While traveling during spring break is not unusual for many college students, a group of part-time MBA students took adventure to a whole new level. The Graduate Programs Office of Lehigh’s College of Business sent 14 FLEX MBA students to Singapore in March 2023. The six-day trip was part of the newly relaunched Global Immersion program. Leading the program were Professors Douglas Mahony and Joshua Ehrig, and Megan Van Voorhis, FLEX MBA program director.
Singapore, the ‘little red dot’ on the map, sits at the crossroads both for commerce and for people. It represents a gateway to South East Asia and plays host to regional headquarters for many global companies. Beyond its strategic role in shipping, Singapore is now among the top three global financial centers as well as a vibrant business innovation hub. With Lehigh’s numerous alumni connections in the region, Singapore was a natural location to host MBA students.
The students followed a packed itinerary in which they connected with nine different business and government organizations. The host companies ranged from leading global organizations (including: Bain & Co., Bank Julius Bär, Fitch Ratings, and White & Case) to regional companies such as Grab and GoVentures, and even included two start-ups (FomoPay and Mo Batteries) across several industries. The visit with the Singapore Economic Development Board helped frame the active role the government plays in ensuring Singapore’s global position as an innovation and businesses center.
In between those busy days, the rich cultural diversity and unparalleled food scene provided a backdrop for everyone to explore and learn about the dynamic city. And of course, the group members sampled Chili-Crab—a quintessentially Singaporean dish. “Singapore served as a canvas for the students to explore,” says Mahony, “to test their own sense of the world, and enhance their global mindset.”
Singapore was chosen for the global immersion destination as it is a city-state that sets itself apart from other nations. It is a unique business hub and one that offers myriad opportunities for students and faculty to interact with business and government leaders.
All of the students are working professionals, many in senior positions, whose work experience ranged from slightly less than 10 years to more than 20. “Yet, for many this was their first time being in the region and their first time participating in a program like this,” says Mahony. The trip was part of an elective course created with the dual purpose of providing the opportunity for our students to come together and forge strong and lasting personal connections with their peers and to do so while being immersed in a global business hub where they would be exposed to the complexities and opportunities of operating in Southeast Asia.