For rural Nebraska to be a competitive global player we must “grow” regional business leaders with a global focus. The President of the University of Nebraska System, J.B. Milliken, passionately addressed the serious economic challenges of Nebraska competing in a global economy in his inaugural address in 2005, “We have serious economic challenges, particularly in rural Nebraska... The solution to Nebraska’s challenges is not simple, but it is clear: we must invest in the people of Nebraska in order to build our economic competitiveness… I believe that education—and specifically the University of Nebraska—is the key to Nebraska’s future. Investing in Nebraska’s economic future is now a major university initiative.
But the rural regions of Nebraska face enormous challenges to prepare future and current business leaders for activity in the global market. One of the challenges stated by the Nebraska Comprehensive Plan for Post-Secondary Education is that “to be competitive, the region’s citizens must be knowledgeable about global business entrepreneurship”. UNK can address that challenge by developing knowledge bases through international business certification programs with the goal of nurturing global entrepreneurship.
UNK’s BIE program is designed to prepare globally-focused rural business leaders and to be a model program for other university-community partnerships in rural America by focusing on developing, improving, and disseminating best practices of international business, training programs, teaching, and curriculum development to increase rural American competitiveness. The U.S. Department of Education’s Title VIB Business and International Education grant received by UNK has enabled the UNK BIE management team to learn about the NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional program. NASBITE International is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization of educators, trainers, and practitioners in the field of international trade.
As a first step for Nebraskans involved in international trade to become engaged in developing their expertise, the NASBITE CGBP program provides knowledge resources, professional networking opportunities, and standardization policies for the international trade industry. “The NASBITE CGBP provides a benchmark for competency in global commerce. The CGBP designation demonstrates an individual’s ability to conduct global business including Global Business Management, Global Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and Trade Finance. For candidates experienced in international trade, the certification confirms that knowledge. For candidates just beginning, it establishes a professional development goal to ensure a full understanding of the profession. For companies, it assures that employees are able to practice global business at the professional level required in today’s competitive environment.” (source: www.nasbitecgbp.org)
Why is it important for business professionals in the Mid-western part of the U.S. to gain certification as a CGBP professional? Here is what an employer in Cedar Rapids, Iowa has to say: "ESP International has been involved in global trade for a number of years. Within the last year we have hired two individuals from the University Of Northern Iowa that have achieved the NASBITE CGBP. It is a huge benefit to have someone start and understand what ESP international is involved in and have familiarity with the global supply chain terms. We believe that these individuals have a significant advantage over other individuals that have not achieve the Global Business Certification or have not received specific supply chain education." (Jeff Hamilton, President & CEO, ESP International ,Cedar Rapids, Iowa)