FEB 6, 2015 FRIDAY
French students arrive to study, engage in American culture
The students, who arrived in January, are living in Shipley Hall. They have already earned first-level legal master’s degrees in France. Now, they are simultaneously pursuing LLMs from Widener Law Delaware and additional French legal master’s degrees. Credits transfer under the agreement between the two schools and the students are able to earn a Widener LLM in one semester. They will be here until the end of May.
“Their school at home is very, very strong in corporate law and business,” said Eileen Grena, assistant dean for graduate and compliance programs, who traveled to Lille in 2013 to solidify the agreement with Catholic University. “In turn, our Institute of Delaware Corporate and Business Law is highly attractive to them. Their coursework here will give them a global edge when they return to Europe.”
The students – Alexandre Flajollet, Marine Lutton, Samantha Zakka, Adelaide Taquet, Thibaut Lesure and Alexis Coquelle – are fluent in English and are enrolled in International Business Transactions, Business Organizations, Securities Regulation and Advanced Corporations classes.
They met with Interim Dean Erin Daly recently over lunch and said they are enjoying their studies in Widener classrooms, where they’ve found professors to be much more engaging than they expected.
“Here the teacher is always up, always asking questions and it’s always interesting,” Taquet said.
They are also planning outings to Philadelphia, New York, Washington and maybe Boston. Several are interested in skiing and seeing a Flyers hockey game. They are also sharing their culture with their American counterparts. They cooked crepes for new friends in Shipley Hall and are hoping to partake in a graduate programs international cook off.
In addition to the fun and travel, the students are firm in their beliefs that they will take home valuable degrees from Widener Law. All of them are considering either business school or corporate internships, or both. Taquet said the experience will boost the students’ value on applications and in interviews.
“In France, you have to have a lot of diplomas,” she said, noting employers will see their records and know they’ve gained a unique world view of business from studying in Delaware. “We will know differences. We will know how to compare the systems,” she said.
Daly, who speaks fluent French, said she was pleased to have the students arrive and get the dual-degree program underway after years of work and planning. “Bringing these students into our school family enhances the atmosphere at Widener Law Delaware. We are happy to welcome them; I know our students and our faculty enjoy all that they contribute to our classroom discussions and the vibrancy of our campus.”