Michigan St. U. peeps may remember John Magee. John held several positions at the U, including Exec Staff Assistant, College of Arts and Letters, and staff assistant in Ag & Nat Resources. Today, John serves as Assistant VP & Chief International Officer at Madonna University, Lavonia, MI. John and I continue to get together (he introduced me to his brother Jim along the way), and we talk about a range of issues. One issue (the focus here) is what John and Jim (also an internationalist) have learned about working internationally. "It's not about the deal," they argue, and it's certainly not about mining other countries for money and students. Rather, it's about establishing meaningful relationships and creating partnerships that benefit all parties involved. Not earth-shattering, you say? Well...ego, hubris, arrogance, and institutional self-centeredness (what another colleague calls "The Organization First" syndrome) make it more difficult (than easier) to put into practice. So here are John and Jim on "It's Not About the Deal."
