MONMOUTH, Ill. — Ten students enrolled in Monmouth College’s new international business program spent a productive spring break in Dusseldorf, Germany, March 6-13, where they received a first-hand introduction to world commerce.

Under the supervision of Don Capener, assistant professor of political economy and commerce, the students met with leading representatives of the Japanese business community (more than 22,000 live in the region), toured a Daimler-Benz plant, visited the broadcasting facilities of the leading German television network, and were welcomed into one of Europe’s largest trade shows to see the newest fashions in shoes.

Accompanying the travelers were three MC students not in the business program who joined history professor William Urban and his wife, German lecturer Jackie Urban, for a cultural excursion around the ancient city of Cologne.

The Urbans, who are veteran European travelers, organized much of the trip with the assistance of a German friend, Mathias Betyna, who has visited Monmouth College on several occasions. Kate Ogilvie Halm, a 1993 MC graduate who lives in Cologne, provided the group with a behind-the-scenes tour of that city. She and her husband, Michael, also arranged an excursion to Neanderthal, the site of the discovery of the first bones to be recognized as predating homo sapiens, and a trip to Aachen to see the cathedral built by Charlemagne in 800 A.D., site of the coronation of 32 German kings.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to see what life is like outside the United States,” said Paul Murphy, a junior from Oak Brook Terrace. “The Mercedes-Benz plant was great. We got to see a great example of ‘just in time’ manufacturing, which is something that is discussed in multiple business classes. It was also a lot of fun to interact with the local German people and learn a little German.”

All the students went back to Cologne to climb the tower of Germany’s largest cathedral (509 steps, according to Murphy), rush to the chocolate museum, and compare American and

Germany methods of presenting commercial goods to the public. That is, said Prof. Urban, they enjoyed shopping in the German markets and malls.

Urban, who has taught at Monmouth since 1966 and taken numerous groups out of the country, was enthusiastic about his most recent contingent.

“They were a great group – up on time, no complaints, no problems and, most importantly, they took advantage of every opportunity to learn and have a good time,” he said, adding, “We all became experts in navigating Duesseldorf’s famous Altstadt, the location of the best restaurants and ‘bierstube’ in the region.”

Betyna, a stage designer and artist, arranged for the group to see the premier of the opera “La Coronazzione de Poppae” on the day of arrival. He later arranged for Professor Urban to see the premier of “Einmal Nicht Aufgepasst,” a sold-out performance by one of Germany’s best comedic actors and a strong supporting cast.

Two of the students, Carolyn Boona, a senior from Cary, and David Ehrenhart, a junior from Springfield, had studied German under Jackie Urban. Eight others claim that they plan to enroll in beginning German in the fall.

The other students on the trip were senior Sarah Hicks of Stronghurst; juniors Melissa Holbrook of Marengo, Kathryn Jackson of Kewanee, Nathaniel Livermore of Roseville and Karissa Ulanski of Chicago; sophomores Rafael Delgado of Chicago, Todd French of Sandwich, Rebecca Houston of Golden and Charles Varnes of Hanna City; and freshman Ken Stachorek of Darien. Also accompanying the group was Marilyn Kloeppel, wife of MC physics lecturer Peter Kloeppel.