Business, wine and France celebrated

by Alex Burkett

Tennessee and France have more between them than the Atlantic Ocean: They share a robust trade relationship and years of cultural interaction, for starters.

A March 22 seminar titled "Tennessee and France: Cultural Connections" accentuated that closeness. Themed to highlight cultural and economic similarities between France and Tennessee, the day's programming, sponsored by the Department of French and Italian, featured panel discussions and presentations by Vanderbilt students, professors, physicians and foreign dignitaries -- from both countries.

"Internally, [the conference] was to give opportunities to University community members to network across the campus with people interested in French language and culture," said Virginia Scott, associate provost for academic affairs, who coordinated the event. "Externally, our goal was to reach out to our colleagues in the state of Tennessee to bring them together and talk about things that are of mutual interest to us."

The conference, an all-day affair held at the Owen Graduate School of Management, was funded by a $2,700 grant from the Cultural Services Office of the French Embassy, and included panel discussions on such topics as health care in France, "The Cultures of Business" and "Wine: The Business of Cultures."

Jennifer Howe, director of international advancement at the University, expressed hopes that the event nurtured an understanding of Vanderbilt's role in catalyzing global interaction and education.

"My hope had been that [attendees] would start seeing Vanderbilt as a resource for international learning opportunities," Howe said. "We need more opportunities to learn about the world and how we're connected to it."

The 91 audience members included faculty and students from colleges and universities across Tennessee, high school teachers and students and members of the Tennessee business community, Howe said.