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Dr. Jeffrey F. Sherlock is a professor of International Business and Management at Taylor University who teaches business courses around the world.
He had traveled to a variety of countries including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ecuador, Argentina, Lithuania, Germany, Switzerland, France, Poland, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
A Huntington resident, Sherlock began his travels with missionary work in the early 1990s. He was working through the United Brethren Church, headquartered in Huntington, in Macau, China near Hong Kong. His responsibilities were primarily business related and teaching English as a second language.
After 2 1/2 years in Macau, he came back to the States to work at Huntington College, as it was at the time. During this time, he was not teaching overseas, but he did travel with students to Asia and Macau and Hong Kong in China.
For several years, Huntington University has an education program in Zhuhai, China where Sherlock helped the native English-speaking team.
The program had an education aspect for teachers, but there was a camp aspect for the children. Sherlock oversaw the group that worked with the kids
In 2007, after some time at Trine University, Sherlock began working at Taylor University.
“One of the things that really attracted me to Taylor was the fact that they were very internationally engaged. I call it a small school with a big global footprint,” Sherlock said.
Taylor University wanted to recreate the international business study tour, and since most of Sherlock’s connections were in China, he took more than 100 students to China over the course of eight trips.
In the 2016-2017 academic year, Sherlock took a sabbatical to teach in Xi’an, China. He taught mainly business classes including business English and international marketing at Xi’an International Studies University.
Last fall, he taught an international marketing online course over at a different University in China.
Additionally, Sherlock has taught in Lithuania every year since 2015, except for the year he was on sabbatical in China. He will be going again in July to teach a hybrid course. Sherlock and two other professors have a weeklong residency in Lithuania where classes will be from Saturday through Frida. The next three months of this course is online, but the residency gives the professors and the students to build a connection and get to know each other face to face.
“Lithuania is an inspiring place to go because it was the first Soviet Republic that broke away. In 1990s a million people stood on the highway for around 500 miles just to declare ‘we want to be free.’ As someone who grew up during the cold war days, I think those people are brave, so I love going there for this history aspect as well,” Sherlock said.
When time allows, Sherlock and his wife extend their stay to visit historical sites in various countries or to connect with people they know, especially in China. In 2019 when they traveled to Europe, the class was a weeklong, but they stayed for three. Sherlock said, “I haven’t found a place I don’t have some sort of heart connection to.”
After Thanksgiving this year, Sherlock will be teaching a class in Rome, Italy.
“When you have the opportunity to travel and really interact with people, not just sightsee, your perspective broadens greatly,” Sherlock said. “It has enhanced my sensitivity to world issues because when something is happening in the world that’s difficult, you know people that it is directly effecting.”
Sherlock has taught students in Ukraine, Lithuania, Sierra Leone Africa, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and more.
“When they have problems, I feel it here,” he said. “The positive side is bigger perspective, and the more difficult part is greater concern because I know those people.”
“In general, it’s really easy as a Midwest American to just focus on what is of interest to us, and it’s a big world. God made diversity and I don’t think we value that as much as we could.” Sherlock said.
Sherlock and his wife currently teach English as a second language classes in Fort Wayne because of the large population of people from other countries there.
“I think there’s a certain fear that some people have with people who are different from them, but I consider it a huge privilege and blessing to have the opportunities to do what I have done,” said Sherlock. “It’s not always easy, cultural adjustment is a challenge, it can be scary, it can be intimidating but it’s an amazing thing. And I would encourage people to consider traveling, interacting with people who are different, even here, in Huntington or Fort Wayne. There are opportunities we just have to squash our fear and go for it.”
Sherlock graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree. He received his doctorate in adult and community education at Ball State University.
His international teaching and training include:
• Applying Jim Collins’ “Good to Great” in a Chinese context in 2017 and 2018,
• Training in small business development in Yangon, Myanmar,
• Applying Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” in a Chinese context in Xi’an, China in 2016 – 2018
• Training in small business development with students in Sierra Leone, West Africa in 2012
• Understanding globalization and E-commerce in Qinghai, China in 2010
• Consulting on an agriculture business in Sierra Leone, West Africa in 2010
• Consulting on island resort development with students in Batam, Indonesia in 2010.
