Indiana University B-School's New Partnership With University of West Indies

Jennifer Hoops • Mar 30, 2011

In a March 9 news release, Indiana University's Kelley School of Business announced a new partnership effort with the University of the West Indies' Cave Hill School of Business. The Kelley School of Business was awarded a $1.35 million, three-year grant aimed at assisting the Caribbean nation of Barbados in its efforts to bolster the economy with the creation of new businesses. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, and Higher Education for Development, or HED, which are working on an initiative to stimulate the Eastern Caribbean economy through a program called Job Opportunity for Business Start-ups, or JOBS.

Partnership could help drive economic growth in the Caribbean

Both Kelley and Cave Hill business schools expressed excitement for the opportunity. The Kelley School is allowed to showcase its major strength--entrepreneurship--by making both a social and economic international impact. The Cave Hill School could benefit by receiving consulting and guidance on driving growth within Barbados' entrepreneurship culture. The Barbadian government aims to double the number of new business opportunities by 2016. The USAID-HED grant coupled with the entrepreneurial expertise of Kelley Business School will allow the Cave Hill School of Business to nurture a spirit of entrepreneurship within its MBA program, and could ultimately lead to new business start-ups in the region.

Jennifer Hoops works as a project manager within the IT organization of a global manufacturing company. Her previous experience includes IT consulting and software sales. Prior to earning an MBA and becoming an IT professional, Jennifer earned a Bachelors degree in Economics and Music and spent several years as an independent music teacher.