The International Economic Summit program is managed by the Idaho Council on Economic Education, which has been hosted at Boise State by the College of Education and the College of Business and Economics since 1971. The purpose of the Summit program is to provide high school and university students with a practical, hands-on learning experience in globalization, international relations and economics.

Carolyn Jensen, a Boise State student who participated in the summit program, said, “Before the International Economic Summit, I had no interest in international economics or global relations. That has now changed dramatically.”

With the support and encouragement of Boise State deans Pat Shannon and Diane Boothe, and a host of Idaho business and banking executives, the International Economic Summit program is expanding rapidly beyond Idaho’s borders. More than 20,000 students take part in International Economic Summit events every year at universities including Harvard, the University of Southern California, San Diego State University and others.

The Mississippi summit included the sponsorship of both Mississippi State and the University of Mississippi and was held on the campus of Mississippi College in Clinton. Funding was provided in part by the Council for Economic Education through an EEE (Excellence in Economic Education) Grant.

Almost 100 high school student teams will participate in the Idaho Council on Economic Education (ICEE) regional summit at Boise State Thursday, April 21. The program begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom.

The International Economic Summit is a simulation of the global economy. High school and university students learn about globalization, international relations and economics. The Summit comprises student teams representing the nations of today’s complex world. They compete for scarce resources, form strategic country alliances, debate global issues, invest in long term development projects, interact with global economic institutions, and seek to stabilize and advance the global economy.

The International Economic Summit program originated in Idaho more than 10 years ago and now is recognized nationally and internationally as one of the best educational programs for preparing students for the global economy.

For more information, contact ICEE president Leon Maynard at 426-1810 or visit http://www.econsummit.org/.

Two hundred Idaho college and advanced high school students from across the state will compete in a special International Economic Summit in conjunction with the 27th annual Frank Church Conference on Thursday, Oct. 28, hosted by the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University. The day-long conference will feature a number of China experts from around the nation who will discuss the past, present and future of ties between the U.S. and China, and what that means to the rising generation. The International Economic Summit student competition, with a $1,000 award to the winning team, will focus on international trade and economic issues between the U.S., China and the rest of the world. The student competition will be sponsored by the Idaho Council on Economic Education, along with Boise State’s colleges of Education, Social Sciences and Public Affairs, Business and Economics, the Frank Church Institute and the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI).

“The combination of the International Economic Summit competition for Idaho students and the Frank Church conference on US – China relations is going to be powerful wakeup call for a lot of people,” said Leon Maynard, President of the Idaho Council on Economic Education. Maynard recently returned from China where he and a group of 30 Idaho students, teachers and professors spent 11 days studying the Chinese economic and educational systems. One of the Idaho students, Devon Murrell from Bishop Kelly High School, said, “The thing that had the most profound impact on me was the Chinese students’ motivation to study and how that might pose a problem for the United States, where education seems to come second. With China moving forward so fast the US needs to think and act quickly.” Idaho is taking the lead in motivating and preparing students to live, work and compete in the global economy by sponsoring International Economic Summit competitions all the way from Sandpoint to Boston. More than 50,000 US students a year dress up in costumes from a hundred countries around the world and create one of the most remarkable educational experiences of their lives – a miniature world economy that lasts one day but is complete with all the politics, alliances, complications, haggling, successes, disappointments and lessons of the real world. The Idaho Council on Economic Education at Boise State has taken its International Economic Summit program most recently to Massachusetts, New York, Mississippi and Shanghai China.

Karalyn Jensen, a Boise state student, explained, “Before the International Economic Summit, I had little knowledge of or interest in economics or globalization but this program has been a great experience for me, giving me knowledge that will benefit me for the rest of my life.” David Shambaugh, director of the China Policy Program at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, will deliver the conference’s keynote address during the conference luncheon. Other speakers include Robert Oxnam, former president of the Asia Society; Ruan Zongze, minister counselor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; Jeff Snyder-Reinke, professor of Asian history at the College of Idaho, and Shelton Woods, professor of Chinese studies at Boise State.

