In July, Dean Ajay Patel and Tom Dingledine (MBA ’78) traveled to Nicaragua to assess the project’s accomplishments, investigate ways to sustain the project at the Schools of Business, and determine how to involve other schools of the university.  Patel and Dingledine spent several days meeting with major participants in the Nicaragua Project including Mike Diebert of the Missionary Ventures International Vocational School and Roberto Espinoza of the Business Professional Network. 

Later in the trip, Patel and Dingledine attended the graduation ceremony for the seminar participants.  They handed out diplomas, and spoke with the recent graduates who shared their desire and excitement for a seminar covering more advanced topics.  In addition, the graduates expressed their eagerness to recommend a second fundamentals seminar to their friends and colleagues.

Enthusiastic with the results of their trip, Patel and Dingledine returned to North Carolina and the Schools of Business to speak with university-level personnel about widening the project to include law, medical, and undergraduate students.  They are also investigating ways to apply the lessons from Project Nicaragua in the classroom, and fund another round of trips to Nicaragua in December 2007 and March 2008. 

Although in the end, the trip was only several days, Patel and Dingledine were able to see firsthand how work on the Nicaragua Project not only improved the lives of people in the community but also imparted knowledge to students that couldn’t be communicated in an exhibit or summarized in a business case.