MU - Information Technology Student Organization

Global Technology Experience (GTE)

Namaste (Num-ah-stay)! That means Greetings in Hindi. While I do not speak the native language of most people in India I have come to learn a term or two. There are over 300 dif-ferent dialects in India, so English is spoken throughout the country as a more common language.

GTE is a new course that is being offered at Marquette University. The class is composed of a mix of graduate and undergraduate IT students who travel to India to study a variety of topics, from global outsourcing and Indian call centers, to Indian business schools, and grand tourist destinations such as the Taj Mahal. Here is a little taste of my experiences.

It all started with a 14 hour plane ride, which left Chicago on the 2nd of January and arrived in New Delhi on the 4th of January. Yes, an entire day lost to time zone differences. It was not soon before we were on the road and starting the cultural aspects of the class. As an American I have not had the chance to experience the architectural wonders of the ancient world. During my time in India we visited ancient temples, city palaces, and even the Taj Mahal. America is less than 250 years old, and some of the buildings we saw in India were over five centuries old. The history was amazing. Everywhere you looked your eyes encountered a multitude of unfamiliarity.

We then started the business aspects of the class. We were welcomed in the most grand of fashions at most of the businesses we visited; even to the point of receiving gifts at some of the locations. The most interesting visit to me was to Microsoft Technology Park. We were given a tour of the Microsoft facility and then sat down with some Microsoft execu-tives for a presentation. We learned about the origins of their facilities in India and were allowed to ask questions. One student asked them "How many error messages do you get every year?" The response was not surprising, "billions."

America is such a young civilization, so it was definitely eye opening to see such an old and different one. It makes one proud to be an American and appreciate all the things we take for granted. This class not only furthered my understanding of how important technological globalization is to the United States, but it has had a profound effect on how I view other people and cultures. During my interview process last semester I told potential employers that I was taking this class, which resulted in many impressed interviewers. This class is a prime example of what sets Marquette apart from other universities. I, along with the rest of the GTE class, would like to extend a very large thank you to Dr. Monica Adya, Dr. Kate Kaiser, and Dr. Craig Struble for their hard work in organizing our events. Thank you!

The GTE Class was definitely the experience of a lifetime and comes highly recommended as a potential class for all IT students at Marquette.

Site Visits:

Hero ITES Call Center
• + Pacific BPO
• + Satyam Technology Center
• + Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) - Cyber Towers
• + Qualcomm
• + Microsoft
• + Technology Center for Blind Women
• + Jaypee Business School
• + Indian School of Business

Tourism:

• + Hawa Mahal
• + City Palace Museum
• + Jantar Mantar
• + Birla Temple
• + Amber Fort
• + Taj Mahal
• + Golconda Fort
• + Kairali Ayurvedic Resort

- Belton Flournoy

Read more articles in ITSO..GOOD Vol. 1 No. 5

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