Approximately 40 students from a variety of majors across USC Upstate participated in an introduction to BMW and the global workplace. Upstate students were joined by faculty, and staff. Additionally, German students and teachers from high schools in both Greenville and Spartanburg joined as well, bringing the total number of participants to nearly 180 people.
Sponsored by the German Embassy in Washington DC, BMW, and USC Upstate, this real-world community encounter brought together local business, K-12 education, and university partners. Dr. Alexander Lorenz, Associate Professor of German, opened the session, discussing the importance of language skills and international connections in today’s global marketplace.
Next, Dr. Tanya Boone-Holladay, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, addressed the group. Key highlights included encouragement for students to attend and complete college, to prestige a liberal arts education over a narrowly career-focused approach, and to emphasize soft skills like critical thinking and teamwork (2 of our 8 SL/CE SLOs).
The opening session concluded with encouragement from Mr. Max Metcalf, Director of Government and Community Relations at BMW, who reiterated the importance of soft skills, emphasizing teamwork by observing, “with 11,000 employees in this location, you’re always working with someone and each person brings their own unique perspective and personality.
Following the opening session, participants were divided into smaller groups to tour various parts of the facility, including the training center and the car shop where they were further introduced to operations at BMW and encouraged to engage in conversation with BMW staff. Participants were provided lunch and invited to bring their return, bringing friends and family to explore, learn, and continue to improve German-American transatlantic relations.