WMU in India: Sustainable business and human connection
KALAMAZOO, Mich.— “Any good study abroad program ensures a blend of both academic learning and cultural immersion,” says Dr. Tim Palmer, director of the Center for Sustainable Business Practices and professor of management. Having traveled to India with Western Michigan University students for over ten years, Palmer has mastered how to let a place teach as much as a syllabus can. “Our primary focus is on academics, but it’s nested in culture. We don’t typically have students sitting in the classroom listening to a lecture. Instead, we travel to our partners to hear and see what they are doing.”
This past December, 22 students from the Haworth College of Business and WMU’s other academic colleges traveled to India for two weeks, focusing on the intersection of social entrepreneurship, justice and sustainable development. With differing academic focuses, the students learn from each other while applying their new international perspective.
“Throughout the trip, there are very healthy conversations among the students,” Palmer says. “I believe that after the trip is over, our business students have a much better understanding of the depths of the social and environmental challenges that exist and are, therefore, in a better position to think about the role business can play in solving tough problems.”
Learning through partnership
WMU has partnered with Christ University in Bengaluru since 1997 and has been included since the start of the study abroad trip in 2014. Through the Indian buddy program, Christ University partners WMU students with a student from Christ University, where both students can learn about the other’s culture in a peer-to-peer setting.
“All the effort our buddies put into helping us navigate the city, shopping and so much more really captures the spirit of the trip” says Michelle Bouma, a social work master’s student at WMU and an administrative assistant II in the WMU Haworth Global Business Center. “This is a direct reflection of the amazing hospitality offered to us in India, and the friendship the two universities have fostered over time.”
Christ University’s dedication comes through in their commitment to sustainability. From Vicksburg, Michigan, finance student Gabriel VanDyke shares his experience with Professor Saji Varghese, an associate professor at Christ University. “As the founder of Sunbird Straws, Professor Varghese showed students how to recognize opportunities within the world around them,” he says. “Sunbird Straws produces sustainable straws made from coconut leaves instead of the traditional plastics used across much of the world, which really encapsulates the intersection of business, education and social justice.”
A more recent friendship with Jangi Singh Girls College in Jaunpur has become a valuable addition to the WMU India study abroad trip.
“A couple of years ago, I was introduced to a WMU alumnus who had parents working in India on an initiative that seemed to be a good fit with the mission of our study abroad program,” Palmer says. “Gopal and Kamala Singh lived in Portage but later returned to India to start a college for girls in grades 10 through 12 in a rural village near Varanasi. Education opportunities are often lacking for girls, and they wanted to use their resources to do something about it.”
Knowing that Jangi Singh would be the perfect fit for the trip, Palmer added a visit to the trip itinerary. Bouma says, “I am inspired by how the Singhs saw a need and used their resources to find a solution—they’ve created such a beautiful community at the school.”
Immersed in India
As WMU students learned through seeing and doing, they also had the chance to experience Indian culture firsthand.
“I loved getting to wear traditional Indian clothing like kurtas and a sari,” says Caroline Gratsch, a sales and business marketing student from Troy, Michigan. “The friends we made at Christ University were so excited to help us shop and choose the right colors and patterns, which made the experience even more meaningful. It wasn’t just about the clothing itself, but about feeling welcomed and included in the culture.”
Each opportunity on the trip was valued, whether inherently academic or not. “Some of the best moments came from everyday life in the cities we visited,” Vandyke says. “The streets, markets and neighborhoods captured the energy, vibrancy and pace of daily life in a way that landmarks cannot. Those settings visually told a story because they showed people working, commuting, shopping and living.”
Beyond the classroom
Through their interactions with businesses, schools and cities, the students on the trip not only learned about a world beyond their own, but they learned about themselves.
“My perspective was broadened to include a new and beautiful culture,” says Bouma. “Seeing how businesses are mandated by the 2013 Companies Act to give back to their communities gave me a greater understanding of the beauty and challenge in India and left me with a much richer sense of cultural competence.”
Studying abroad pushes students to try things outside their comfort zones, helping them grow as individuals and professionals. “At Christ University, there was a speaker I wanted to connect with about potential future opportunities,” says Gratsch. “Normally, I would have hesitated, but I pushed myself to approach him after his presentation. That moment challenged me to be bold and confident in a professional setting, and it reminded me that meaningful connections often require moving past hesitation and taking initiative.”
Studying abroad is not like any other learning experience and for these 22 students, two weeks in India proved exactly that. What they brought home went far beyond the coursework.
Vandyke says, “The India trip was the best view of the world you could ask for in a few weeks, with celebration, education and tradition intertwined seamlessly. Being present in those moments is something I appreciate more now than ever before.”
Learn more about study abroad programs at WMU Haworth.
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