Stephen Muse, coordinator of the exchange program for MBA Institute – interviewed by Claudia Martin, 2nd-year student
Claudia Martin : What is your background ?
Stephen Muse : I come from Boston, but I am Irish-American. I studied at Georgetown University (Washington, DC) and I have an MBA from Suffolk University.
CM : What is your role ? How do you work with the international students ?
SM : I am the coordinator of the exchange program for MBA Institute, so I help all the international students who plan to spend a semester in Paris to integrate into the school.
I give cultural classes in the form of outings : we visit key places in Paris like museums, theaters, etc… I always do my best to keep costs low and arrange for discounts for the international students. We also watch French movies and organize big events every year like the Thanksgiving party.
CM : How long have you been doing this job and what place does MBA Institute have in your life now ?
SM : I have been doing this for 8 years. MBA Institute is like a “Central Park” for me now. I really think that MBA Institute students are top students !
CM : What benefits do you feel you get from this job ?
SM : I love Paris, and it is the perfect opportunity for me to share my appreciation of this city with my students.
CM : How do you manage to create a bridge between all the different cultures? Have you got a particular way of doing it ?
SM : I use my own “survival” experience to help people who arrive in Paris ; it is the best map for helping them to have the experience of a lifetime.
In my opinion, to arrive in and survive in Paris, one has to have the skill of an entrepreneur ; that is to say, to have the courage to go to different places and get things done.
I want to stress the importance of the PEA [Projet Extra-Académique ; Extra-Academic Project] Study Abroad which has been phenomenal for the last 4 years. The PEA has done everything to welcome the Americans ; a sort of island has been created which gathers the international students and the French students from the PEA.
CM : What could be done to improve the reception of the international students ?
SM : The success of the PEA is one thing that must be mentioned. Before the PEA was created, the Americans would not be integrated with the French until midterm period.
But it would be even better if the international students could attend all the French classes so that they could get to know all the French students and build an even bigger network.
This extension, in addition to even more participation from the 1st and 2nd year students, could be a real guarantee that the international students are perfectly integrated among MBA Institute students.
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