Business Building, UTSA 1604 Campus

College of Business offers course in Spanish

(Dec. 15, 2003)--The UTSA College of Business will offer its first course taught in Spanish this spring.

Daniel Tablada, lecturer in marketing, will teach Principles of Marketing. Tablada is experienced in doing business in Mexico and is fluent in both Spanish and English. He has previously taught courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in import-export marketing and international marketing.

"The course was originally scheduled for the fall semester, but technical reasons prevented it from being offered until the fall," said Joel Saegert, chairman of the Department of Marketing.

Students will become familiar with the introductory principles of marketing, while at the same time practice business conversations in Spanish so students can build confidence in both business and language skills.

"While Spanish will be the medium of instruction, students will not be required to have any prior formal language training in Spanish," said Tablada. "The purpose is to use the language of commerce as it is spoken in Mexico and other Latin-American countries so that students can begin to feel at ease in dealing with Spanish-speaking business contacts."

Much of the initiative for this course comes from Ernest Bromley, CEO of San Antonio-based Bromley and Associates, one of the largest Spanish-language advertising agencies in the United States. Bromley, a graduate of UTSA, encouraged the college to offer business courses in Spanish so that Spanish-speaking students can utilize their language abilities early in their business careers, with an eye toward gaining a competitive advantage in the world of international business.

"This course demonstrates the college's commitment to international business and diversity in the study of business," said Saegert. "It also provides an additional dimension for our students who speak Spanish and want to develop their business skills in a second language."

The class will be held Mondays and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at the UTSA Downtown Campus. Students who have questions about this course should contact their advisor or Saegert at 210-458-5375.

--Wendy Frost