Starting spring 2015, a new sports-focused exchange program will open up extraordinary cross-cultural learning opportunities for undergraduates in Oregon and Singapore.
University of Oregon undergraduates will be able to explore the sports culture of Asia through interdisciplinary programs at Singapore Management University (SMU). At the same time, their Singaporean counterparts will take advantage of the programs offered by the Lundquist College's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center while soaking up Oregon's vibrant sports culture.
This international opportunity is the result of five-year agreement signed in June 2014 by UO Vice President for University Advancement Mike Andreasen and SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer.
SMU is a highly suitable partner for international exchange for several reasons. Like the Lundquist College, SMU's business school—the Lee Kong Chian School of Business—has garnered the elite AACSB accreditation for its graduate and undergraduate programs. And SMU's facilities are located in close proximity to the Singapore Sports Hub, the extraordinary facility developed by the Singapore Sports Council.
UO undergraduates in Singapore will attend SMU's well-regarded interdisciplinary programs, where they will learn about the ways in which sports intersects with business and society in Singapore and throughout Asia. In keeping with the experiential learning philosophies that characterize both universities, the UO students will also be encouraged to participate in SMU's wide range of sporting events and to look for internships with the local sports companies and agencies.
“UO students that participate in this exchange program will not just enjoy a study abroad opportunity, they will also be thrust into the synergies of the second-most competitive economy on the planet," said Andreasen. “Singapore is a country to be experienced, and what better way than to do it through an experiential, research-driven process."
Students from SMU will benefit from the leading-edge programs and experiential learning opportunities offered through the Warsaw Center.
“The U.S. is the most mature sports business market in the world," said the center's managing director Paul Swangard. “Students will be able to tap into the expertise of our faculty, study the best practices of this market, and experience the sports culture at Oregon, which is among the most vibrant in the U.S."
The UO-SMU exchange is just the latest sports-related connection between the university and the Asian nation. Back in 2011, the Warsaw Center forged a partnership with the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) that included training for the country's high-level sports officials and opportunities for MBA students affiliated with the center to work on projects there. SSC's first intern, Andy Behl, MBA '12, now works as a senior manager in the organization's business partnership division. Two current Oregon MBA students—Char Zoller and Lena Macomson—are the tenth and eleventh MBAs to spend the summer interning there.
Read about the exchange program in Around the O, get the background on the Warsaw Center's partnership with the Singapore Sports Council, and visit SMU's website.