São Paulo traffic: total insanity

If you think you've seen bad traffic, São Paulo might just put every other city to shame. This morning, I had a meeting scheduled with SENAC at their Santo Amaro office and thought departing one hour early would give me sufficient time to get there. Well, I got there 45 minutes late because of a pile-up on the highway near Morumbi. Fortunately, the wonderfully patient and understanding staff at SENAC were still waiting for my arrival and had not given up. One staff member told me that her commute from the area around Frei Caneca, where my hotel is located, to Santo Amaro takes about one hour when traffic is good.

After an hour-long meeting to get to know each other's institutions better, I had lunch with a staff member who has a sibling that lives only a few miles outside Bloomington, Indiana. She had spent several years in the U.S. and thus spoke impeccable American English. She had great stories to share about her experiences abroad.

Then we were joined by another staff member who had recently completed a two year stay in the U.S. Both took me on a tour of the SENAC-Santo Amaro campus, and I must say the campus is impressive. Located in a predominantly industrial area, the campus re-purposed several existing factory buildings, turning them into LEED certified classroom buildings. Even though it was quite hot and humid outside, the design of one of the general classroom buildings kept the interior pleasantly cool and allowed fresh air to circulate without the use of any electrified force such as an air conditioner or fans. The campus also had a large conference center and meeting rooms, able to hold up to 400 attendees in the central auditorium, and a large library. It also had a gym and other buildings with specific purposes, including the School of Gastronomy with immense kitchens, labs, and even a real functioning restaurant that is used for students' final exams. The technological infrastructure was just as impressive, with an information commons in the library and computer labs (many specialized to meet the needs of particular disciplines, one large lab fully funded by Microsoft for purposes of IT research) throughout the classroom buildings. Because enrollments continue to rise, SENAC is currently finishing another large classroom building.

What particularly impressed me was SENAC's attention to how the design and function of classrooms and facilities impacted student learning, especially in the attainment of critical skills for employment. For example, students in their hotel management degree program take courses that require them to role play various scenarios in a classroom that looks exactly like the interior of a hotel, front desk and lobby included. Students earning degrees in fashion design and apparel merchandising also complete projects and courses in classrooms that replicate real work stations you might find at a storefront design studio. In the U.S., this would likely be viewed as a trade school or community college approach to education. Yet, these students are completing four year undergraduate degrees, with a rigorous curriculum. And, most importantly, these students are graduating with marketable skills.

Like so many of our students at the Kelley School of Business, SENAC's students are looking for opportunities to complete short-term courses and projects in the U.S. While that certainly established a shared need, we found common ground in an area that might end up solidifying a partnership - even if it is ultimately a more informal one: social responsibility. Their students and faculty actively engage in community betterment projects, and the evidence of the delivery of that mission was everywhere on the campus. There were photographs of students and faculty working with impoverished families, teaching young children about how to take care of their communities and their environment, cleaning up various parts of the city, and so on. In the library, a special installation showcased some of the most recent projects. One particularly touching exhibit showcased photographs taken by visually impaired children; one of SENAC's photography professors, who had recently completed a Fulbright at Harvard, regularly conducts workshops and then helps the students, many of whom are from desperately poor families, sell their photographs.

The meeting with SENAC did not conclude until 4:00 pm that afternoon, pushing my arrival back at the hotel to nearly 5:00 pm. After a short nap, I walked down Rua Haddock Lobo and decided on Margherita Pizzeria, located at the intersection with Alameda Tietê, for dinner. If you get a chance, at least stop in and try one of their upper-range caipirinhas with caçacha (R$14). It's worth the money! The pizza, with its warm and gooey buffalo mozzarella, ("mussarela de búfala) was also superb, albeit somewhat expensive at R$35. The restaurant's great food and ambiance make the price palatable.

Photos coming soon!