The College of Business hosts 28 MBA students from Switzerland.

Graduates from a top business school in Switzerland shared their insights with Northern Nevada businesses during a week-long field trip in late March, and the students returned home with a deeper understanding of American business practices.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Business hosted 28 business students from Switzerland’s Bern University of Applied Sciences, and leaders from both schools hope to expand the inaugural visit into an annual exchange.

The University of Applied Sciences of Bern is one of the 15 leading universities around the world with a business college and partnerships that include student and faculty exchanges, research collaborations and joint symposia.

All Swiss students are experienced professionals seeking a master’s degree in business. He has worked on projects such as customer surveys, digital marketing plans and data analytics for Reno area businesses including Microsoft Corporation and Hamilton Company.

Dr. Nada Andrissat, a lecturer at the University of Switzerland, who accompanied the students, said that the projects, along with guest lectures during their visit, gave the students a better understanding of business practices around the world. Their experience in international business built their skills and developed cultural respect and tolerance.

“Overall, the study tour was an immersive experience with many learning opportunities that would be nearly impossible to recreate,” Endrissat said.

Participating businesses have also benefited.

“The added value of business partners is that when students come from a different cultural context, they get an outside perspective and some outside ideas,” Endrissat said.

College of Business Professor Dr. Sonja Pippin, who served as the university’s keynote speaker for the tour, said the Swiss students’ work with Nevada businesses has increased the visibility of the university and the College of Business in the community.

She also hopes that opportunities for University of Nevada, Reno students to interact with their Swiss counterparts will encourage Nevada students to take advantage of the university’s many international study programs.

Leaders from both the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Applied Sciences in Bern are interested in continuing the exchange every year, Pippin said, and the international business program in the College of Business is looking for opportunities to develop similar programs with other partner schools.

“I believe it’s very important to know people from different countries and cultures, to speak different languages,” Pippin said.