European University’s Swiss campuses held their Commencement Ceremony on 16^th June, at the elegant Château Maison Blanche, seat of EU’s Executive Center. Thevenue overlooks the stunning mountain range Les Dents-du-Midi, the surrounding vineyards and the neighboring of Yvorne. Students from the Bachelor, Master and PhD programs, representing 37 nationalities, were hosted alongside special guests, friends and family members, to help celebrate their achievements and mark the start of their new lives.

Distinguished guests included former Prime Minister of Lebanon, His Excellency Najib Mikati, Dr Rhonda Mack from Charleston College, Colonel Morisod of the International Military Sports Council, a representative of the Chinese Ministry of Education, and several ambassadors.

After the ceremony, graduates and guests attended the cocktail reception, held in the Executive Centre, where live music, wine from our Trustee and local Mayor Philippe Gex’s vineyards along with delicious dishes from Chef Philippe Guignard awaited them. Celebrations continued into the evening ensuring a special night to remember for the proud alumni.

EU's 2010 Graduates

The Yirwal Women’s Association, a village in the West African country of Burkina Faso, wrote to give the university some very positive feedback after an EU donation enabled the community there to construct two flour mills.

They report that they have created a trust to generate revenue from the mills, which are also used by inhabitants of nearby villages. This is bringing revenue to the Association, helping them to advance agricultural projects and pay for the maintenance of the mills.

Chicken is a staple of the Burkina Faso diet and as they are fed with corn extracts, it is a profitable business. Money raised has been invested in solar powered electricity to the village school. This means that the building can be used at night, and an Association representative will approach the local Minister of Education to see if a project to enhance adult literacy in Yirwal can be approved.

Previous articles can be found in the February 2010 EU E-Newsletter and EU Today 15/Summer 2010, available in both print and online versions.

On 30th April, 23 students from the Geneva and Montreux campuses took a trip to Nestlé’s international headquarters in Vevey.

The group was welcomed by Mrs Guarnero who gave a  presentation on the group activities and further development. It was then followed by a Q&A session. Students were guided through the exhibition area where all of Nestlé’s products were on display and had the possibility to sample some of the products.

Students had the opportunity to see how successful companies and organizations put business theory into practice.  Such visits also provide excellent opportunities for students to fine-tune their business etiquette and networking skills, something which will prove invaluable to them in their future careers.

Second year Project Management students and third year Total Quality Management students were lucky enough to be invited to an industrial visit at Frank Muller’s headquarters in Geneva. This was an exceptional event as Frank Muller rarely extends such invitations to students. Professor de Grandbois was with the students who received a tour of the site, saw the manufacturing of the watches and were given a detailed insight into their complicated  workings, as well as enjoyed a presentation on the Frank Muller group.

On Friday 23th April, students from the Montreux campus were fortunate enough to receive a tour of the Phillip Morris offices in Neuchatel. A PMI representative welcomed the group and was the hostess for the visit, which started with two short introductory videos of the biggest tobacco company in the world, including as well a tour of the premises, followed by a factory tour, where students witnessed the entire making process of cigarettes.

Students were given an opportunity to quiz PMI representatives during a Q&A session where students asked about PMI research & development, the operations technical services, the supply chain and product development activities. Students showed interest by their innovative technologies and their financial aspects.

On Friday 19th of April 2010, Mr. Terence O’Hare (Principal at Michael Page Executive) and Ms Julia Eisner (Recruiter Consultant for Michael Page in Geneva) went to the EU Montreux campus to conduct a guest lecture for our MBA and BBA 3rd year students.

The presentation was conducted in a very interactive way, starting with an introduction of the company and an explanation of various actions and strategies of the Michael Page Group. Following this, Mr. O’Hare gave a presentation of the company in Switzerland. He talked about their main targets and objectives as well as how they dealt with the current economic crisis.

Both representatives were open to answer any types of questions regarding their business, students were given advice on how to prepare their CVs, the best way to apply for jobs and which kinds of positions they can expect after graduating from EU

At the 2010 annual conference of the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), the Board of Commissioners announced the granting of specialized accreditation of the business degree programs of European University. Business program accreditation by the IACBE assures the high quality of European University business programs. Accredited programs have been examined by trained evaluators who ensure that the IACBE’s standards are being met in eight key areas: outcomes assessment, strategic planning, curriculum, faculty, scholarly and professional activities, resources, internal/external relationships, and educational innovation. The quality of the business programs are measured by the accomplishment of the school’s mission and broad-based goals, the effectiveness of student learning, and the operational effectiveness your academic business unit.

John L. Green, Jr., Ph.D, President of the IACBE, notes that, “accreditation is recognition that the business programs of European University have demonstrated academic excellence and an interest in continuous programmatic improvement. The IACBE is especially interested in the continuous assessment of student learning outcomes. The accreditation process is one means of assisting academic business units in equipping graduates to excel in the business world.”

“Accreditation is more than just another credential for institutions,” adds William Parrott, Director of Member Services and International Programs for the IACBE. “Accreditation requires evidence that a school’s programs are meeting high standards and producing measurable, high-quality results.”

On Friday 19th of March, first year BBA students had the opportunity to visit Gilbert Albert, one of the most remarkable jewelers in the world.  Students were fortunate enough to have a tour through the workshop, where they had a general overview of how these fine arts are created.

22 year-old Ksenia Podsevatkina is studying a BBA Program with a major in International Business at European University in Montreux. She is an excellent example of an ambitious future entrepreneur, and has been studying to realize her dreams at EU for the last year. She represented Russia at the Miss Earth Beauty Pageant 2009 in Manila, The Philippines and owes her participation to her ‘Miss Beauty of Russia’ success.

The beauty queen symbolizes the EU philosophy: promoting cultural unity with a social conscience while applying the EU teaching methodology to work towards her chosen career path. Ms. Podsevatkina is already active on behalf of several charity associations and is thinking of creating a foundation to help underprivileged children. The Miss Earth competition was launched in 2001 as a glamour event with a difference, whose raison d’être is to have its candidates and winners actively promote and become involved in the preservation of the environment.

EU caught up again with Robin Hilbrink, and asked him to reflect on his first semester at Nichols College, MA.

Which subjects are you studying at Nichols?

I am following the subjects Physical World, Sport & Society, Professional Writing, Business, Government & Regulation and Psychology of Advertising.

Can you tell us in more detail about the class structure and professors?

The Physical World class is a scientific class…this class is divided in lectures and laboratory. During the lectures you follow what the professors have to say and during the laboratory class you have to make exercises.
The two professors that teach the Psychology of Advertising class, Prof. Davis and Prof. Downs, are both very experienced in their subjects. They teach with great enthusiasm and their message is very clear. Every class you have to give a presentation or make an essay and from day one you are working in a team. This team does not change over the semester and every week you have to fill in a evaluation sheet of your team members and other teams.

Are there similarities between the way classes are taught at EU and at Nichols?

Psychology of Advertising is very different (with two professors), but the rest is more or less the same. The professors are very motivated and enthusiastic and they want the students to talk. There is a lot of interaction between students and professors.

How else do you find Nichols different to EU?

Nichols has much more students than EU, but the classes are also small and there is a good interaction between students and the professors.