Alumni Visits

KU Alumnus Emmanuel Dalavai joined us for lunch and a talk on Thursday, April 17, 2008. Discussion included his company, EVD Enterprises, multicultural literacy, and the impact of foreign language education.

Passionate about cultural awareness and improving the multicultural literacy quotient of his clients, Emmanuel (Vittorio) Dalavai teaches people from around the world to understand each other better. He has lived in London, Paris, Geneva, Lyon, and Hyderabad, and has traveled extensively for work and pleasure. Emmanuel’s corporate career began in technical sales with Southwestern Bell/SBC/AT&T.  From that position he was promoted to risk analyst and finally business analyst before leaving the company to devote himself to training and education. As a world ambassador, his goal is to promote the positive aspects of increased cultural awareness, to bridge the cultural divide among various people groups, and to deliver cross-cultural and global language solutions to companies worldwide.  His corporate clients include Marriott International, Peerless Manufacturing, Radio Shack and NASA. In addition to working with big business, Emmanuel lectures on global commerce and cross-cultural communication at the University of Kansas and University of Dallas.  He also works with MBA students at Texas Christian University.  Keen to expose young adults to new experiences, he facilitates international business study tours in conjunction with Envision EMI, LLC.  He has taken students to China, Australia, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, and Venice. Emmanuel received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in both chemistry and French from the University of Kansas.  He earned his MBA from Texas Christian University and the University of Dallas.  He holds a certificate in telecommunications management from the University of Dallas and a degree in project management from Stanford University and is a Stanford-Certified Project Manager (SCPM). He is fluent in French, Italian, Spanish, and Telugu.

 

Graduate Course Descriptions for Fall 2008 FREN 858 - Events, Ideologies, and Literature Surrounding the French Wars of Religion FREN 888 - French Novel of the 19th Century FREN 900 - Le Pays et dépaysement de Proust et Valéry à Echenoz et Darrieussecq