The Central European Institute (CEI) works university-wide to build bridges between the United States and the nations of Central Europe by fostering relationships in 3 main areas — academics, business and culture.
Academics
The institute is an umbrella organization with country-specific, endowed chairs established to develop relations between the United States and their respective countries. The endowed chairs oversee academic initiatives and student learning. In addition, the center organizes study abroad programs, exchange programs, scholarships and a foreign lecture series.
Business
The CEI’s business activities focus primarily on networking events and student-consulting projects. Our main business networking events include the annual Zebegény Executive Networking Retreat and Quinnipiac Alumni Reception in Zebegény, Hungary, and the annual Mielżyński Executive Networking Retreat and Alumni Reception in Warsaw, Poland. Both events attract executives from the region’s top global and local companies as well as key political leaders.
Culture
The Central European Institute’s main cultural programs include the Art as Ambassador project and the Artist in Residency program. The CEI also works with Central European-American community members in Connecticut and the Honorary Consulate of Hungary in Hamden.
Hungarian-American Business Leaders Scholarship
This unique scholarship enables students from Hungary to come to the U.S. to gain work experience and earn a master’s degree on Quinnipiac’s beautiful Connecticut campus. Nestled in the heart of New England, two hours from Boston and 90 minutes from New York City, Quinnipiac offers a unique opportunity for international students to learn about American business through a distinctly hands-on approach.
Please join the Central European Institute in welcoming representatives from both Hungary and the United States to this valuable conversation on self-determination policy.
Donations enable the Central European Institute to advance its mission of building international bridges between the people of the United States and Central Europe.
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Congratulations to our partner in Poland, Kozminski Academy’s Executive MBA, for ranking #63 in the world by the Financial Times.
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Norbert Szabo has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Babeş-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca. He was part of the GTK Business Consulting Group, where he took part in the Business Leadership Program. Before coming to the U.S., he gained his work experience at East Grain SRL and East Cargolog SRL as a logistics specialist. During his stay, he will complete an MBA with a specialization in supply chain management within one year, and he will complete practical training in supply chain management during the last year.
Aleksandra Rusin has a master’s degree in law from the University of Wrocław, Poland. She also studied law at the University of South Wales, United Kingdom, and was awarded a postgraduate diploma in commercial and corporate law. Before coming to the U.S., she gained experience in journalism at naszaswidnica.pl and at Radio LUZ. She also gained work experience in technology at Nokia Solutions and Networks. During her stay in the U.S., she will complete an MBA degree within one year, and she will complete practical training in the technology industry during the final year.
Jakub Kozak has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Warsaw University of Technology. Before coming to the U.S., he gained work experience at SoInteractive, Netsprint and StepStone Services in Warsaw, Poland. During his stay in the U.S, he will complete an MBA degree within one year, and during the final year, he will complete practical training in the IT sector.
Viktoria Keresztes has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Corvinus University of Budapest. Before coming to the U.S., she gained work experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she worked for two years. During her stay in the U.S., she will complete an MBA degree within one year, and, during the final year, she will complete practical training in the human resources field.
The CEI International Economics Research team is made up of 5-10 current Quinnipiac students with interests in economics, research and international affairs. The team meets weekly and works with Professor Christopher Ball to conduct regular analysis on the economies of Central Europe with a focus on the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania.
The group posts weekly reports on exchange rates and interest rates on InvestCEE.com, a website devoted to economics and business in the CEE region and wholly run by QU students and alumni. The group also produces quarterly reports as well as reports on special topics for the region.
As part of the CEI International Economics Research Team, Bryan Doherty ‘20 spent the month of June in Budapest, Hungary, and said he was immediately taken aback by the beauty of the historical city. Doherty said that feeling lasted the entire trip, as he took in the sites of famous churches, monasteries and other ancient architecture along his daily commute.
“I interned at the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) where I researched topics concerned with the International Monetary Policy group. The majority of my research consisted of analyzing the detrimental presence of deflation of the Japanese economy. I found this topic to be truly interesting, and the fact that I was able to apply my knowledge of economics that I obtained from my studies at Quinnipiac was satisfying to say the least.”
Bryan Doherty ’20
Two Quinnipiac students recently completed a competitive international program at the MNB Summer School of Economics in Hungary, hosted by the Central Bank of Hungary and Corvinus University of Budapest, an official partner of Quinnipiac.
Londyn Zografakis ’20, an economics major, and Alex Robiner ’18, a graduate of the economics program, focused on “Central and Eastern Europe in a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities in Finance and Geopolitics.” Our Central European Institute sponsored Zografakis and Robiner.
The program is designed to offer undergraduate and graduate students from around the world an in-depth understanding of finance and geopolitics. It is comprised of 17 lectures, a half-dozen case studies, 2 simulation games, 3 cultural trips, 3 company visits, 3 networking opportunities and 2 weeks in Budapest.
Two members of Bobcat Nation participated in this year’s Teaching English in Poland program through the Kosciuszko Foundation.
Samantha Paradee ’18, MS ’19, photographed here, is currently working as an assistant teacher at a camp in central Poland.
“This program is incredibly beneficial to my future career as I am interested in teaching English around the world,” she said. “The program allows me to get started on that dream before I am even finished with college.”
Quinnipiac faculty member Katarzyna Kowalczyk, who teaches modern languages, literatures and cultures at Quinnipiac, recently taught a two-week camp for 7- to 18-year-olds on the English language and American culture in the central Polish city of Minsk Mazowiecki.
“What makes this program so unique is that it provides you with endless opportunities. Everybody can find his/her path, and then you can have it all hands-on.”
“The two and a half years that I spent in the U.S. — thanks to the scholarship program — shaped my character, inevitably made me much more independent and self-confident, and contributed to my personal and professional growth.”
“The [Hungarian American Business Leaders] program gave me more than I could’ve ever asked for. I was able to improve my business and financial knowledge by earning an MBA at Quinnipiac University, while at the same time, I had the opportunity to differentiate myself from my peers by getting work experience from a Fortune 500 company.”
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Whether it’s turning ideas into viable business applications, or digging through human history by analyzing ancient artifacts, each of our centers and institutes pairs our students and faculty to transform academic theory into real-world solutions.
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