Global Business Field Projects (GBFP) - A New Global Education Platform at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business

The following is a guest post by my colleague Jessica Oldford, Director of Global Student Experience | Global Initiatives, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.  A couple of weeks ago, Jessica and I were discussing her previous IHEC Blog guest post that she co-authored with Alex Markman and Debbie Carney entitled “Pre-Departure Preparation and Onsite Advising for U.S. Business Students Participating on Exchange Programs”.  After some time, our conversation turned to faculty-led programming in business schools and Jessica told me about the new Global Business Field Projects (GBFP) focusing on FinTech that launched this academic year at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business.  As readers of IHEC Blog know, I previously directed the International Business Exchange Program (IBEP) at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and I really liked the idea of faculty-led programming focused on FinTech so I asked Jessica if she would be willing to write up a brief guest blog about GBFP and the FinTech focus of the course.  

During the 2018-19 academic year, Global Initiatives at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business (Ross Global Initiatives) launched a new global education platform called Global Business Field Projects.  Global Business Field Projects (GBFP) was created to highlight the importance of FinTech while also providing students with a hands-on experience all within the global scope. UM students enrolled into the course, taught by Professors Robert Dittmar and Andy Wu, and took class throughout the winter semester.  Winter Break then allowed students to travel to London for a week to participate in project work with a FinTech firm.

The 2018-19 version of GBFP has continued to grow and provides UM students with more diverse FinTech experiences.  As Professor Dittmar highlights, “This year, our Global Business Field Projects take us to the UK, which from 2008-2018 had more FinTech companies founded than any other country besides the U.S.  Exploring FinTech in a global context is especially useful due to differences in financial regulations, development of capital markets, and existing payment systems in different countries.  Different countries have different financial needs, which have given rise to different emphases of companies in these different environments. In fact, because many countries do not have the legacy financial and payment systems of developed economies, they are able to adapt their financial systems more rapidly to the changes introduced by technology.”

As the 2018-19 course progresses, Global Initiatives is capturing data on the impact on students and learning outcomes.  Anecdotally, feedback on the student experience, firm engagement, and faculty oversight and mentorship has been positive.  Global Initiatives is eager to capture this in a more formal setting and utilize take-aways for the 2019-20 course.

If you have any questions on GBFP, please contact Jessica Oldford at: joldford@umich.edu