After 18 months of intensive study, the 14 graduates of the 2018/2019 MBA class celebrated their Master of Business Administration degree in Pensacola, Florida, in the summer of 2019.
As MBA graduates, they are participants in the AACSB-accredited cooperation program between the Transatlantic Institute of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society and the University of West Florida (UWF).
The group spent the last two weeks of their studies on the UWF campus. In addition to the class sessions, there was also time for joint activities with the American hosts, such as attending a baseball game of the "Blue Wahoos", at which the students were awarded honorary citizenship of the city of Pensacola.
The formal graduation ceremony was introduced by Interim Dean Prof. Dr. Eric Bostwick, who welcomed the honorees as well as their friends and family, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab and Ms. Kathrin Paul from the School of Business and Society.
He introduced the guest speaker, Bert Thornton, with an anecdote from his book, "An old gorilla": "Once upon a time, at the edge of a jungle, there were two young gorillas equal in strength, agility and desire for achievement. They shared a similar dream to climb to the top of a distant mountain that was surrounded and guarded by a difficult jungle. On their way they passed a band of old gorillas. The elder chief cautioned that they would greatly benefit from the voice experience. The first young gorilla says that he is strong, fast and smart and that he will go his own way. The second gorilla was curious and asked the elder chief to explain: "The jungle looks easy but the good path are difficult to find." The first young gorilla was not heard from for many years and he was surprised that the other young gorilla, upon returning from the mountaintop, had been unanimously named vice chief of the elders of the band."
Bert Thornton, Vice Chairman Emeritus of Waffle House, Inc. (one of the largest restaurant chains in the world), expressed his appreciation for successfully completing a part-time MBA program in his speech. His speech ended with a quote from his book: "The moral of the story is: On your way to the top, find an old gorilla to help you through the jungle. He knows where all the pathways are and also the quicksand."
The graduation ceremony was hosted by MBA Director Melissa Brode. Alma Imsirevic and Fabian Stein gave the graduation speech on behalf of their cohort. Alma Imsirevic began with a story that particularly delighted the guest speaker Bert Thornton: "Back in January 2018, fourteen strangers left Germany by plane to Pensacola and we didn't know what to expect from each other or from the program. When we came to the US, things started rough. But on our first day we learned a lesson - as long as Waffle House is open, everything is going to be ok! Ice storm and rain was the reason that the university was closed and nothing was open but the Waffle House". Fabian Stein went on to describe the labor-intensive, but above all very enjoyable times and to thank everyone who had supported her during her studies. Finally, Alma Imsirevic ended her speech with the statement: "The fourteen strangers now leave as friends."
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab, Director of the Transatlantic Institute, also congratulated the proud graduates in his emotional speech and also thanked the representatives of the UWF for the many years of successful cooperation. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, he said: "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest rate - knowledge."
This was followed by the ceremonial awarding of certificates, which was met with great applause from each candidate. The traditional tossing of the Master's hats and a corresponding group picture was also a must. Friends and family remaining in Germany were also able to follow the event live via the Internet.
The event was rounded off with a joint banquet in the evening.
We would like to congratulate our graduates and welcome them to our MBA alumni network!
The alumni from Ludwigshafen are not the only ones to be pleased about a recent award: in June, the Florida Board of Governors named the University of West Florida as an outstanding public university for the third time in a row. UWF achieved its highest score in the official performance-based evaluation model for the 2018-19 academic year, placing second in the ranking due to increased graduation rates, academic progress and higher alumni employment rates.
Dr. George Ellenberg, Senior Vice President of UWF commented on the results of the assessments as follows: "These performance-based funding model results are another reminder of the outstanding improvements we have seen on this campus in the past six years." The comparison of the various universities against which UWF was able to hold its own is based on 10 variables that weigh the improvements and academic qualities of the participants. To find out more about the UWF award, follow this link.
If you are interested, you can take part in taster events and/or make an appointment with us, our participants.
The next start of the MBA program of the Transatlantic Institute in cooperation with the University of West Florida is in January 2020. Applications will be accepted until October 2019. If you are interested, please contact Ms. Kathrin Paul directly (kathrin.paul@hwg-lu.de, 0621-5203-440).
You can also find further information at http://www.transatlantik-institut.de/en/mba.html
