GSE, CIGNA offer Chinese businessmen a cultural experience

In a joint effort with the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education -- the CIGNA International corporation invited eight Chinese businessmen to participate in a training session on American tradition and insurance. The session, called the Young Future Leaders program, is the first of its kind for the insurance industry in China, according to Frank Kodman, coordinator of GSE's International Program. The three-week long program allowed the students to "explore the intricacies of the insurance business from an American perspective," according to a press release from CIGNA. CIGNA, one of the world's largest insurers, is a major sponsor of the GSE International Program, prompting the joint effort. The University provided lessons in American culture and English language training, while CIGNA introduced the students to different aspects of insurance, Kodman said. The students also took business classes at the Wharton School. Associate Professor of Operations and Information Management Yu-Sheng Zheng was the Wharton professor who worked with the students. According to GSE International Program Director Cheng Davis, Zheng "did a great job teaching U.S. economic development." "He is the only tenured faculty member who speaks [both Chinese and English] fluently and who understands both cultures," she said. The participants, ranging in age from 27 to 49, were selected jointly by CIGNA and China's insurance industry officials and business leaders. CIGNA Vice President Norman Stephen said participants who were selected "had fairly good command of the English language" and were "people who were highly upwardly mobile." The program was designed following a visit from a Shanghai delegation last October. Stephen said members of the delegation had expressed a need for more training in international trade and business. "The topics [of the program] were selected to meet the needs expressed," he explained. "We were very flexible." Davis added that the program also grew out of relations formed by GSE Dean Susan Fuhrman. Although the program is only a pilot, Davis said there is a tremendous demand for programs of this sort in China so it will probably continue for a few years. Stephen said the students were asked to evaluate the program at its finish, both in a written report and in a roundtable discussion with the CIGNA staff. "The roundtable discussion was extremely helpful," he said. "A comfort level was established between the students and the staff. I think they were much more open then they would normally have been." Overall, Stephen said the students enjoyed the course, but suggested more hands-on experience. "They wanted to have the coursework sent to them in advance so that the actual time here could involve more exposure to actual workplace situations," he said. Davis said the students were especially moved by the taste of American culture they got while in the U.S. "They attended the 4th of July festivities, and were very impressed with how much we love our country," she said. "They said they knew why the U.S. is so powerful -- the people."

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