In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to "encourage a mutual understanding between Americans and people of other nations and cultures." Inspired by these efforts, Charles Blankson, associate professor of marketing and logistics, says UNT's Department of Marketing and Logistics is working to give its students a greater global understanding. The department recently hosted Robert Hinson, professor of marketing, and Prince Kodua, a doctoral student and lecturer in marketing and customer management, both from the University of Ghana.

More than 400 UNT students participated in discussions on consumer behavior, direct investments and multinational companies in Ghana.

"Students were exposed to academic resources and met distinguished faculty," Kodua says. "This also created a platform for cultural exchanges."

The visit was part of an ongoing partnership between UNT and the University
of Ghana.

In 2010, Blankson and David Strutton, professor of marketing and logistics at UNT, visited the University of Ghana where they taught, collaborated on research and built academic relationships with Ghanaian students
and faculty.

"The visit of Mr. Kodua and Dr. Hinson to UNT was an eye-opener for our students," Blankson says. "Although Ghana's population is just 24 million people, it's one of the fastest growing countries in the world after China. It's the world's leading producer of cocoa and is known for its newly found oil, diamonds and bauxite. It's also a democratic, open market country and is important for our students to learn about."