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The Idea Global Links Scholar Program, a private-public partnership to empower Iraqi women through education Location The Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida idea exchange Year One: Inaugural Scholar In 2012, Amel Abed Mohammed Ali, a professor of operations manage- ment and head of the industrial management department at Iraq's Baby- lon University, became the inaugural Global Links Scholar. After her year at Rollins, Ali returned to Iraq to work with Women for Women Interna- tional (WfWI), an international nongovernmental organization that sup- ports women as they rebuild their lives after war and civil strife. Using what she had learned, Ali helped create a mentorship pro- gram in social entrepreneurship for participants in WfWI programs, as well as new courses in entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, and career management at her school. Twenty-five students who attended sessions on those topics became mentors to 50 more new entrepreneurs—all women who had graduated from WfWI programs. Ripple Effect sanse r e n /Th i n ksTock Year Two: Student Visits The learning will come full circle in Phase 2 of the program, when Ali returns to Rollins with five Iraqi undergraduates. During a two-week visit, they will partner with Rollins MBA students to develop social enterprises, improve skills, and build networks to increase their impact when they return to Iraq. The group was expected to visit in 2013, but changes at the U.S. Department of State caused a delay. Their arrival has been rescheduled for early April. In the meantime, Ali has given presentations on the importance of creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Iraq. She also discussed Global Links with former President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City. The History Three years ago, Rick Goings, CEO of Tupperware Brands Corporation, and Elinor Steele, the company's vice president of global commu- nications and women's initiatives, visited Iraq, where they learned that Iraq's entrepreneurial sector was nonexistent. While attending a forum at the University of Baghdad, Goings and Steele felt the students' sense of hopeless- ness—with no development, the country offered them no careers and no future. Women in particu- lar lacked entrepreneurial spirit. After that trip, the company approached Rollins College to create Global Links, which through an application process selects one promising Iraqi woman serving as a business or economics professor to come to campus for two semesters. During that time, she takes courses in social entrepreneurship and management in a "train- the-trainer" model. Between semesters, the scholar participates in a two- month externship at Tupperware Brands, where she shadows managers to develop skills in management, entrepreneurial strategic planning, market analysis, and sales force development. Affecting Lives Ali's actions have spread to her com- munity, a ripple effect that has positively affected the lives of 100 individuals a year. Over five years, she will have touched the lives of hundreds—enough to begin building Iraq's small and medi- um enterprise sector. In 2014, the school will welcome its next scholar. "Dr. Ali's courage and passion for change have opened our eyes just as much as we opened hers," says Craig McAllaster, dean of the Crummer School. "We look forward to hearing about her progress in Iraq, and we anticipate the arrival of our 2014 Global Links Scholar." Global Links Scholar Amel Abed Mohammed Ali POWER IN GLOBAL IMMERSION With campuses and partnerships across the world, it's often said that the sun never sets on Temple University. The Fox School of Business has expanded its undergraduate and graduate programs to global locations including: • Global MBA immersion experiences in China, India, South America and West Africa • Executive MBA programs in Colombia, France, Singapore, Japan and, soon, South Korea • MS in Human Resource Management in Singapore • Undergraduate short-term study abroad programs in Ghana, France, Vietnam and more. • At least 60 MBA and undergraduate consulting projects with clients in 10 countries: Australia, Belgium, England, France, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Russia and Senegal. DISCOVER THE POWER OF FOX ® www.fox.temple.edu FOXad_BizEd_MarApr2014_FINAL.indd 1 1/28/14 3:21 PM 80 March/april 2014 BizEd