MBA students visited the Buda castle in Budapest. From left: Christopher Rubertone, Sofia Kyritsis, Erin St.Thomas, Yaroslava Kulaga and economics professor Christopher Ball.

Nine MBA students from the School of Business traveled to Budapest, Hungary, in June to kick off a major expansion of the school's international studies program.

Highlights of the June 1-15 trip included a lecture by the former Hungarian foreign minister and ambassador to the United States, visits with leaders of Parliament and the Hungarian Central Bank, and visits to several major Hungarian companies as well as the Budapest office of Morgan Stanley. The students also met with several academic leaders and participated in a daylong networking retreat.

Christopher Ball, assistant professor of economics in the School of Business, led the trip. Ball, who specializes in international economics, lived in Budapest from 1994 to 1998, working at the Hungarian-Atlantic Council and then the Institute of Current World Affairs.

"The trip was a success. The students learned a tremendous amount. They were very well prepared and made an excellent impression on the people we met in the region," Ball said.

"The trip positions us very well to work with companies in Hungary. The companies were happy to have us visit and, since our trip, I've had two more companies contact me about visits next year," he added.

The Budapest trip marked the first time the school has arranged an overseas event for MBA students, and Ball said he hopes to make it an annual trip. On the undergraduate level, Quinnipiac currently sends students to France, Germany, Ireland and Nicaragua. Starting this fall, the University's five-year MBA program will require international studies.

"We compete in a global market today," Ball said. "When students interview at companies, they are repeatedly asked if they can work in an international group, if they would mind going abroad." Hungary offers a good opportunity to study an economy in transition, he said.

"Hungary is trying to raise itself to the European level," Ball said. "They have been rewriting their laws and changing their institutions to match Western institutions. When you look at a country in flux, you learn a lot about how things should work."

The students studied Hungary's history, economy and politics. Since their return, the students have been working together to produce a case study on the country and its economy.

MBA students met with the regional vice presidents at GE Money Services' office in Hungary. From left: Christopher Ball, Michael Franza, Dr. Gyula Vastag of Corvinus University in Budapest, Yaroslava Kulaga, Dr. János Vecsenyi, head of learning and development for Budapest Bank / GE Money, Christopher Rubertone, Kathlyn Redmond, Jessica Barletta, Shannon Block, Sofia Kyritsis, Erin St.Thomas and Donna Starzecki.

MBA students visited MOL, Hungary's largest oil company, where a plant manager gave the group a tour of the refinery. From left: Erin St.Thomas, Yaroslava Kulaga, Donna Starzecki, Shannon Block, Jessica Barletta, Kathlyn Redmond, Dr. Ákos Fürcht, plant manager at MOL, Sofia Kyritsis, Christopher Rubertone, Michael Franza and Christopher Ball.