SDSU CIBER Co-hosts National Forum on Trade Policy in Seattle

Contact: Randy Carmical, Director of Communications
(619) 594-0206 Randy.Carmical@sdsu.edu

SEATTLE, Thursday, December 7, 2006- San Diego State University Center for International Business Education and Research (SDSU CIBER), along with University of Washington’s CIBER, will host the 2006 CIBER National Forum on Trade Policy (NFTP) on Dec. 7 and 8. The event, which begins at 8 a.m. each day, will take place at The Westin in Seattle, Washington and will focus on pressing trade issues, draw from regional case studies, and examine the role of key industries in trade and regional prosperity throughout the United States.

The NFTP is an annual conference that brings together business leaders, federal and state policy makers, higher education practitioners and leading experts. The forum is designed to help decision makers and researchers understand the shifting economy and evaluate policy responses. The goal of the conference is to provide international business education, research and outreach programs to advance economic competitiveness.

This year, the program will focus on pressing trade issues, drawing from regional case studies including San Diego, Seattle, Austin and North Carolina, and examine the vital role trade plays in a region’s economy. The CIBER National Forum on Trade Policy facilitates discussion among interested and informed parties of significant trade policy issues, provides an avenue of private/public sector exchange of ideas, stimulates meaningful research, and motivates constructive policy action. These issues are particularly important in an emerging global economy, where company headquarters and production can take place anywhere in the world. 

Dr. Gail Naughton, Dean of the SDSU College of Business Administration and
Co-founder and former President and COO of Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc., will be among several industry leaders at the event speaking on regional prosperity. Naughton will participate in a panel discussion on regional prosperity in the field of technology.

The NFTP is scheduled to take place in San Diego in 2008. For more information about CIBER’s NFTP, visit http://bschool.washington.edu/ciber/nftp.

About SDSU CIBER
Funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, SDSU CIBER is one of 30 centers nationwide and was one of the first five funded in 1989. Its activities include providing grants to fund faculty research and student study/internships abroad; outreach and development programs for the business community; training programs for language and business faculty from institutions across the country; and a variety of innovative activities which impact interdisciplinary education in the U.S. and further the CIBER mandate to enhance U.S. competitiveness abroad.

About the College of Business Administration - Leadership for the Global Marketplace.
With over 5,500 students, the SDSU College of Business is one of the largest business schools in the U.S. Its programs in international business and graduate entrepreneurship are ranked among the top programs in the country by U.S. News and World Report. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu/business.  

About San Diego State University
San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degree in 72 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU’s more than 34,000 students participate in academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.