Education: Miami is one of the perennial places where Latin Americans go for higher education. In the last decade, it has also become a center for advanced business degrees via programs that are geared—in Spanish—to executives

Latin CEO: Executive Strategies for the Americas, August-Sept, 2002

Miami is one of the perennial places where Latin Americans go for higher education. In the last decade, it has also become a center for advanced business degrees via programs that are geared--in Spanish--to executives

For the past five years, a cadre of top Latin American executives and professionals have flown into Miami for business, but not to negotiate deals or participate in conventions. Instead, they have come to attend the University of Miami School of Business Administration, for a year-long Spanish-language master's degree program in managerial skills.

"Developing a master's level program taught entirely in Spanish for Latin American executives and professionals seems like a natural fit [for Miami] ," says Dr. Harold Berkman, vice dean of the school's Graduate Business Programs and creator of the Master of Science in Professional Management program.

Since 1998, the program has grown both in prestige and popularity, says Ania Nozewnik-Green, director of graduate business recruiting and admissions. "We offer the complete package - a unique geographic location, exceptional quality, and a prestigious reputation with world-renowned faculty" The students have an average age of 40 and a minimum of eight years of business experience. There is no "distance learning," either; the program typically consists of five intense two-week sessions in Miami.

On the other hand, Florida International University - Miami's top state university - offers a Global Executive MBA that is an Internet-focused experience. During five week-long residencies at Miami's Biltmore Hotel Conference Center of the Americas, the students are constantly plugged into the internet. During the weeks of the 13-month program when students are not in Miami, they meet for class online at specific times to participate in discussions and lectures. The Global eMBA is specifically designed for managers with five to eight years of international Latin American management experience, and has attracted executives from the Latin American divisions of companies like Monsanto, Xerox and 3Com.

"It's a global program for managers in the Americas, so its oriented towards them," says Dr. Sally Gallion, assistant dean of FlU's Chapman Graduate School of Business, who was herself raised in Peru and Argentina. "The whole Chapman school's mission is to prepare business leaders for the Americas. if someone is interested in finding out about dealing with the Far East, they can do that better somewhere else."

The main student body of FIU is itself highly international, with about 10 percent of the 33,000 students from foreign countries. Naturally, Latin American and Caribbean countries dominate the international contingent, with the leading countries being Venezuela, Jamaica, Colombia, Brazil and Trinidad/Tabago. The students come for programs in architecture, business, engineering, medicine, teaching and law as well as a Spanish-language masters program in journalism.

The University of Miami, along with other South Florida business schools, also offers internships in other countries that help to promote cross-national ties, and international business contacts that can prove invaluable to an individual's career path. In fact, virtually every educational institution in Miami-Dade county has international programs that provide assistance with student visas, financial aid and the complexities of adjusting to life in the United States.

These concepts were in evidence at FIU in August, when the school hosted a week-long cultural orientation program for more than 65 Fulbright scholars. FIU's faculty and staff helped this group of international graduate students become acclimated to life in the US before heading off for their graduate programs. "Many of these scholars will stay in the US for a significant period of time while they complete their studies," says Tatiana Mackliff, marketing coordinator for FLU'S Office of International Studies. "This orientation process provides students with a taste of their future life in the US."

Geographic diversity is also a hallmark of South Florida's elementary, middle and senior high schools. More than a dozen Miami-Dade schools have programs in international education that focus on learning in a foreign language. "We recently held a survey and found that we have more than 53 countries represented here," says Michael Papa, headmaster of Gulliver Preparatory School, a private high school in Pinecrest. "We are seeing an increase in families from certain Latin American countries, who come here for either economic or safety reasons."

Most important, adds Papa, the diversity in Miami's overall student population contributes to the "richness" of class discussions of history, politics, arts, sciences and literature. "It's a great place to teach and learn," he says. "Miami provides a glimpse ahead at the level of education that's possible in a diverse community"

Greater Miami is also a major exporter of academic and intellectual capital throughout the Americas, with universities operating graduate school or specialized training programs from Latin American sites, or distance learning programs using satellite television, videotapes and the Internet.