HPU Students Explore Asian Business and Beyond via Global Education Programs

HIGH POINT, N.C., June 27, 2025 – High Point University continued to expand the locales of its “Global Experience” programs this summer, with students traveling to Asia and Australia in addition to Europe and South America.

Short-term study abroad programs allow students to get real-world experiences and travel internationally with their professors to a variety of destinations, including Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The first groups of students departed May 4, and more groups headed overseas in June.

“Study abroad is not merely a stamp in your passport and a chance to see a faraway place,” said Dr. Jeffrey M. Palis, assistant vice president for Global Education. “Each ‘Global Experience’ and ‘Maymester’ program is custom-built to the specifications of the teaching faculty member to immerse students in the local culture while learning about the subject matter of the course. This is true experiential learning. Students this year visited port facilities near Ho Chi Minh City on a global supply chain course.”

“Global Experience” programs are semester-long courses taught on HPU’s campus with a two-week international travel component at the end of the semester. “Maymester” programs are month-long, self-contained courses generally taught while abroad in May and June.

Vietnam and Thailand

The Global Business Modeling in Southeast Asia study abroad program explored the full range of Ashley Furniture’s supply chain management operations in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and concluded with a stop in Bangkok, Thailand. The trip was led by Dr. Bradley Venable, chair of HPU’s Department of Management and professor of the practice of supply chain management, and Christina Griffith, chair of the Department of Accounting and Finance and the Jefferson-Pilot professor of the practice of accounting.

In Vietnam, students explored supply chain activities at Ashley Furniture, one of the world’s largest furniture manufacturers and retailers. The group toured the company’s components factory, visited NS Millennium — a joint venture foam factory — and explored the Wanek Furniture 3 facility, known for its finished goods. The experience continued at Ashley’s consolidated warehouse, just miles from Germalink Port, one of the world’s largest and deepest ports. Students observed the packing and loading process for shipment and learned how Ashley leverages southern Vietnam rivers to transport goods—an example of regional logistics in action.

In Thailand, students viewed the manufacturing operations at Alliance Washing Systems, one of the world leaders in commercial laundry sales. In addition, the students learned more about the Thai culture by visiting several areas around Bangkok, including watching a performance of Thai classical dance at Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre.

Planning for the trip began more than two years ago in coordination with the Wanek family, owners of Ashley Furniture and longtime supporters of HPU. In February, Venable’s class visited Ashley’s manufacturing site in Advance, North Carolina.

“Being able to see the different operations in Vietnam and putting those pieces of the puzzle together to see how vertically integrated Ashley Furniture’s supply chain management system is and what drives their growth, strength in the market and value that they provide to the customers and their employees was great for students,” Venable said. “All of the students were very impressed and felt like no other trip could compare to what they experienced. It was unusual to them because of the difference between manufacturing operations here in the U.S. versus the operations in Vietnam.”

The students learned about the complexities and value of supply chain operations within furniture production and laundry systems, said Kristina Parimucha, a health care management major who is pursuing a minor in operations and supply chain management.

“Ashley Furniture and Alliance Laundry Systems were extremely generous hosts, focused on exposing HPU students to as much of their day-to-day operations as possible,” said Parimucha, who is from St. Augustine, Florida. “With Ike Hoehn and Andrew Lien as our leaders from Ashley, we got to visit many sites of manufacturing and shipping, as well as meet with the other businesses that make up their joint ventures. One of Ashley’s top priorities is to integrate their business model vertically. From raw materials harvesting and creation to assembly, manufacturing and final shipment to customers, the class got to ask any and every question about the processes. Touring and meeting with members at NS Millenium, the components factory, Wanek Furniture 3, the Gemalink Deep Sea Port and more were all incredibly authentic interactions that contributed to an even higher level of experiential learning.”

Japanese Media and Popular Culture

Students in the Japanese Media and Popular Culture course found themselves in a bustling Osaka with many additional tourists as the city hosted the World Expo on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay. Osaka had previously been the site of the World Expo in 1970, the first World’s Fair in Asia.

