GTI FUNDING AND GRANTS

The Global Trade Initiatives program (GTI), housed in the School of Business and Economics, is in its second year of operation. The mission of the Global Trade Initiatives program is to enhance economic development in the Charleston region and throughout the state. Its primary objectives are to facilitate academic programs, provide infrastructure support (education, research projects and case studies) and foster outreach programs specifically geared to the needs of South Carolina firms involved in trade and logistics.

The South Carolina legislature approved funding for a collaborative partnership with and in support of the programs of the South Carolina World Trade Center (SCWTC) and other College of Charleston (CofC), local government and state organizations. The budget provided for one faculty line, two full-time staff members, and a part-time faculty director, along with funding for research and operations.

Additionally, and very importantly, the GTI has been successful at getting "match" funding from the U.S. Department of Education to help carry out its activities. It was announced in Spring 2008 that the GTI was awarded two federal grants, each valued at $180,000. Three other grants from the Fund for Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE) are providing internship and semester study abroad stipends ($3,000 per student) and language immersion study scholarships ($1,500 per student) for students and modest grants for faculty research and program development in the following areas:

Another federal grant is funding the expansion programs in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Turkey, and China. Additionally, through the FIPSE grants, GTI has hosted two trade conferences with their corresponding grant consortium meetings.