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"Our staff is building partnerships and relationships, four-year undergraduate program. Therefore, many business schools seem to be establishing a middle ground—boosting the language course require- ments for their own students, while relaxing them for stu- dents visiting from abroad. English is fast becoming the com- mon language of business courses, which allows a campus to open its doors to students from all corners of the world. "In the early 1980s, all of our instruction was in Danish," courses were taught in English. Now it's more like 20 per- cent," notes Koenig. "We need to attract more international students, and the interface among students is valuable. That meant that we needed to lower the language barrier, so that they can share their experiences with each other." says Jensen of CBS. "But we soon realized that to cooperate with students all around the world, we could not expect them to learn Danish quickly enough to do their academic work. So we began to develop courses in English. It's taken a while, but now a large number of our programs offer some courses in English. Next fall, we'll have a full-time MBA pro- gram offered in English." Koenig admits that fluency in French is ideal for students coming to study at ESSEC, since their experience can be aca- demic and cultural, rather than simply linguistic. ESSEC itself has a rigorous language program, which requires stu- dents to speak at least three languages—French, English, and one of their choosing. That requirement, however, is not always practical, he notes. "Ten years ago, probably less than five percent of our INTERNATIONAL STUDENT REPORT Of Growing Importance Karl Nichols Home School: Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management Nashville, Tennessee Host School: Vienna University Vienna, Austria An international education was a given for Karl Nichols. As an MBA student at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management in Nashville, Tennessee, Nichols saw the EU and the emerging economy of Eastern Europe as especially important to the global economy. "I speak German and wanted to go esting. What makes certain countries develop faster than others? What regional incen- tives and attractions can add to a country's gross domestic product? Struggling with such questions is something that is a more relevant topic in Austria than perhaps elsewhere." As the appetite for to a German-speaking nation," Nichols explains. "Studying the emergence of Eastern bloc countries is especially inter- 36 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2003 Western goods in these countries increases and their economies develop, they'll have more money to purchase Western goods. Eastern Europe is a region of growing impor- tance to the world, stresses Nichols. "This is something that can't be ignored by Western managers." In his courses, Nichols is especially interested in studying the European integration into the European Union business student didn't understand and study American business, he or she would have been ignoring a major player in the business world," says Nichols. "Today, the EU is and will be a huge economic force. If Americans don't understand Europe, they'll be missing out as well." "Twenty years ago, if a German and how this area will be a significant econom- ic, financial, and political force in the future. He learns about the economics of the EU not only from professors who have seen its evolution firsthand, but also through conversations with Europeans. It's an expe- rience that simply can't be replicated in an American classroom, he says. Trend #4 – A Less Certain World. It's ironic that at the very time when international experience has become more important to business school students, it has become more difficult, at least for some, to travel abroad. The Boston Globe recently reported that since September 11, 2001, the U.S. has tight- ened security considerably, creating a backlog of student visas that are awaiting approval. This slowdown has affected some students' plans to return to the U.S. to begin or complete their studies. For instance, one Jordanian student who intended to start Harvard Business School last fall missed the start of the school year because his visa had not yet been approved. Some students are simply enrolling at other uni- versities in the world to keep their studies on track. This situation marks a new reality for business schools worldwide, although it has not dampened interest in inter- national study, says Kellie Christie, director of academic pro- grams and student services for Vanderbilt University's Owen