SKEMA has opened their first U.S. Campus at N.C. State on Centennial Campus.  The University wants to help SKEMA students get acclimated.

According to David McNeill, associate director at the office of international services-global training, about 220 French students from SKEMA Business School – one of the top business schools from France – will be spending one semester at N.C. State.

“The students from France have started arriving on campus. There will be a welcome ceremony followed by orientation sessions through Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week,” McNeill said.

SKEMA already has satellite campuses in China and Morocco.

“The students from France will spend one semester at in this campus. Most of them are in the last year or second last year of their undergrads. There are some master’s students also,” McNeill said.

SKEMA professors will teach most of the classes for the students.

McNeill said, “Global Training Initiative is also offering a course on U.S. business and culture which will be a seminar style course. Along with this, we plan to team up N.C. State students with SKEMA students and perform certain activities throughout the spring semester. Two N.C. State students will team up with three SKEMA students.”

Activities for each team will include some volunteer activities, cultural activities, one recreational activity, and a business project. Michael Giancola, director of CSLEPS, said it will be an important and fun experience for the N.C. State students.

Giancola said, “CSLEPS has tried to pass along this wonderful opportunity to the students. This will help the students to experience a French culture.”

University students who wish to volunteer for the team will need to spend 10 to 15 hours working with SKEMA students in the spring semester.

“The students will have to fill a small online application. We are looking for about 150 N.C. State students for this purpose. We have already got application for about 50 students. Students can check the website for more information on how to sign up and the program details. This opportunity is open to all the students of N.C. State campus, irrespective of their degrees, majors or minors,” McNeill said.

Ira Weiss, dean of the Poole College of Management said partnering with SKEMA business school is a privilege.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for the N.C. State students and a great privilege to be working with SKEMA business school, one of the world’s best business schools,” Weiss said.

According to Weiss, the future of this initiative is very bright.

“We are also in conversation with SKEMA and GTI for a dual degree masters program in future where our students will spend one semester in France, one in China and one here in Raleigh. This joint venture will help the students to grow on a global scale,” Weiss said.

According to McNeill, the SKEMA students will be paying fees similar to N.C State students for this semester.

“The SKEMA students will be able to access all the facilities on campus like dining services and the library,” McNeill said.

“The statistics show that only 1 percent of our undergraduate population are international students. With the addition of the SKEMA students on campus, this number will significantly increase. By the fall semester, we expect the number of SKEMA students to increase even further,” McNeill said.

The GTI works with a variety of international students and offers professional and executive training programs.

“Our role here is to partner with the College of Management to help integrate the SKEMA students with N.C. State students,” McNeill said.