and Tourism
Management (EMHT) will develop curriculum to include a cross-cultural
course for each participating student on-line as well as a jointly
developed certificate program in hospitality management with an emphasis
in tourism, hotel management or culinary arts. The project will also
include faculty and staff exchanges, the development of agreements to
implement the program and to ensure the sustainability of the project
after funding ends, and language acquisition curriculum development.

A minimum of 47 students will be exchanged among the six institutions
over a three-year period in the disciplines chosen. It is anticipated
between the two U.S. institutions that the majority of the students will
be in hospitality management and culinary arts, tourism among the
Mexican institutions, and a mix among the Canadian institutions.
Participating students will have an internship experience in their
chosen field and develop reaction papers about their experience to
compare notes with fellow participants and to make presentations to
students at their home institutions. A major goal of the project is to
sustain the program after funding ends. The outside evaluator will work
with project staff to develop strategies for continuation to include
identifying outside funding, internal mechanisms to support exchanges,
and developing agreements for sustaining the program.

FY 2003 Award: \$30,192

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$200,795

**Project Director:** Donald Matthews, Daytona Beach Community College,
1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., POB 2811, Daytona Beach, FL
32120-2811, Tel: (386) 947-3040, Fax: (386) 254-4465, E-mail:
<matthed@dbcc.edu>

**P116N030014**

**California State University, San Bernardino (CA)**

**Title: "North American Consortium for Entrepreneurship (NACE)"**

**Partners:** Kennesaw State University, GA; Paradise Valley Community
College, AZ; Capilano

College, CAN; University of Montreal, CAN; Universidad de Guadalajara,
MEX; Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior, MEX

U.S. Department of Commerce News indicates that in 2001, twenty-one
percent of the trade volume with Canada and Mexico was generated by the
small business sector. To enhance the role of small business activity in
the sector, the North American Consortium for Entrepreneurship (NACE)
will develop a specialized degree in North American Entrepreneurial
Management within the Business Administration discipline. This
specialized degree program will offer both entrepreneurial education and
experiential learning components for qualified entrepreneurial-minded
students from the United States, Mexico, and Canada actively recruited
across all academic disciplines. The consortium members will articulate
mutually accepted curricula to promote a comprehensive understanding of
North American commerce and identify the challenges for regional
entrepreneurship in the emerging free trade regime.

NACE\'s mission is to advance the study and practice of entrepreneurship
in the North American business community and develop successful
entrepreneurial careers in the expanding market environment arising from
the implementation of NAFTA. By the fall of 2004, the consortium plans
to support the exchange of ten students from each campus, twenty
students from each nation, and an initial cohort of at least sixty
students. These students will have completed a minimum of three months
of international study and experiential entrepreneurial internships as
expatriate students in a foreign host campus. To ensure that the NACE
Program continues and is institutionalized beyond the initial funding
period, alternative sources of funding, including corporate sponsors and
philanthropic foundations such as the National Association for Foreign
Student Affairs will be actively explored.

FY 2003 Award: \$30,000

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$204,000

**Project Director:** Ernesto M. Reza, California State University San
Bernardino, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, Tel:
(909) 880-5731, Fax: (909) 880-7177, E-mail: <ereza@csusb.edu>

# P116N030016

# Louisiana State University (LA)

# Title: "Development of a student exchange program between Canada, Mexico, and the United States in Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Natural Hazards"

**Partners:** Purdue University, IN; Lakehead University, CAN;
University of Regina, CAN; Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, MEX;
Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, MEX

This project aims at promoting the mobility of students pursuing higher
education in Canadian, Mexican and U.S. universities. The students will
be a mix of senior undergraduate and graduate students. Complementing
this exchange process will be the offering of existing courses through
Web-based teaching tools, such as WebCT. To enhance the experience of
both the faculty and the students that participate in this program, the
courses are specifically designed to deal with examples and case studies
with international ramifications, thereby providing a global context.

Fourteen students from each country---Canada, Mexico and the United
States---will participate in the exchange program. The areas of focus
will be environmental science and engineering, water resources
engineering, natural resources engineering, natural hazards, civil
engineering, and technology transfer. The length of study will vary from
a minimum of one semester to a maximum of 1 year. To complement the
funds secured through this proposal, additional funding sources from
within the participating universities will also be sought to aid faculty
in tailoring courses that will have a more international flair and scope
to enhance and encourage the learning environment.

FY 2003 Award: \$27,092

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$204,000

Project Director: V. P. Singh, Louisiana State University, Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering, CEBA 3414, Baton Rouge, LA
70803-6405, Tel: (225) 578-6697; Fax: (225)-578-6588; E-mail:
[**cesing@lsu.edu**](mailto:cesing@lsu.edu)

**P116N030017**

**University of Illinois at Chicago (IL)**

# Title: "Designing a Professional Practice Curriculum For Cross-Cultural Mobility and Community Engagement"

**Partners:** Auburn University, AL; Oklahoma State University, OK;
University of Calgary, CAN; University of Manitoba, CAN; University of
Waterloo, CAN; Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, MEX; Universidad
Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, MEX; Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana,
Azcapotzalco, MEX

The purpose of the proposed project is to develop and coordinate a
program for 75 students from nine institutions in North America in a
three-fold project plan: first, to enhance the potential for future
professional mobility in architectural practice under NAFTA; second, to
strategically re-deploy studio pedagogy to address emerging cross-border
professional practice competencies in digital media, sustainable
development and cultural community contexts; and third, to define an
innovative approach to language development, cultural literacy and
diversity in professional practice education and continuing education in
a specially designed professional practice course. This simulation of
the realities of cross-cultural professional practice will assist in
establishing performance criteria for both continuing professional
education needs and architectural program accreditation and reciprocity
related to cross-border practice under NAFTA.

FY 2003 Award: \$26,134

Total Funding Estimate: 4 Years, \$200,406

**Project Director:** Daniel S. Freidman, Director, School of
Architecture, University of Illinois at Chicago, Room 3100 Architecture
and Art Building, 845 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60607, Tel: (312)
996-4056, Fax: (312) 413-4488, E-mail: <dsf@uic.edu>