International professional exchange and learning from and with each other are important components not only for personal development and education, but also for international understanding. With this in mind and on the basis of a Partner University Agreement, FBW Academic Dean Professor Dr. Jens Kümmel, together with Professor Dr. Benedikt Latos, Carolin Selbach, academic staff member, and Saskia Schulte, Dean’s Office Coordinator, held specialized discussions with the dean and vice dean of the VCU Business School, members of the VCU International Office, faculty members, and other academic staff.
"We are bringing back successful results from the discussions, which relate in particular to cooperation with the Finance and Supply Chain Department of the VCU Business School," Professor Latos reported in retrospect. Work is also to be carried out on an official exchange program for students and researchers from the FBW and the Business School.
During joint visits to courses, the bachelor's and master's students who accompanied the delegation were able to get a taste of the Business School's courses, and exchanges with peers in the cafeteria revealed how quickly people from different nations can become friends.
The tour group gained impressions of the economic activities of German companies in the United States during excursions to PARI Respiratory Equipment, Inc. and Weidmüller USA in Richmond.
In addition to visiting the VCU Brand Center—home to the master's program in advertising, branding, and creative problem solving—and the VCU Da Vinci Center, a unique collegial center for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship through interdisciplinary collaboration, the tour group also explored Richmond, the capital of Virginia located on the James River.
At the farewell party in a Richmond brewery, plans were made for a return visit to TH OWL in 2025. "We will take the warm hospitality of our US partners in Richmond back with us to OWL and motivate our students to plan and undertake an exchange at VCU Business School," emphasized Academic Dean Professor Kümmel.
