UMSL international partnership changed how two business students see the world

UMSL international partnership changed how two business students see the world

by Dave Benson | Jul 29, 2026

Clayton Bruce and Buchanan Pratt gained hands-on international business experience, lifelong connections and a broader global perspective through work at UMSL and in Finland and Germany.

When Clayton Bruce and Buchanan Pratt first stepped into a classroom at the University of Missouri-St. Louis for an accelerated international business course, neither expected it would be the beginning of a journey that spanned three countries, three universities and multiple perspectives on the world.

About 18 months later, the two business students had completed a rare feat: participating in all three phases of UMSL's international partnership with Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany. While working with classmates from around the globe to solve real-world business challenges, Bruce and Pratt discovered that the world was both much larger and much smaller than they had imagined.

"That's the best part, just getting to know other people, getting to know how they see the world," Bruce said. "We might speak different languages, we might have different work styles, but at the end of the day, you can take all your differences, all your opinions and cultures, and work together to make something beautiful."

The accomplishment is one that few students have achieved during the partnership's 13-year history.

"It's really rare," said Joe Rottman, director of UMSL's International Business Institute and professor of information systems in the Ed G. Smith College of Business. "I think we've had three students for sure, maybe four, who have done all three. Most students just do one because of the scheduling challenges. For a student to be able to take all three courses, is rare."

For Bruce and Pratt, though, one experience naturally led to the next.

The trilogy began in November 2024, when UMSL hosted students from Finland and Germany for an intensive, weeklong international business course. Mixed teams of students worked with executives from Dot Foods to develop strategies for expanding the company's operations into Australia, navigating everything from transportation logistics and regulations to cultural differences and geopolitical challenges. Students complete a pre-assignment before they met the client and then a post-assignment after the case was completed.

Neither student expected the experience to have such a lasting impact.

"I remember seeing the pre-work assignment and thinking, 'Why did I do this?'" Bruce said with a laugh. "But by the end of the week, I had such a great time. Learning, meeting all the other people, working together. It was such a great experience that I wanted to do it again."

Pratt's motivation was initially much simpler.

"My professor sent out an opportunity to earn three credit hours in one intense week of in-person course work," he said. "I thought, 'It doesn't get much simpler than that.' I had no idea what I was getting into."

What they discovered was far more than an accelerated class.

Each course grouped students from multiple countries to work on a real international business challenge for an actual company. Working across cultures and languages, teams researched new markets, analyzed regulations, explored consumer behavior and developed recommendations that company leaders could potentially use.

The projects changed with each location. In Finland, students worked with Kyrö Distillery to develop strategies for entering the U.S. market. In Germany, they partnered with the historic Weingut Alte Grafschaft winery to expand into other European markets while addressing changing consumer habits and limited marketing resources.

Success depended as much on communication as it did on business knowledge.

"You can't just expect another country to want your product because it's successful where you're from," Bruce said. "You have to understand the laws, the culture, consumer behavior … everything. It's a lot of problem-solving."

The teams themselves reflected that complexity.

Bruce found himself collaborating with students from Germany, Finland, Vietnam, Peru, Slovakia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and several other countries over the three programs. During the final course in Germany, he was the only American on his team.

All teammates spoke some English. To ease communication, some relied on classmates to translate conversations or preferred communicating through text messages. Different work styles and expectations added another layer of complexity.

"You have to make sure everyone feels heard," Bruce said. "It's a group project, not a 'me' project. If someone comes in thinking it has to be done their way, it breaks down. But if everyone contributes and respects each other, you can build something really special."

Pratt experienced similar challenges.

"There were definitely language barriers," he said. "Sometimes people weren't able to explain what they were doing, and then we'd realize later they'd already completed an entire section of the project. Other times it was just different work styles. You had to adapt and trust that everyone was working toward the same goal."

That ability to adapt became one of the program's biggest lessons.

"You can't really figure out a perfect solution for communication," Pratt said. "You just have to work through it."

Outside the classroom, the partnerships offered something equally valuable: an opportunity to experience cultures firsthand.

In Finland, students toured Kyrö Distillery, explored forests and public parks, learned about Finnish architecture and history and gathered around campfires to roast marshmallows with classmates from across Europe. In Germany, they toured Frankfurt, learned about the European banking system, visited centuries-old breweries and restaurants and explored Alte Grafschaft, where vineyard history stretches back to 1392.

The overwhelming sense of history made a lasting impression.

"It was incredible how they could go back thousands of years and tell you the history of that exact place," Pratt said. "We don't have anything like that here. It really makes you realize how much history these places have."

Both students also noticed countless everyday differences.

European cities felt more walkable. Conversations with strangers happened differently. Work cultures varied. Even simple things such as food, transportation and shopping offered new perspectives.

"You start to realize America is a very unique place," Bruce said. "Being American, that's just normal to you every day. But then you go somewhere else and you see that people approach life differently."

Ironically, those differences also revealed how much people have in common.

"You realize that everybody has their own issues and experiences," Bruce said. "We spend a lot of time building walls between ourselves, but I think it's easier to build a bridge than it is to build a wall."

The friendships formed through the building of those bridges continue today through social media and conversations with classmates scattered across Europe and beyond. The experience also reshaped both students' professional aspirations.

Bruce, who will receive a MBA with emphases in marketing and international business this August, recently began working at Stifel as a document controller, and he now hopes his career will include an international component. Bruce said he has also been bitten by the travel bug and would like to explore many different corners of the world.

"Every place has their own unique issues, unique experiences, and you just want to learn more about that," he said.

Pratt, who will complete his master's degree in accounting this December, hadn't seriously considered international business before joining the program.

"I never would have thought about it," he said. "Now I'm trying to figure out how I can make international business work with accounting."

Rottman said creating those kinds of transformational experiences is exactly why the International Business Institute has invested in partnerships like this one for more than a two decades. Beyond exposing students to international markets and business practices, the collaborations immerse them in different cultures while challenging them to work through communication barriers, unfamiliar perspectives and real-world business problems. Students who participate in these programs are more competitive and more capable.

The result is an education that extends far beyond any classroom.

"You never know where life is going to take you," Bruce said, "but when things happen, they can take you to great places."

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