On November 13, 2023, Department Chair, Damaris Puñales-Alpízar, and the French Professors, Jane Battisson, Charlotte Sanpere and Fabienne Pizot-Haymore were delighted to welcome Alexandre Holle, Director in Charge of Innovation and International Partnerships at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris-Île-de-France and Cédric LeRouge, Honorary Consul of France in Cleveland, Executive Director of the French-American Chamber of Commerce of Northeast Ohio and CEO of Adexma.

During their visit, Alexandre and Cédric met with the students in French for Business who are preparing to take the Diplôme de Français Professionnel (DFP), French for Business Diploma B1, in December. Our wonderful group of students had the opportunity to exchange with our guests on the topics of internships in French in the Cleveland area and abroad, International mobility and job opportunities for DFP laureates.

Alexandre is glad to see our five-year long partnership flourish with the French Section offering a rotation of four French for Profession courses (FRCH101 Healthcare, FRCH309 French for Diplomacy and International Relations, FRCH313/413 French for Healthcare and FRCH315 French for Business) and, every year, the International French for Specific Purposes Exam Center (IFSPEC) offering more students the possibility to graduate from the Diplôme de Français Professionnel at CWRU. This is an Internationally-recognized added value on our students’ resumes, thanks to a generous grant from the Erik Börve Fund for Foreign Language Instruction.