BOONE—Brothers Clayton, Chester and Sam Allen know the value of studying abroad.  Each traveled oversees while students at Appalachian State University.

The brothers want other Appalachian students to have the same opportunities they experienced while on a study abroad program, so they have helped establish the Allen Family Study Abroad Scholarship Fund that will provide awards for 10 students each of the next five years to Appalachian students enrolled in study abroad programs in the Walker College of Business. Preference will be given to students participating in international entrepreneurship courses. The first scholarships will be awarded this fall.

“Traveling to Spain and Scandinavia while I was in school gave me invaluable perspective,” said Chester Allen, a 2005 graduate of Appalachian’s BSBA program in management. Allen is a real estate advisor for Grubb & Ellis|Thomas Linderman Graham in Raleigh. “I am so excited to be in a position to help other Appalachian students experience what I did,” he said.

The Allens each took business courses through the Walker College of Business, which houses the Center for Entrepreneurship.  Center for Entrepreneurship Director Bryan Toney taught Clayton and Chester.  “The Allens have a good entrepreneurial sense,” Toney said.  “I recall their success in business endeavors while they were here – they purchased, transported, and sold Christmas trees for profit in the Raleigh-Durham area.”

Clayton Allen, a 2003 BSBA management graduate, works in sales for Madix Store Fixtures in Richmond, Va. Sam Allen is a senior marketing major at Appalachian and plans to graduate in December.

The Walker College recognizes the importance of an international study experience and encourages students to participate in study abroad.  Last year, more than 150 Walker College of Business students participated in an international study experience.

In 2008 rankings by The Chronicle of Higher Education and the Institute of International Education, Appalachian was in the top 10 of master’s degree granting institutions in terms of the number of students studying abroad.

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