Mr. Krajsa is the recipient of the ACBSP (Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs) International Teaching Excellence Award, and was honored during the 2005 ACBSP Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. for his work in ‘short term study abroad’ global social enterprise work in Peru. In 2003 he was the recipient of The SIFE Sam Walton Free Enterprise Fellowship Award, and in June 2003 he was selected as the DeSales University faculty fellow to attend the Collegium on Faith and Intellectual Life at St. John’s University in Minnesota.
During the summers of 2004 and 2005 and the spring of 2006, Krajsa and members of the DSU SIFE team took ‘short term’ educational expeditions to Peru to create cultural, business and service opportunities that will help students prepare to navigate their futures in the global economy. His SIFE students developed innovative social outreach and business related projects to benefit the communities of our global neighbors. Highlights of the trip included spending three days working on ecotourism and social outreach projects in the Heifer International village of Cachuma, meeting with the U.S Ambassador and commercial officers at the U.S. Embassy to discuss possibilities of beginning an import-export project which would benefit Cachuma, and meetings with officials at Banco de Credito and the American Chamber of Commerce in Peru. The trip created future opportunities for Krajsa’s SIFE team to interact with the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias in Lima in developing global social enterprise course work and projects to benefit these communities. Because of their working Peru, DSU SIFE finished 12th out of 840 colleges and universities at the National SIFE Competition in Kansas City.
The trips, funded in part by a grant through the Business and International Education Program of the U.S. Department of Education, were very successful. They helped initiate subsequent programs and projects, which have benefited all involved. These include the launch of Peru as a member of SIFE International, as well as other initiatives, such as starting an export business to sell art and craft work produced by Peruvian villagers and hosting a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Peru on campus.
In August of 2007 and in March of 2008, Krajsa led 2 more expeditions to Peru with former students along with students from The University of Oregon and Kutztown University working on micro finance initiatives and developing import export markets for the Andean villagers’ artwork, weavings, and carvings. Short term study abroad experiences encourage students to strive past normal boundaries and accomplish things they thought impossible.