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Professors lead FDIB program in Africa


Rolfe Woodward Shealy

The Moore School's Robert J. Rolfe, professor of international business; Douglas P. Woodward, professor of economics and director of the Division of Research; and Mike Shealy, director of CIBER, organized and led a program to Africa May 12-29 for 15 business faculty from 11 U.S. colleges and universities. The Faculty Development in International Business (FDIB) program was designed to raise awareness about the economic, political, business, and cultural environments that exist in sub-Saharan Africa today. 

“These FDIB programs give you a very different perspective, one that you can bring to the classroom,” said Rolfe.

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Photo is the entire CIBER delegation of U.S. universities.

The FDIB-Africa Program is offered by a consortium of CIBER (Center for International Business Education and Research) universities, and is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

It is lead-managed by the University of South Carolina. Co-sponsors are Ohio State University, Florida International University, Michigan State University, University of Connecticut, University of Florida, University of Maryland, University of Memphis, University of Michigan, and University of Pittsburgh.

The FDIB-Africa Program was conducted in Kenya and South Africa. It included more than two dozen business visits, cultural experiences, and academic visits and lectures. The participants also went on a safari at the Kenyan Maasai Mara game preserve.

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Photo is Doug Woodward showing beaded cattle herding sticks at the Maasai village.


Other Moore School faculty included Dr. Laura Lambdin, lecturer of management; Dr. Randy Martin, chairman and professor of economics; and Dr. Andrew Spicer, assistant professor of international business.

For the past 18 years, various Moore School professors have also conducted an FDIB workshop on the USC-Columbia campus designed to internationalize business school faculty from across the country and prepare them to teach international business. This year’s USC FDIB workshop was held June 4-9.

July 2007