The conference will run from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. in Boise State’s Student Union Simplot Ballroom. The International Economic Summit student competition starts at 1:00 p.m. and concludes with an award dinner at 6:00 p.m. With the exception of Shambaugh’s luncheon address ($35 fee, registration required), the conference is free and open to the public. For more information about the Frank Church conference or to register for the luncheon speaker, contact Garry Wenske at (208)426-2941 or GarryWenske@boisestate.edu.

For information about the International Economic Summit and how student teams can apply, contact Leon Maynard at (208) 426-1810 or LeonMaynard@boisestate.edu.

For more information about the major sponsors of this International Economic Summit and of the Frank Church Annual Conference, go to:

International Economic Summit www.econsummit.org

Frank Church Institute www.boisestate.edu/fci/index.shtml

College of Business and Economics http://cobe.boisestate.edu/

College of Education http://education.boisestate.edu/

College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs http://sspa.boisestate.edu/

Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry http://www.iaci.org/

Thirty Idaho students, teachers and professors will be in China June 10-20 for an economic study tour. Leon Maynard, president of the Idaho Council on Economic Education (ICEE), is leading the group. The ICEE is housed at Boise State under the auspices of the colleges of Education and Business and Economics.

Maynard traveled to China ahead of the main group as part of Gov. Butch Otter’s trade mission. He has had several opportunities to meet with companies, government officials and educational institutions to deepen the economic and educational ties between China, Idaho and Boise State.

The highlight of the study tour is participation in the International Economic Summit competition, an activity-based learning program for high school and university students that teaches the concepts of globalization, economics, world affairs and international cooperation. Begun 15 years ago in Idaho, the program has since expanded to include schools in California, New York, New England and other locations around the U.S.

The summit came to China as a result of many years of cooperation and partnership between the State of Idaho, the City of Shanghai, the Luwan District Department of Education and Shanghai’s Xiang Ming High School.

In 2008, teachers and administrators from 30 top Chinese high schools received training in the program and 350 Chinese students participated in a summit at Xiang Ming High. That school will again play host to this year’s summit on June 12.

During the summit, students will be divided into 100 country teams. Each team is charged with the task of improving its country’s standard of living within the simulated economy. Teams compete and cooperate in activities including import and export trading, forming regional trade alliances, borrowing and repaying development loans and more.

In addition to the summit, participants will learn first-hand about the Chinese economy and have an opportunity to visit the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and other cultural sites.

To read more about this program see the Idaho Statesman’s article “Rocky Barker in China: BSU program brings trade education to Chinese, Idaho students in Shanghai“.

View Idaho Statesman photo gallery at: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/06/07/1221987_a1222475/idaho-trade-mission-in-china.html

The College of Business and Economics (COBE) at Boise State University is reaching out and touching the lives of more than 50,000 high school students and their teachers annually across the United States and in countries as diverse as Mexico and China. COBE is host to an innovative and rapidly expanding educational program called the “International Economic Summit”.

Sunny Nguyen, a Vietnamese student, said,

“This is the most interesting program I have experienced yet in my education. The International Economic Summit is full of excitement and challenge and I gained so much understanding of international economics. In today’s world, nations have become interdependent, supporting one another and sharing the benefits and risks of globalization.I have learned that anyone can make a difference in the world if they put their best out there.”

The purpose of the Summit Program is to help students prepare to live, work and prosper in our rapidly changing world. The world they will inherit has never had so many risks and opportunities as those they will see in their lifetime. The International Economic Summit program gives students the chance to learn, experiment, improve and practice the skills they are going to need to live, work and prosper in this new world.

The Summit Program begins with a rigorous training course for high school teachers of economics, geography and world affairs. After completing the training, the teachers implement a semester-long series of lessons and classroom activities designed to prepare their students to compete in a full day simulation of today’s world economy. At a typical Summit event, up to 500 students from multiple schools and regions will be divided into 100 country teams. Each team is charged with the task of improving its country’s standard of living within the simulated Summit economy. Through the day, the country teams compete and cooperate in activities including export – import trading, forming regional trade alliances, borrowing and repaying development loans, investing in infrastructure projects and increasing educational opportunities for their assigned country. By the end of their International Economic Summit experience, students will have learned BY DOING the key economic concepts of scarcity, productivity, supply, demand, markets and comparative advantage.

