Keeping ahead in global age focus of panel

To prepare students for a changing world market, a panel discussion took place Tuesday afternoon.

Featuring Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder and VCU President Eugene P. Trani, the 13th Annual International Business Forum focused on VCU, central Virginia and the global business environment.

Trani discussed his plans to keep the university’s international relationships strong and meaningful. VCU has 642 scholars from 65 countries, he said, and that is not enough.

“We must internationalize,” Trani said.

Trani aims to establish relationships with 15 universities across the world. VCU currently is aligned with universities in Italy, Russia, England, Ireland, China, Africa, Australia, Mexico, Qatar and India.

Trani said VCU had 676 passport students in 2003. In 2006, there were 1,128. There were 236 study abroad students in 2003, he said, while in 2006, there were 467.

VCU’s expansion into other countries will place the university comfortably on top in the shift toward globalization, Trani said.

Other panelists offered advice on how to embrace change.

Wilder said “education is key,” and it must become more challenging for students.

“Kids in Africa ask for books and pencils,” Wilder said. Here, he said, they ask for iPods.

“The leaders of America reached for the finest,” Wilder said. “We tolerate mediocrity.”

Wilder said schools often give out diplomas without truly preparing students for the global world.

“Twenty-five percent of our graduates have no plans for the future,” he said.

Wilder also urged the audience to demand accountability in education. Specific initiatives, he said, that would prepare students for the changing market were better training in math and sciences and learning more than one language.

In addition to Trani and Wilder, the four-person panel consisted of Mark Cross of MeadWestvaco and James Weigand.

Cross, senior vice president for marketing and international business development, agreed businesses could no longer settle for anything less than the best.

“(It is) no longer enough to be regional or even national,” Cross said.

In today’s world, where business moves at the speed of light, those who want to keep up must think and “act globally,” he said.

One must first gain intellectual capital through education, Cross said, and a diverse education alongside a focus on innovation increases one’s impact in the business world.

“You either have to adapt or become extinct,” Cross said.

James Weigand, global business director for DuPont, said doing things right results in a superior edge in the business market.

Weigand, who said he is more of a storyteller than a speaker, stressed that values, safety, health and respect comprise the cornerstone of a successful business.

DuPont distinguishes itself by making fuel from renewable resources, such as corn, Weigand said. In its goal toward sustainability, DuPont is currently searching for a way to use only husks to make fuel so more corn can be used for food.

Held by the School of Business, the event was moderated by Van Wood, professor of international marketing.