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Ted Baartmans, back row, middle, with WIU MBA students.
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Industry Leader Presents Seminar for WIU MBA Students

March 12, 2007

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MACOMB, IL -- When students enrolled in Western Illinois University's Trilateral MBA (Master of Business Administration) Program, they knew they were getting into a unique program. From group projects with students at universities in Canada and Mexico to international study trips, the graduate students gain knowledge and experience that will set them apart from other grads. And recently, they had the opportunity to learn from an industry leader.

Ted Baartmans, the director of the international company The Presentation Group, led a special seminar in international leadership for all WIU master of business administration graduate students, including the Tri-Lateral cohort, Feb. 23-24 as part of the MBA Guest Speaker Series. Baartmans's presentation helped students to develop an understanding of their communication styles, goals and resulting personal action plans.

Baartmans, whose company is based in the Netherlands, has worked with a wide range of clients: including Phillips, Sara Lee, Unilever and EVP (European Parliament). He is also the CEO for The Bloemendall Communication Network B.V., and the vice president of external affairs ILA in Washington, DC. He has had projects working on relations in Brazil/Bolivia, Chili, Mexico, South Africa and Peru/Bolivia, and is currently working on a project with Kazakhstan and China.

"Ted has excelled in international leadership and had much advice for our aspiring young leaders," said Carol Fimmen, director of the WIU College of Business and Technology (CBT) Center for Global Education. "His main goal for this seminar was to instill responsibility for the world's well-being in Western's attending students."

As part of the Tri-Lateral MBA program, students spend one semester at Western, one semester in Canada and one semester in Mexico. Their final semester is spent as an intern in one of the three locations, providing them with the international experience necessary to excel in today's business world, Fimmen added.

For more information on Western's Tri-Lateral MBA program, contact the Larry Wall, CBT associate dean, at 309/298-2422 or visit wiu.edu/globaled/tmba.



Posted By: Darcie Shinberger (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing