EMBA students visit Finland and Russia

Students in the Shenandoah Cohort visited Helsinki and Moscow during their 10-day international residency trip in June.

Executive MBA students in the Shenandoah Cohort visited Helsinki and Moscow during their 10-day international residency trip in June.

The students, led by program executive director Charles Jacobina, visited workplaces and cultural sites. In Finland, the group visited the U.S. Embassy, where they met Ambassador Ilkka Heiskanen, and the offices of the American Chamber of Commerce in Finland, where they heard presentations by Microsoft Finland, Coca-Cola Finland, and Mirasys Ltd.

The students enjoyed a samba festival and traditional Finnish cuisine and toured Suomenlinna, a sea fortress that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In Russia, the group participated in discussions at the U.S. Embassy, Transparency International, Luxoft Ltd, and Aurora Investment Advisors, a company started by Pamplin alumnus James Cook (download the cover story in the Fall 2008 Pamplin magazine). The students toured the Red Square, ate at a restaurant that offered traditional Russian songs and dances and visited the largest McDonald’s in the world.

Before their trip, the students visited the Finnish Embassy in Washington, D.C., for a meeting with Ambassador Pekka Lintu that was arranged by Laurel Colless, a leader of the university’s Research Development Team at Virginia Tech, National Capital Region, who is also the ambassador’s wife.

The 25 students finished their program in June.

High-growth companies are the focus of the executive MBA’s 10-day international residency trip, which has taken previous cohorts to Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Ireland, Scotland, Hungary, China, Vietnam, Spain, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Italy. The trip is aimed at giving students a first-hand look at strategies that have led to business success in other countries, says Jacobina. “Students get to see how the local environment affects business and experience aspects of international culture.”

Pamplin’s executive MBA program, launched in 2003, offers executives a graduate business program that accommodates professional travel and schedule demands without disrupting their progress toward earning an MBA. “The program is designed for busy, experienced professionals with or without business degrees,” says Jacobina.

Its broad curriculum seeks to provide an understanding of the major elements of business, examines the ethical and global implications of management, and prepares managers for making decisions in a rapidly changing world, he says. “Our program is designed to integrate theory and practice, enhance the executive skills required for participants’ career advancement, prepare them to take their learning onto a global playing field, enhance their personal confidence, and promote networking opportunities among them.”

The program—one of several MBA programs, full time and part time, that the Pamplin College offers—is fully accredited by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Classes, all taught by doctoral faculty, are held at Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center every other weekend over an 18-month period. Students are recruited for cohorts beginning each September and February.