Karalynn Jensen, a student from the United States, wrote,

“Before the Summit, I had little knowledge of or interest in economics or globalization but this program has been a great experience for me, giving me knowledge that will benefit me for the rest of my life.”

Dilly Mamatov, a Russian student, explained,

“I expected this program to be boring but my perception changed completely. The Summit has changed how I view the world. This course was one of my favorites and one of the most interactive and interesting classes that I have ever taken.”

The Summit Program was developed and is managed by the Council on Economic Education, within Boise State’s College of Business and Economics. Other universities and organizations that have embraced and are currently promoting the program include, among many others, the Federal Reserve Banks of San Francisco and Boston, the University of Southern California, Northern Illinois University and the Mississippi Council on Economic Education. Additionally, Boise State has taken the Summit to Russia, Mexico and China. In 2010, teachers and students from Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea and other Asian countries will join in implementing this innovative and experiential program. — Leon Maynard

For more information please see links to articles on the International Economic Summit that took place in New England in conjunction with the Boston Federal Reserve and other sponsors.

http://www.bos.frb.org/education/partnerships/mcee/summit/2009-International-Summit.htm

http://www.wickedlocal.com/bedford/town_info/school_info/x1679098763/Students-excel-at-summit

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/high_school/x1444028087/Framingham-students-take-part-in-global-trade-simulation

For more information, see www.econsummit.org or call Leon Maynard at the Boise State College of Business and Economics, 208-426-1810.

For the complete story see: Link to Idaho Statesman article

For related article see: previous article

Boise State’s Council on Economic Education set to announce winner

The Idaho Council on Economic Education at Boise State University has announced that a Bishop Kelly High School student has won first place in a national investment essay contest. He or she will only learn about this achievement at an award assembly scheduled for Feb. 6, 2009 at the Bishop Kelly Carley Center at 2:20 pm. Until then, the winner remains a mystery. 7,000 Idaho students competed with 740,000 students nationwide in the “Stock Market Game.” Many also wrote an essay in the national writing competition, “InvestWrite.”

Leon Maynard, President of the Idaho Council, said, “The Stock Market Game and the InvestWrite Essay contest have been an important part of financial literacy education in Idaho for many years. They are educationally challenging and fun at the same time. We welcome all 4th – 12th grade teachers and parents who are interested in getting their students involved.”

The Idaho Council on Economic Education, co-hosted by the College of Business & Economics and the College of Education, provides these and many other programs as part of its mission to increase economic and financial literacy statewide. Dr. Pat Shannon, Dean of COBE, explained, “The Idaho Council is one of our major community outreach programs. Through its activities, Boise State has helped train and provide materials to well over 500 Idaho teachers and we reach more than 12,000 elementary and secondary students every year with essential information on personal financial management and economics.” Dr. Diane Boothe, Dean of the College of Education, added, “This is a great example of how a partnership between two Boise State colleges can make a real difference in the lives of Idaho’s teachers and students. Our sister universities are involved as well through our Centers at Idaho State, University of Idaho and College of
Southern Idaho.”

Idaho State Finance Director, Gavin Gee said, “It has never been more important that our students in Idaho learn about economics and investing. With the challenges our country and world are facing, we must return to basics and teach our children and grandchildren to work, spend wisely, save for the future and manage their resources.” The Idaho Department of Finance and Wells Fargo Bank were co-sponsors of last semester’s competitions. The mystery student at Bishop Kelly, who will soon be named this year’s national champion, will receive a laptop computer and trip to New York City where he or she will visit the New York Stock Exchange and other sites. Marta Watson, a Boise State graduate and the Bishop Kelly economics teacher who has introduced and coached
hundreds of students in these contests for many years, will also win a new laptop and trip to New York City where she will participate in a financial literacy conference this summer.

And wait, there’s more….the entire student body of Bishop Kelly High School will receive a Pizza Party from the Idaho Council on Economic Education and
the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education, which sponsors the Stock Market Game and InvestWrite nationally.

How to Register Students for the Stock Market Game
Teachers from public, private, home and virtual schools can register their students for the “Stock Market Game” by calling or emailing the Idaho Council on Economic Education. 208-426-2926. SMG@boisestate.edu