Students from the Penn State engineering leadership development minor (ELDM) will participate in a one week mini-summit Aug. 3 to 10 at HELP University College in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Accounting senior Alec Bittner, mechanical engineering and letters, arts and sciences senior Greg Rybka and civil engineering graduate student David Vargas will deliver formal presentations and participate in workshops with their counterparts at HELP, discussing leadership, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, service learning, cultural exchange and sustainability. Professionals in the region also will attend the conference to explore corporate and educational opportunities throughout Asia.
"This summit allows students from very different backgrounds to come together and discuss critical issues that affect their lives," said Rick Schuhmann, director of ELDM. "The first step towards solving global problems is building international partnerships based upon trust where leadership is truly shared."
The student summit also will develop a long-term collaborative project to continue the exchange of ideas between the two universities, using Internet-based technologies to communicate.
During the fall semester, Bittner, Rybka and Vargas will make presentations across Penn State to discuss the results of the summit and initiate the upcoming collaborative project.
ELDM develops the leadership and business skills necessary for success in today's global economy. ELDM has developed relationships with universities in Hungary, Morocco and Malaysia to give students a chance to practice non-technical business and leadership skills while promoting international understanding and collaboration.