UNIVERSITIES
At GIOBA, we believe in long-term partnerships.
We support our clients - international universities - in facing the challenge of becoming lifelong learning hubs, where learning experiences should be flexible, accessible and career-oriented.
More than 200 successfully delivered study programs and consulting projects are a proof of that.
SEE WHAT THE FACULTY LEADERS HAD TO SAY
University North Carolina Wilmington
Cameron School of Business
Dr. Nivine Richie, CFA, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs
and Professor of Finance
As a professor, I am deeply grateful for the support offered by David and Pavlina’s professional staff and hands-on management methods. Traveling overseas with students and working with real clients always involve risk, but GIOBA helps us manage those risks successfully. I strongly recommend their services for the following specific reasons:
Consulting project organization
The consulting project is highly structured and sufficiently challenging for upper-level undergraduate or MBA students. GIOBA staff is willing to negotiate with the end client on our behalf if we find that the preliminary project description is either too involved or too easy.
Cross-cultural business training
Textbooks and lectures cannot replace the hands-on learning that takes place as students wrestle with the ambiguity of a real-world project, particularly when the audience includes non-native English speakers from a post-communist economy. Though we try to prepare students before we leave the U.S. for the cultural differences they can expect, students benefit from experiencing those differences first-hand.
Our student response to this program has been outstanding and has drawn the attention of senior administration at our university. We select students based on GPA, prerequisite courses, and student conduct. We are able to be selective as we routinely have more students apply than we can accept. The students that register for this course are among the best students in the business school; they are eager to do a good job and pour a great amount of energy into the task of completing this team-based consulting project.
Students view the course as an opportunity to gain an international internship-like experience rather than as a typical “spring break trip.” Year after year, they report that potential employers are fascinated by their work, and several students credit the Prague program with helping them secure employment upon graduation.”
Northern Kentucky University
Haile/US Bank College of Business
Dr. David Raška
Chief of Experiential Growth and Associate Professor of Marketing
“What a great experience for our students (and faculty)!
GIOBA provides a few priceless benefits that are hard to find elsewhere.
First, they know the local business environment and can facilitate business meetings with
companies that fit our interests.
Second, they are flexible and respectful of our own project needs and capable of finding
clients that fit our expectations.
Third, they provide 24/7 access to a caring companion who guides us through and helps us
throughout the entire stay in Prague.
Fourth, they can create programs that allow our students and faculty to experience what they want as well as things they would not think of on their own.
Last but not the least, Pavlina and David love what they do and have the courage to be true to themselves. Without that, our students would have only half of the cultural experience they need!
They need to learn how to manage projects in collaboration with people from different cultures who follow different business acumen and practices.
GIOBA can deliver all of this and much more. Just ask for it!”
Butler University
Lacy School of Business
Ms. Marietta Stalcup, MBA, Director of Graduate Programs
“I am very pleased to recommend GIOBA to your organization. I had the pleasure of meeting David and Pavlina Dvorsky during one of my “self-organized” visits to Prague. During that trip, we had some last-minute cancellations and GIOBA stepped in and successfully arranged a full day of excellent activities in less than 36 hours. Very impressive! As a result, we opted to return to the Czech Republic the following year and hired GIOBA as our provider organization.
GIOBA’s knowledge and expertise with Central European programs are outstanding.
I make it a priority to take my MBA students to Central Europe at least every other year (we are a small program) because of the dynamic growth in the region, ease of travel to Western Europe, and the quality of educational and consulting opportunities in the region. GIOBA blends historic, cultural, social, economic, consulting, and leadership team discussions that are customized to your specific Student Learning Outcomes and consulting project requirements. No cookie-cutter programming here!
As a Program Director, I am grateful for the support offered by David, Pavlina, and their professional staff. Their extensive network and long-standing relationships with small and large companies in the region allows them to plan and adjust when necessary.”