Students enrolled in the course learned about kaiju monster movies, anime and video games in addition to Japanese food, fashion and history. Their lessons were paired with experiential adventures in and around Osaka, including day trips to Kyoto and Mount Koya, the center of Shingon Buddhism, an important sect introduced to Japan in 805 AD. New for this cohort was a trip to Uji, a Japanese city south of Kyoto that is the site of both the 10th-century Buddhist Byōdō-in Temple and the newly opened Nintendo Museum. These two locations represent those aspects of Japan that are historic and modern existing harmoniously together.

“Students taking this course experience both traditional and popular cultures and how they are interrelated,” said Dr. Stefan Hall, chair and professor of game design. “They get to see how the vibrancy of contemporary Japan is rooted in millennia of tradition and can go from experiencing the energy of Japanese drumming in wadaiko to being served sushi by a robot in the span of just a few hours.”

Dylan Daner, a senior game design major, said he enjoyed Japanese food and learned about the daily life of residents there by using the trains and keeping trash with him instead of being reliant on trash cans.

“I also learned about cultural things like Buddhism, contemporary art and tea making,” said Daner, who is from Cary, North Carolina. “I think this trip will help my future endeavors by reminding me to stay open-minded and level-headed when making different decisions. It can be easy to forget that everyone was raised in different environments, so something that is considered normal for Americans like wearing shoes in the house can be completely foreign and alien to someone raised in Japan. This is just one of many small examples of something they do differently than us.”

A new addition to the course was a special guest lecture by Mrs. Eats, an online personality who shares content about Japanese culture and travel, with a focus on food, with her more than 500,000 followers on YouTube. Her husband joined her for the lecture.

Since Osaka is considered the food capital of Japan, students embraced the kuidaore philosophy to “eat until you drop” daily in their exploration of the Japanese food culture, much of which is not known outside of the country, Hall said. Aside from eating plenty of delicious food, students also saw the culture and philosophy of Japan reflected in its music, architecture, art, and most importantly, people. Students at Osaka Gakuin University partnered with the HPU students for many social outings, enriching the cultural exchange of the educational experience.

Australia Global Experience

The “Global Experience” trip to Australia was a mix of educational and cultural experiences covering three regions of the country, said Dr. Brandon Lenoir, associate professor of political communication and campaigns.

HPU students started their international strategic communication tour of Australia in Sydney, New South Wales, where they met with advertising and public relations professionals. Students compared the way things are done in Australia versus the U.S. They also toured the Sydney Opera House, walked across the Harbor Bridge and spent a day at the famous Bondi beach.

Students traveled by train to Australia’s national capital, Canberra, where they were exposed to health care, environmental and political communication strategies. They met with government officials as well as private sector professionals who talked about the key issues facing Australia. Their time in the capital included a visit to the Australian War Museum and a Final Post ceremony, which is similar to the changing of the guard at the Arlington National Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia. They also met with officials at the U.S. Embassy and toured the Old and the New Parliament Houses.

Traveling north to Townsville in Queensland, students explored a very different region of Australia with a much warmer climate. While there, they met with Aboriginal leaders, learned about the history of the indigenous people and participated in a traditional Welcome Ceremony. They also visited the Billabong Sanctuary, which is a natural environment zoo, where they fed kangaroos, held a koala and witnessed the feeding of a saltwater crocodile.

The final stop for students in Australia was a short ferry ride to Magnetic Island. They took nature hikes where they saw koalas in the wild, participated in a beach cleanup project to better understand the impact of microplastics on the environment and the Great Barrier Reef, and discussed the communication challenges associated with environmental policy. They snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, which was a highlight of the trip.

“How many students can say they studied in Australia, snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef and experienced a total emersion into Australia culture and history? I know 16 High Point University students who can,” Lenoir said. “The students got to experience Australia in a way many people do not get the chance. Our two-week adventure was a whirlwind of experiences that provided students with lifetime memories and friendships. For many people, Australia is a bucket-list trip. My 16 HPU students were able to add to their educational experience with what could be a once-in-a-lifetime trip down under.”

The Australia “Global Experience” program was the final leg of Lenoir’s semester-long international strategic communication course.

“Upon arrival, applying what we learned started coming to life, from snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef to meeting with David Easton, the CEO of Reborn, an award-winning advertising agency, and everything in between,” said Kenzie Aiello, a senior finance major. “Trying kangaroo jerky, fish and chips and meat pies was not on my planned itinerary but is a first-hand example of fully immersing yourself into this unfamiliar culture, which I believe is the best way to learn.”