Students having a class disscussion with text: International Business, not just domestic commerce.

Center for International Business Studies

The Center for International Business Studies (CIBS) is the research arm of the International Business Flagship Program. CIBS offers faculty development opportunities, promotes campus internationalization initiatives, and hosts an annual conference on international business for theorists and practitioners in Northeast Florida and abroad.

Faculty Opportunities
Research and Conferences
Our Team

Faculty Abroad

Enhanced faculty scholarship is a critical part of the Coggin College of Business reaching its goal of infusing international business into the entire fabric of the Coggin College of Business. CIBS will provide regular faculty development opportunities in international business for all faculty, seeking to solidify our College's niche in the field of international business.

Faculty Exchanges

The Coggin College of Business supports continued professional development of its faculty through several mechanisms, including an active faculty exchange program. Through this program, Coggin College of Business faculty spend 1 – 2 weeks teaching at partner institutions abroad.

Benefits

Faculty exchanges provide several benefits. First, teaching abroad requires faculty to see their disciplines through the eyes of foreign students, forcing them to re-evaluate the implicit and explicit assumptions of their disciplines. Second, faculty learn through their interactions with students and faculty abroad, and then bring that experience back into their classrooms at UNF for the benefit of Coggin College of Business students. Third, discussions with faculty abroad lead to joint research projects for publication.

In addition, the Coggin College of Business hosts incoming faculty from exchange partners for periods ranging from 1-2 weeks to an entire semester or an academic year. Visiting faculty enhance on-campus education both by guest lecturing directly to students, and by leading faculty-only seminars on advanced topics. Other visitors, including business people, sitting ambassadors, top foreign policy professionals, and Nobel Laureates, also visit UNF for special lectures.

Teaching a Study Abroad

Students can fully appreciate neither international business nor the diversity of the world in which they live without actually experiencing life abroad. Indeed, one's first international experience is virtually always a truly life-changing episode. Since many of Coggin College's non-traditional students are unable to spend the traditional semester abroad, Coggin College faculty lead a variety of short-term study abroad programs for credit each year.

A faculty handbook [pdf] provides guidance and a set of policies for faculty interested in creating such programs. Visit the Coggin Study Abroad page to see a list of the current short–term and semester abroad courses being taught. For information on how to access the current study abroad application portal, please refer to the Study Abroad Application Manuel for Faculty and Staff. This is a resource for faculty currently teaching a study abroad course.

Research & Conferences

Research

The internationalization of the Coggin College of Business begins with a faculty that exhibits strong teaching credentials and outstanding scholarly work in the international business field. Coggin College of Business faculty are writing and teaching about the international aspects of accounting, economics, finance, logistics, management and marketing. These faculty are recognized through their affiliations with the Center for International Business Studies.

Conferences and Workshops

The interface of faculty scholarship and practitioner expertise is a key part of the International Business Flagship program. Our most recent conference, Value Creation in the Global Economy, was a great success. Now we are excited to host our first annual International Business Workshop Series and certificate program. For workshop dates and topics, visit our workshop page.

International Business Flagship Team


Question	Answer
Location	Honors Hall (Building 10), Suite 2125
Hours	Monday - Thursday \| 9:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Hours Cont.	Friday \| 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
E-Mail	coggin.abroad@unf.edu
Phone	+1 (904) 620-2916
Fax	+1 (904) 620-5864

Andres Gallo Headshot

Andrés Gallo, Ph.D

Director of the International Business Flagship Program

Professor, Economics

(904) 620 -1694

Dr. Gallo specializes in international economics issues, with focus on Latin America and economic development. He has written more than 30 research papers and participated in numerous conferences as presenter and speaker. He has focus on the political economy of property rights in diverse areas, including the US patent system, biotechnology and property rights in the context of economic development. Dr. Gallo has applied econometric techniques to address different issues in these areas of research. His teaching expertise includes international economics, econometrics, economic development, study abroad and Latin American economics. He has taught in several universities around the world and has led several study abroad courses to Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Guatemala, Spain and Ghana.

Pingying Zhang, Ph.D

Director of the Center for International Business Studies

International Business Flagship Program

Professor, Management

(904) 620-2249

Dr. Zhang specializes in the area of strategy and entrepreneurship. She has written more than 20 research papers and presented research articles in numerous conferences. Dr. Zhang is particularly interested in researching group dynamics in boards of directors and risk-taking behavior in an entrepreneurial environment. Her teaching expertise includes strategy and business policy, organization theory, entrepreneurship and venture capital, and doing business in China.

Kate Mattingly Learch, MBA

Director of Study Abroad

International Business Flagship Program

(904) 620-2521

After studying Spanish in Mexico and Italian and art history in Italy, Kate completed her undergraduate program in Linguistics at the University of Florida, and spent two years teaching English in Kazakhstan as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer. She then returned to the University of Florida to earn an MBA with a concentration in Marketing. During this time, she spent a summer studying the economics of the EU through the University of Manchester. Kate joined the UNF International Business Flagship Program in 2007 and loves guiding students through these transformational experiences. Items she can't travel without include powdered laundry detergent and tiny gifts from Florida.

Stephanie Worley

Advisor, Short Term Study Abroad & Incoming Exchange Students

International Business Flagship Program

(904) 620-5124

Stephanie's first international experience was in 2008, when she and her former high school orchestra were invited to Beijing, China to perform in a music festival held in honor of the Summer Olympic games. Afterward, she completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where she received a BA in English Literature. Since then, she has traveled to Tokyo, Japan, Puebla and Mexico City, Mexico, London, England, and Paris, France. She is currently enrolled in UNF's Master of Arts in International Affairs program, and has participated in a faculty-led study abroad program in Brazil.

Alyssa Kyff, M.Ed

Advisor, Semester Study Abroad

International Business Flagship Program

(904) 620-5317

Alyssa Kyff hails from the Buckeye State (Mansfield, Ohio to be exact) and is very excited to now be residing in the Sunshine State! She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Spanish Education from Ashland University and shortly after graduating, she taught high school Spanish. She recently graduated with her Master's Degree in Higher Education from Kent State University. As an undergraduate student, Alyssa studied abroad twice - first, during a summer in Cuernavaca, Mexico and then for a semester in Alicante, Spain. Alyssa highly values her experiences abroad so much that she has decided to make a career out of it. She enjoys drawing from her personal experiences to encourage and assist UNF students pursuing study abroad opportunities.

Rachel Eker

Graduate Assistant

International Business Flagship Program

Rachel Eker is a graduate student pursuing her Masters of Accountancy at University of North Florida. Rachel completed her undergraduate degree in Accounting and Finance at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. She is currently studying for the CPA exams and looks forward to starting as a tax associate with Dixon Hughes Goodman in 2019. Rachel's international travels involve spending a week in Carcassonne, France and exploring the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

Globi

International Business Flagship Program

After numerous years travelling and studying overseas, Globi decided to return to its alma mater, UNF. Globi graduated from UNF suma cum laude with major in International Business and a minor in Global Studies. UNF students and staff alike have fallen for Globi's bubbly personality, willingness to adapt to new environments, and love for learning. Besides hanging out on campus and promoting the IB office, Globi enjoys checking for new friend requests on Facebook.