News Release

Orange County Business Council Taps Santa Ana College International Business Program with Responding to Globalization Award

​(Santa Ana, CA) - On November 17, at Orange County Business Council’s sixth annual Turning Red Tape Into Red Carpet Awards, sponsored by JP Morgan Chase & Co., the Santa Ana College International Business Program received the Responding to Globalization award. This award honors economic development strategies and programs that strive to enable communities, businesses, and/or economic development organizations to better integrate into the global economy or to more resiliently respond to the challenges brought by globalization. In addition, the program received a Certificate of Special Recognition from U.S. Representative Mimi Walters.

Santa Ana College (SAC) first established its certificate and associate degree program in international business (IB) in 1996. The largest community college IB program in the country, SAC’s IB program is an accredited training program for the NASBITE International Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP). SAC students who have earned their CGBP have gone on to be hired as marketing coordinators, international trade specialists, international sales associates, and global logistics specialists for organizations such as the U.S. Department of Commerce and Twining’s Tea in London, England.

“At Santa Ana College, we are very honored with this award that highlights the ongoing work that the college has done to ensure that our international business program meets the needs of the global marketplace. We work to prepare our students to provide value to companies conducting trade from day one on the job. We are able to do this through faculty teams of working trade professionals who bring the reality of the global marketplace into our classrooms. We thank the Orange County Business Council for recognizing our efforts,” said Linda D. Rose, Ed.D., Santa Ana College president.

The SAC International Business Certificate and Degree programs were developed in response to the need for hands-on training in global trade. Business professionals, owners, and executives need to understand how to conduct trade including the basics of market research analysis, export and import documentation, logistics and transportation, methods of payment and foreign exchange. The SAC program provides instruction in all of these critical skills. Over 50 students have been placed in internships and part- or full-time jobs. In the past five years, SAC has awarded 43 associate degrees and 111 Certificates of Achievement in International Business.

SAC was the first community college in the country to adopt a workshop structure to a college credit program taught by industry professionals. While four hour-long workshops on the fundamentals of import and export can spark a company’s interest in international trade, it is not enough to prepare a business to enter the global marketplace. The SAC program takes the four hours model and turns it into a 16-hour class that teaches the breadth and depth needed to graduate students with valuable skills to help their employers become successful in the international marketplace.

The development of the SAC IB Program was funded by the U.S. Department of Education Title VI – Business and Education and the U.S. Department of Education – Vocational Education Funding (Perkins) grants as well as funding from Santa Ana College. The program was developed by SAC faculty with the guidance of industry advisory committees consisting of international trade professionals, many of whom went on to become part-time faculty members teaching in the program. Students who complete the program include local high school students, SAC business students, employees of local companies, as well as university graduates wanting to grow their skills. SAC introductory international business classes have been articulated with local high schools in Orange, Santa Ana, and Garden Grove school districts for the past 10 years. The SAC Associate Degree program articulates to California State University, Fullerton; California Polytechnic University Pomona as well as the University of Northern Iowa. Students from around the world come to SAC to learn how to conduct international trade. The SAC international business program model has been duplicated at four community colleges in the U.S. and implemented in five others.

For more information about SAC’s IB programs, call (714) 564-6750 or visit www.sac.edu/gbe.

About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which turned 100 years old in 2015, serves about 18,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions, provides invaluable workforce training, and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 11,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Visit www.sac.edu to learn more.

SAC Responding to Globalization Award Recipients PHOTO CAPTION: (From left to right) Santa Ana College (SAC) Associate Professor of Global Business and Entrepreneurship (GBE) Ali Kowsari, MBA, M.S.; SAC Interim Dean of Business Madeline Grant; and SAC Professor of GBE Glenn Doolittle, J.D.; are honored with the Orange County Business Council Responding to Globalization award.

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Contact: Judy Iannaccone

Phone: (714) 480-7503

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