For the second time in five years, global trade education efforts at Fisher College of Business have garnered national recognition.

The college and its Global Trade Network received a 2022 President’s E-Star Award for Export Services. The award, presented by the U.S. Department of Commerce, recognizes individuals, firms or organizations that contribute to efforts to boost U.S. exports.

“We are proud and honored to have been selected for this prestigious award because it not only highlights a shared commitment to global business among our students, faculty, staff and partners, but it also underscores our dedication to Ohio State’s modern land-grant mission,” said Anil K. Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business. “As part of Ohio’s flagship university, we take seriously our commitment to creating business leaders, educational opportunities and meaningful partnerships that are shaping the future of the state’s workforce and economy.”

The E-Star Award specifically acknowledged the ongoing work and strategic expansion of the Fisher Global Trade Network. The network has grown to include federal resources, state agencies, large and small economic development entities across the state, university partners, and small to medium-sized Ohio companies that are focused on growing their global trade strategies and that support export education at Fisher.

“This honor is a testament to your hard work exporting your products and services to the global market, and your remarkable resilience during the pandemic,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo, who presented awards at the ceremony. “… Exporting world-class American products overseas isn’t just essential for our domestic economy, it’s also vital for our global economic competitiveness. Ninety-five percent of consumers are based abroad, and we all know how severely the pandemic disrupted international trade and global supply chains. Strengthening our domestic supply chains and increasing our engagement with international markets are critical to our economic recovery.”

Programs such as the ever-expanding Ohio Export Internship Program (OEIP) continue to serve as signature offerings available via the Global Trade Network. OEIP is a successful collaboration between Fisher, the State of Ohio Department of Development Agency (ODOD), other Ohio universities across the state, and small- to medium-sized enterprises (SME) in multiple industries that provides students with export-specific education and internship opportunities.

Since Fisher co-created this program in 2012 with ODOD, over 400 students from 19 universities across Ohio have successfully completed an extensive export course and a 12-week paid internship with an Ohio SME that is currently exporting and wants to expand, or one that is ready to export and needs the guidance this program provides.

“The growth of the OEIP represents the overall progress we have made in increasing the scale and impact of the Fisher Global Trade Network as a whole,” said Joyce Steffan, senior director of Fisher’s Office of Global Business. “Along with our partners in education, government and the business community, we’re working to highlight new and changing opportunities for business growth in Ohio while dispelling the stigma that these opportunities are declining in our state.” 

Other Global Trade Network offerings that were highlighted by the E-Star Award include:

• Fisher Global Trade Consulting Group (GTCG): graduates of the OEIP who have successfully participated in export-related coursework and completed export strategic plans and consultant projects for other area companies.
• Fisher Summer Global Internship and Fisher Global Consulting Programs: four- and eight-week summer business internships that have connected hundreds of undergraduate students with opportunities to experience business in global locations such as Australia, Chile, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain and the UK.
• Partnerships with organizations such as the Central Ohio Small Business Development Center, JobsOhio and the National Association of Small Business International Trade Educators (NASBITE).

Presented at a Department of Commerce event in Washington, D.C., on July 13, the E-Star Award is Fisher’s second such recognition. The college was named a President’s E-Award winner in 2017.