Villanova Receives Grant from Freeman Foundation to Expand Internship Opportunities in Asia

VILLANOVA, Pa., September 25, 2023 – Villanova University’s Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership (MCGL) has again been awarded a grant from The Freeman Foundation. MCGL is housed in the Villanova School of Business (VSB). The grant will continue to expand student participation in internships in East and Southeast Asia for students across the University’s schools and colleges.

The grant is a continuation of the Freeman Foundation’s partnership with Villanova to create opportunities for students to study and work in key emerging global markets where they gain a competitive edge for future job opportunities. Expanding and enhancing internship opportunities in East and Southeast Asia, a dynamic region with some of the world’s fastest changing economies, is an invaluable experience for our students in today’s competitive global economy. Villanova alumni in the region help identify internship placements for students, provide mentoring and facilitate site visits and other services.

“It has been an honor to steward this transformational gift for our students,” said Kim Cahill, director of the Moran Center for Global Leadership. “Developing new internship opportunities and leveraging relationships with our alumni throughout Asia has significantly expanded Villanova’s reach and broadened students’ perspectives about how business is conducted in another part of the world. Students experience a new culture and professional environment that will enhance their abilities and challenge their world perspective. They also have an opportunity to create a global network of professional contacts that will prove invaluable in our increasingly interconnected world.”

This funding has helped drive student participation in the East and Southeast Asia internship programs. In the last eight years, more than 200 Freeman Scholars received funding for internships in seven countries including Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Nepal and Singapore. The new funding will provide internship scholarships for 36 students through Summer 2025.

About VSB: The The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is top-ranked among business schools in the nation. Its online graduate business programs are ranked #16, and its online MBA program is ranked #19 by U.S. News and World Report. VSB has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to five Centers of Excellence – the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights and the Center for Church Management – with each designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and applied opportunities for students. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service-learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu.