While an MBA student at Western Michigan University, Assim Alaqeel, MBA’14, excelled in both the classroom and as president of the WMU Saudi Student Association, which was honored by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in 2014. During his time as a student and a leader, he also identified with the difficulty international students faced in gaining experience and knowledge outside the classroom.
Now, with his MBA in hand coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to help other international students, Alaqeel is building on these experiences. Working in the college’s Global Business Center, Alaqeel leads a team that offers workshops developed and provided by WMU expert faculty for international students throughout the United States.
Alaqeel recognized the need among international students to develop business skills regardless of their major area of study. “The skills learned in our workshops will help international students in their future careers,” says Alaqeel. “Whatever their area of study, international students benefit from developing business skills and learning ways in which these business topics can impact and improve any fields.”
Launched in fall 2014, the Haworth College of Business Professional Development Programs began offering a series of seminars, conferences and workshops in Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas. Topics included strategic leadership, global negotiations, lean Six Sigma, strategic risk management and supply chain management.
The workshops filled up quickly and paid off for participants.
Yousef Samkari, who attended several workshops in Erie, Pennsylvania, says the skills he learned from the workshops he attended—in particular, the Six Sigma workshop—helped him secure a new job with Schlumberger. He adds that benefits of the workshops are due to the quality of the WMU programs and professors who lead the workshops.
Following its successful first year, the program launched its 2015-16 series in September, adding more locations and topics, and is exploring international offerings.
“The program is addressing a real need in international education for both business and non-business international students,” says Dr. Satish Deshpande, associate dean of graduate programs.
Deshpande credits the program with improving experiences for many international students. "Our faculty are uniquely poised to teach meaningful workshops in different functional areas of business. With their rich backgrounds in research and consulting and their effective teaching methods, students can walk away with a wealth of knowledge and also concrete ways to further their learning in these topical areas."
Nawaf Yafeai, a student at Nashville State University, adds that the professionalism of the seminars and the diversity and quality of the offerings shows that the program understands the needs and goals of the students.
So what’s in store for these workshops?
“We have realized that our workshops are applicable for international students around the world,” explains Alaqeel. “To meet this need, we have plans to add more locations throughout the world.”
For more information about the Professional Development Program workshops, visit wmich.edu/pdp or contact Alaqeel at (269) 387-5133.