Western Michigan University Management Professor Tim Palmer says students from WMU’s Haworth College of Business and the College of Health and Human Services come at social corporate responsibility from different viewpoints. And he says “amazing conversations come out of that.”
Palmer and Social Work Professor Jennifer Harrison have developed a study abroad program in India that includes business and social work students. The program was recently recognized by the New York Times inEducation Award for Innovation in Education Abroad.
Harrison says India provides an ideal setting to study issues related to corporate responsibility. She says it’s a growing, technologically advanced country that faces many social and environmental challenges. “It’s just the right spot.”
Palmer says going to India is not for everyone. He says it requires stepping outside of their “comfort zone.” But Harrison says many of the students coming from different fields of study develop long-term friendships over time.
The inaugural New York Times inEducation Award for Innovation in Education Abroad was announced in November. The award comes with a $500 cash prize. Palmer says the students were consulted about how the money should be used. Harrison says a small donation will be made to several Non-Governmental Organizations that Western has worked with in India. About 25 Western Michigan University students are scheduled to leave for India on December 7th for the next Social Justice and Sustainability in India.