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The
Southwest Virginia Higher
Education Center was established in
1991 to expand higher education and business support
programs in Southwest Virginia and Northeast
Tennessee. Nine colleges and universities in
Virginia and Tennessee now offer some 80
undergraduate and graduate degrees at the Center’s
beautiful campus in
Abingdon, Virginia.
These degree programs are key to economic
development and job creation for the Tri-Cities,
VA/TN region.
To meet the
challenges of the global economy, the Center
established an international business and education
outreach program in 2003. Area college students and
businesses simply must have the necessary
international skills in order to compete in the 21st
century. Initial funding for the Center’s
international business programs was provided by the
Virginia Tobacco Commission’s Economic Development
Fund. With this support, the Center has been able
to assist a number of smaller businesses with the
development of new international markets. This has
included traditional exporters of mining equipment
plus emerging sectors such as forest products,
professional services, and cultural tourism.
Building on this
base, the Center applied for and received two large
grants from the U.S. Department of Education’s
Business and International Education (BIE) program
in 2004 and 2007. The first grant funded the award
winning “SW Virginia/NE Tennessee International
Business Study in Mexico” program from 2004-2007.
This short-course program developed with our
partners at the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico,
and key businesses in the Tri-Cities has ‘opened the
world” to area college students. For many of them,
this has been their first airplane flight. A new
grant will provide funding to develop a similar
program in China for 2008-2009. Through the BIE
program we have also developed a series of outreach
seminars for the area business community and a new
online introduction to international business
course.
Starting in the fall
of 2007, the Center will offer a new internship and
mentoring program for area college students. This
will be funded by the Virginia Tobacco Commission.
The goal is to give business and other
degree-seeking students at the Higher Education
Center access to expanded domestic as well as
international internship opportunities. These
students are the future business managers and
community leaders for the Tri-Cities, TN/VA region.
International Business and Southwest
Virginia/Northeast Tennessee
The Tri-Cities
region of Bristol, VA/TN and Kingsport - Johnson
City, TN, is home to approximately 450,000 people,
with another 400,000 residents located in far
Southwest Virginia. The Tri-Cities ranks as the 72nd
largest export center in the United States according
to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The area is
home to several large companies including Eastman
Chemicals, Bristol Compressors, Strongwell Corp.,
Alpha Natural Resources, and King Pharmaceuticals.
There are also a number of small and medium-size
firms in the region that are active
exporters. Chemicals, coal mining, mining equipment,
electrical switchgear and air-conditioning equipment
are key export sectors.
The region is also
home to an expanding number of forest products
exporters of as well as software and engineering
services. Area colleges and universities also
attract a number of international students.
Promotion of Southwest Virginia to international
tourists and exports of regional crafts are also
expanding initiatives.
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