Background Information
Situated at the south western corner of the
Pacific Ocean, New Zealand and the Australia have been some of
the most
beautiful landscapes to live, study and work in. The program offers a unique
combination of cultural
and academic visits that allow for students to
experience all that the region has to offer. Below is a list of the
cities
included on the program itinerary.
The program will start at the Great
Barrier Reef, one of the seven wonders of the world. The Reef is the
largest
living organism on earth, with thousands of reefs, hundreds of islands
and over 500 types of hard and soft coral.
Not only will you be able to visit
the reef and learn more about the ecotourism associated with it, but you
will
also have the option to snorkel or scuba dive.
Sydney is the second stop. Sydney is the largest Australian
city and the most impressive. While in Sydney
the class will tour a wide range
of companies along with visiting the Sydney Harbor Bridge, touring the Sydney
Opera, holding a koala bear, and hand feeding kangaroos.
Auckland will be the first stop in New Zealand. Auckland is an
economic hub of the Asia Pacific region and
one of the world's most
business-friendly markets. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and the
world's
biggest Polynesian center.
Renowned for its geothermal activity and Maori
culture, Rotorua will be the next city. While in Rotorua,
students will also visit the movie sets for The Lord of the Rings and The
Hobbit trilogies.
Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, is
the last stop on the study tour. Queenstown has adrenaline
activities for every
thrill-seeker.
1) Great Educational Experience
With prime Asia-Pacific locations, educated work forces, an abundance of
natural resources, and friendly people,
Australia and New Zealand offer
attractive business environments to explore. You will be exposed to all this
ingenuity and where possible, experience at first hand these crazy and unique
inventions! The Australia
component of the trip would involve traveling
to Sydney, and the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkeling in the Great
Barrier
Reef, visiting the Sydney Harbor Bridge, touring the Sydney Opera, holding a
koala bear, and hand feeding
kangaroos were just a few of the unique
experiences that were part of the 2017 study trip to Australia.
Australia, the world’s 12th largest economy,
is entering its 26th year of uninterrupted annual growth. With such
solid
fundamentals – as well as record-low interest rates, a strong banking sector,
and financial liquidity –
Australia has attracted a tremendous number of
multinational companies. The company visits are very educational.
An example is
provided:
New Zealand has been named by the World Bank
as the second best country in the world in which to do business
two years in a
row and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor ranks New Zealand second in the world
for innovation.
New Zealand is ranked the “most socially advanced nation
in the world”, according to the Social Progress Index of
132 countries ranked
on social and environmental performance by the Social Progress Imperative. New
Zealand is
one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world. New Zealand
is a nation with a proven record in multiple
fields such as science,
technology, manufacturing, sport, and social issues. It’s one of the safest
country to visit.
The course will examine innovation in the tourism
sector in New Zealand. New Zealand takes pride on being a
world leader in
challenge and adventure with a number of innovative tourism services and
products like AJ Hackett
Bungy and Skywalk etc. From bungee jumping to sky
diving New Zealand is frequently listed as the adventure
capital of the world.
These 2 countries are
the birthplace of some of the most ingenious ideas. These range from Bungee
Jumping to
WiFi, the JetPack to Google Maps and the Zorb to wearable/mounted
Action cameras.
2) Impressive Speaker Series
For the past iterations of the
Australia-New Zealand program organizations and speakers include the following:
1) Australian Trade Commission: Paul Adler, Business Development Manager; 2)
Fonterra, Llori Valenzuela, Sandy
Hu, Head of Online Sales for Global
Ingredients, Brand Experience Manager; 3) BurgerFuel, Alexis Lam,
Marketing
Manager; 4) Icebreaker, Rob Fyfe, Chief Executive Officer & (Former CEO of
Air New Zealand from
2003-2012); 5) The Next Billion, Priti Ambani, Chief
Operating Officer and Co-Founder (UMD Alumnus);
6) Xero – Wellington,
Siobhan Warren, Graduate Experience Manager; 7) New Zealand Rugby, Nigel Cass,
Head of Strategy and Operations; 8) Creative HQ, Stefan Korn, Chief Executive
Officer; 9) AJ Hackett, Mike
Voyce, Sales & Marketing Manager 10) Qantas
Airways, Alan Joyce, Chief Executive Officer; 11) Fishburners –
Sydney, Murray
Hurps, Chief Executive Officer; 12) Commonwealth Bank of Australia, George
Robinson ,
General Manager for Group Strategy; 13) Google Australia, Stephanie
Borgman, People Programs Lead;
14) Atlassian, Carson Page, Learning &
Development Manager; 15) Canva, Mahesh Mualidhar, Head of People
Operations.
No other study tour
provides such a comprehensive exposure to high level senior executives
3) People
Kiwis and Aussies are some of the most amazing, loving, and welcoming people
that you will ever meet. Even if
you are a stranger, they are still going to
treat you as they would a friend. They are used to meeting new people,
first
because they travel a lot themselves and also because New Zealand and Australia
is a popular travel
destination for a wide variety of people. The culture is
quite laid back and easy going, as opposed to the tense
feelings that sometimes
come with large cities like London or Paris. New Zealand is considered one of
the safest
places to live in the world. For being such an isolated part of the
world, the diversity is greater than you see in
many European countries.
4) Climate
You will visit New Zealand and Australia during the summer months of the
southern hemisphere.
5) Program Options
There’s no reason to have to choose between
Australia and New Zealand. Experience both! No other faculty led
short term
course offers the option.
This trip puts together the best of both Australia
and New Zealand, bringing you to the wonderful world of Middle
Earth and the
Land of Oz on a wonderful learning journey. English is spoken throughout both
countries, so there
is no need to worry about not being able to interact with
the locals.
Additional Details
The program fee is estimated at $4,400 and
includes UM tuition (3 credits), fees, hotel accommodations, fees
for all
academic site visits, field trips, and other program-sponsored excursions, bus
transportation to all visits,
an average of one to two meals per day (lunches
or dinner), and course reading materials. The final fee will be
determined at a later date. Airfare and personal expenses not included
.Estimated airfare: $1,700-$2,200. Heading
to New Zealand or Australia on your
own will definitely cost a lot more, as this program provides the opportunity
to capitalize on significant group discounts. Pending final approval, this
course will meet the University General
Education Global Competence
requirement.
the countries included.
Exact dates and applications details are at
Please note that while the final deadline date
is October 1st, the spots on the last offering filled by July.
The program departs the U.S. on January 8 or
9. The first meeting time in Australia will be the evening of
January 11.
The program will conclude January 25 with departure back to the
U.S. January 26th.
Please contact Professor Mark Wellman if you have
any questions.
