Summer International Experience

The Pavlis Institute will prepare you to lead both at home and abroad. During your first 2-3 years on campus, you will learn about leadership styles, effective communication methods and ethics. In addition, you will work with other Pavlis students to develop projects that you and your cohort will implement during your 5-week international experience the summer between your junior and senior years. Before traveling you will be introduced to the culture and language of the country you will visit and familiarize yourself with business, engineering and environmental principles. You will then spend the month of July abroad putting your plans into action. Through this experience, you will implement your projects with minimal supervision, gain confidence and grow as a leader, and make a difference in the lives of others.

Scholarships are available on a competitive basis to cover some of the travel costs (airfare, lodging, food, ground transportation) of the summer experience and all of the associated summer course credits. For unscholarshipped students, efforts will be made by the Institute to help defray these costs.

Pavlis projects in Ghana over the last two years have focused on bringing laptop computers and establishing a library in village schools, providing instruction in the schools, and assessing potential future projects. Several of the students met with village elders and villagers to ascertain community needs and to begin determining how future cohorts of students can help improve the lives of the population in these villages. While in Ghana each cohort of students maintained a travel blog documenting their project work and experiences.

Ghana is the initial project site and will remain a project site for the foreseeable future. An additional site is currently being developed and it is anticipated that students will pilot this site in summer, 2010.

2007-2008 Travel Blog
2008-2009 Travel Blog

Pavlis Institute for Global Technological Leadership
1400 Townsend Drive
722 M&M Building
906-487-4371 (phone)
906-487-2770 (fax)
pavlisinstitute@mtu.edu