Project Maine France (Quebec) Faculty Delegation Trip

Introduction Tony Gauvin  Assistant Professor of eCommerce, UMFK  Quick Resume Tony Gauvin resume.ppt  Part of Project Maine France Quebec Specific Goals and Purpose of PMFQ: To help realize the UMS vision for international study by creating and sustaining a robust network of academic relationships with partner institutions in France and Quebec, thus providing a possible model for partnerships with other regions of the world. To engage in collaborative research with France and the EU (and Quebec) in areas directly relevant to building Maine’s economy and enhancing Maine’s participation in the global economy. To help students, faculty, and others develop linguistic and cultural knowledge and skills through a wide range of opportunities both in France and Quebec.

Partners Quebec 1.Université de Québec France 1.l’Université du Maine (LeMans) 2.l’Université d’Angers 3.l’Université de Nantes 4.l’Université de Bretagne Occidentale 5.l’École Supérieure des Beaux Arts au Mans; 6. l’IUFM Pays de la Loire (a institute for teacher preparation) 7.THEODILE (a research laboratory at l’Université de Lille III) 8. l’IUFM Nord Pas-de-Calais (a second institute for teacher preparation) 9.IFREMER (the French National Institute for Marine Research) 10.Paris 12, la Faculté d’Administration et Relations Internationales

Where

University Visits LEMANS – l’UNIVERSITÉ DU MAINE  Noella Gaigeot, who teaches English at the IUT,(institut universitaire de technologie) was very interested in student exchanges and collaborations

Lemans Cathédrale Saint-Julien

Lemans

University Visits NANTES - UNIVERSITÉ DE NANTES   The Dean, Cecile Clergeau, was very receptive to having Maine students and suggested leveraging a program the have create in conjunction with Bentley College in Mass in Franco-American Studies in Business and economics. The program is for undergraduate students. It is reciprocal exchange with France and American student spending one semester abroad taking courses in a foreign language. This program would fit in with business students at all the campuses in the UMS system. I have subsequent conversations with Christine Bertail (coordinator of American Students at Nantes) and Cecile Clergeau reaffirming their interest in creating a similar program with UMS and sending French students to Maine (UMFK).  Discussion with David VanderLinden from USM to build a program that would allow business students from the small colleges receiving a BS in Business from their home campus, a Diploma of Franco-American Studies in Business and Economics from Nantes, and a MBA in International Business from USM.  Nantes also have a center for entrepreneurship that would match well with the Aroostook and Washington County Alliance for Rural entrepreneurship efforts (AWARE) but scheduling conflicts prevented my meeting with the director of the center.  Jean-Francois Le Beere from the Centre International des Langues was very interested in having American professors teach at Nantes but he was not sure where the funding would come from to support such an effort.

Nantes

University Visit ANGERS  l’UNIVERSITÉ D’ANGERS   The school is located in the town (3 urban campuses) and public transportation is easy to use. The University strengths are its professional programs.  Talked with Bruno Daucé who is involved with a Masters Program in Internet Marketing. His curriculum is very cutting edge with many marketing research aspects. Bruno is however spending next year teaching in Spain.

Angers

Angers

University Visit BREST – l’UNIVERSITÉ DE BRETAGNE OCCIDENTALE   Visiting Brest was like a trip to Nova Scotia. The UBO Business and Information Technology faculty were very interested in any and all possibilities of collaboration and exchange.  I believe that UBO provide the best opportunities for students from the smaller UMS campuses..  Daniel Madec at the IUT (2 year vocational school equivalent to our Maine Community College system) is very interested in creating ‘across the pond’ collaborations between his student and ours.  UBO also does a lot of work in sustainability and could be a good match for UMFK’s Center for Sustainable Rural development.

Brest & Bretagne

Brest & Bretagne

Paris Map

University Visit PARIS - PARIS 12  (UNIVERSITÉ DE PARIS 12 (VAL-DE-MARNE), FACULTÉ ADMINISTRATION ET ÉCHANGES   Paris XII is the most innovative and academically advanced of the schools we visited (at least in my disciplines) and they are very interested in creating a dual master (MBA) program with the UMS system (the UMS system is much less enthusiastic), the problem with collaborations with UM and USM is that both schools are AACSB accredited (PARIS XII is not!) which hampers such collaboration (classes at Paris XII would not count towards the UM and USM MBA’s).  I view the Paris XII proposition as a possibility for the tri-campuses consortium to provide students a MBA from the consortium and a Masters from a French University.  Paris XII is the only University in France that I visited that understands eCommerce and its role in the global Society.

Paris

Paris Eiffel Tower

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