Published: August 02, 2009 03:42 am      

German business students get first-hand look at WVU

FAIRMONT — During their visit to Morgantown, a group of German business students are getting a first-hand look at an American university.

On July 12, instructor Jennifer Burkart and 21 students from Muenster, Germany, arrived at West Virginia University for a four-week study-abroad program. They will be visiting until Aug. 7.

Only a few of the students have previously been to the United States.

“It’s a chance for them to spend time in an English-speaking country,” said Burkart, who is originally from Morgantown and earned her master’s degree from WVU. Her dad, Sandy, was a faculty member at WVU for 25 years.

Burkart moved to Germany 10 years ago and is an instructor at the University of Applied Sciences Muenster School of Business. She teaches business English to the business students there.

Burkart said many students are very interested in coming to the United States to study, and this trip is a chance for them to see what an American university is like. Once they get to know Morgantown and WVU, they may want to return for another semester or come back for their Master of Business Administration degree, she said.

Because of the great amount of interest in the trip, the University of Applied Sciences Muenster School of Business had to limit it to first-year students and use a lottery system to narrow down the number even more, she said. Out of the 40 students who wanted to come, 21 were selected to participate. Burkart said these students are all studying business administration, and most are 23 or 24 years old.

Burkart thought Morgantown would be a nice place for the students to experience because it’s a good example of an American university.

“It’s the typical university town,” she said. “The goal is to really experience what it’s like to study here.”

The ease of transportation — allowing students to get around without a car — was another attractive feature. In addition, Burkart was born and raised in Morgantown and had contacts with the WVU College of Business and Economics. WVU professor Gerald Blakely has been to Muenster twice, she said.

For the past two weeks, Burkart and Thomas Jansen, another professor at the University of Applied Sciences Muenster School of Business, have been teaching the students a course in the College of Business and Economics building. This is a unique situation because the students are basically participating in a class at WVU that they would normally take at their own university, and they still have their own professors with them.

Jansen taught the students about communication skills necessary for the business world, such as negotiating and making presentations, and the difference between working with Americans and Germans. For the remainder of the time, Burkart will concentrate on business English.

“WVU, especially the business school, they’ve been so helpful and so great and so generous,” she said. “It’s been amazing. It’s been a great experience. Working with them here has just been fantastic.”

In addition to the academic component, the students have toured the WVU campus, library and the Student Recreation Center. They also did the Mountaineer Adventure Program’s WVU Challenge Course and attended lectures of professors in WVU’s business school, Burkart said.

“They are a really, really outgoing group of individuals,” she said. “Basically everywhere they go they make friends. For such a short visit, they’ve met a lot of people.”

Burkart said one of Morgantown’s great advantages is that anyone is willing to talk to new people, and the students from Germany have been really impressed by that.

“I think what they’re really amazed by are just by how friendly and nice the people are here and how easy it’s been to get to know the other students,” she said. “They really have been able to make contact with other American students.”

Also, the students have noticed how different universities are in the United States compared to Germany. The visitors have been delighted by WVU’s focus on athletics, the large buildings and the services offered to students, Burkart said.

This is the second time 22-year-old student Katharana Mueller has visited the United States. She said she likes Morgantown and it’s easy to feel a part of the university community.

“It’s a lot different from universities in Germany because it’s all focused on the campus and it’s a lot bigger,” she said.

Katharana and the other students have experienced downtown Morgantown and gone on trips during the weekends. She said the program has been a great opportunity to see another culture and country and to improve her English.

Dominic Dawlas, 27, has also been to the United States once before — two years ago for a four-day trip to New York. He said he’d love to earn his master’s degree at WVU if he could find the money.

“It’s very nice here,” he said. “It’s a very big university and we can see that a lot of money is spent on education, and I think it is something they should do in Germany, too. They have so many possibilities here to study.”

Dawlas said he has been impressed by the way people communicate in the country.

“They are very open,” he said. “Even if we go to the supermarket, everybody asks us if everything is all right.”

Overall, the students have had a great experience at WVU so far, Burkart said.

“It’s a great place for students to come and study,” she said.

“I think we’re establishing a relationship. I’d be thrilled over the years to build things up.”

E-mail Jessica Legge at jlegge@timeswv.com.