Officials from the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz, Germany (Fachhochschule Mainz), met with Coastal Carolina University administrators Feb. 13 and14 to discuss the final details of a partnership establishing a series of business exchange programs, including a dual degree in international business. The two universities will begin offering a series of exchange programs beginning in June 2001.

A dual degree program in international business will allow students from the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz, after completing program requirements in Germany, to matriculate to Coastal for their final year and earn a bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing or management from Coastal as well as a business degree from their home university. Coastal students will also be offered the opportunity to study in Mainz and earn a degree from the German institution as well as a Coastal business degree.

Summer exchange programs are also being explored by both universities. The first of these exchanges will begin in June 2001, when six of Coastal's Wall Fellow students will travel to Mainz for a three-week course on issues relating to the European integration.

"This program will benefit Coastal by exposing our students to diverse business and educational environments outside the United States," said Coastal President Ronald R. Ingle. "Our faculty will have the opportunity to expand their professional expertise through exchanges with colleagues in Germany. Also, as students from Germany and other parts of the world serve internships with local industries, the entire Grand Strand area will profit through the development of international contacts."

"Today's economy is a global economy, and today's business students need a global viewpoint," said President Michael Morath of the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz. "Exchange programs are invaluable in helping different cultures to learn and understand each other. Also, because there are many German companies in South Carolina, it makes sense for our institution to link with universities in the state."

The agreement to establish a partnership between the two universities was signed in fall 2000 after Darla Domke-Damonte, assistant professor of management at Coastal, traveled to Mainz to visit the campus and discuss details of the exchange arrangement. The proposal was initiated by President Ingle during a visit he made to Mainz in 1998 as part of a delegation from the state of South Carolina to investigate opportunities for cooperation between the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and South Carolina. The two states have an official sister state designation. Mainz is the capital of Rhineland- Palatinate.

The University of Applied Sciences in Mainz was created in 1996 as a result of a merger between the Mainz I and Mainz II branches of the Fachhochschule of the Rhineland-Palatinate. The original institution was established more than 100 years ago, offering programs in engineering, fine arts and business. The University of Applied Sciences has approximately 4,000 students.