The Ohio Export Internship Program (OEIP) was recognized at a national ceremony in partnership with the Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA). The President’s “E” Award highlighted efforts to expand exports in Ohio and was presented by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to the ODSA at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Created from a partnership between The Ohio State University Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), Fisher College of Business and the ODSA, the OEIP was recognized as a nationwide model for impactful collaboration in export service.
The award is the highest recognition any U.S. organization can receive for its contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.
The President's E-Award
Criteria for receiving an “E” Award includes four years of successive export growth and case studies that demonstrate valuable support to exporters resulting in increased exports for clients. The ODSA nominated the OEIP for the award.
“The Ohio Development Services Agency has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion,” said Secretary Pritzker. “The agency’s collaboration with state institutions to promote student internships was also particularly notable. The Ohio Development Services Agency’s achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.”
“As one of the founding partners of the Ohio Export Internship Program, Fisher is proud to see it recognized among other top exporting organizations around the country,” said Anil K. Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business. “The continued success of the OEIP reaffirms Fisher’s commitment to The Ohio State University’s modern land grant mission of addressing society’s most compelling needs, building Ohio’s future, and connecting the state, its businesses and our students with valuable opportunities beyond the nation’s borders.”
Supported by CIBER, which receives grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the OEIP was launched in 2012 to educate undergraduate business students on the fundamentals of exporting. The program, which is housed within Fisher’s Office of Global Business, features a spring semester, export-focused course before pairing students with small to midsized companies as paid interns to help increase global sales.
Since its inception, 102 students from Ohio State and from universities across the state have helped increase export sales for 83 companies by an estimated $19 million.
Students in the program have created export relationships in 29 new markets around the world, and 17 students have earned job offers as a result of their work with OEIP.
“This award is a reflection of the hard work of our students and the spirit of collaboration shared by Fisher, the Ohio Development Services Agency and the business community throughout Ohio,” said OEIP Director Joyce Steffan. “We are honored to receive it, and we look forward to making an even greater impact by continuing to close the skills gap between Ohio companies that need employees who know how to export, and students who have developed those critical global business skills.”
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