The link between Washington, D.C. and the world of business is something Prof. Robert Freer and The Citadel School of Business Administration are eager for students to explore. Over this year's spring break, Prof. Freer and Dr. Stephen Silver traveled to the nation's capital with a group of graduate and undergraduate students to experience this symbiotic relationship.
Over the course of five days, students visited a variety of landmarks, including The Brookings Institution, the National Defense University, The Heritage Foundation, the SEC and others. The group also spent an entire day in Congress, where Prof. Freer said Congress "really turned out for us," offering insight into the inner-workings of government through a series of talks. Some students, through a 1980 alumni of The Citadel who serves as a special assistant, enjoyed a tour of the White House, including the West Wing. One day was spent at the Smithsonian, and students also visited Kennedy Center to see how the government invested in the arts.
Those attending were required to keep journals and turn in a paper upon their return to the Lowcountry.
Prof. Freer said that it is integral for students to understand how business and the capital interrelate. Trips like these are aimed at these goals. He called it "one of the more worthwhile experiences" for students.
"One of our dreams is that all of our cadets and MBA students will take at least a one-week trip to national centers of government and business, or abroad," said Dean Earl Walker. "These trips transform their understanding and their appreciation of the global and increasingly more sophisticated nature of our economy.
"The Washington trip, in itself, was a model of providing young people exposure to the highest levels of government, and thereby helping them better understand the importance of our political system to our economy," he added. "Robert Freer, the John S. Grinalds Leader in Residence, also serves as the CEO of the Free Enterprise Foundation, and we are delighted with this trip that he engineered to Washington, D.C."
