Meeting of the CEMS Executive Board at the VŠE
For the first time since the University of Economics, Prague (VŠE) began its membership in CEMS, a meeting of the Executive Board was held in Prague on 14 and 15 May. The proceedings at VŠE were also joined by non-European schools thanks to which, in December 2008, CEMS became a worldwide alliance -The Global Alliance in Management Education.
Currently, CEMS is an alliance of 23 universities which cooperate in number of areas. The main project is implementation of a common 2-year master study programme (joint degree) in the field of international management.
The aim of the Executive Board, of which members are vice-presidents of universities, representatives of corporate partners, members of the CEMS Office headed by the CEMS Chairman Prof. Bernard Ramanatsoa, and representatives of students and graduates, is steering and coordination of the programme at member universities, and preparation of a strategic plan which is endorsed by the Strategic Board, consisting of presidents and deans of member schools.
At the beginning of the meeting, Prof. Thomas Bieger from the University of St. Gallen assessed the development of the common study programme Master in International Management. In the 2009/2010 academic year, 780 students will be admitted to the programme. The aim of the alliance is, in the next few years, to reach the level of 1 000 students admitted per academic year. In the assessment of the results of a student poll, VŠE scored very well; none of its courses had to be cancelled or re-accredited (the bottom level in the 1-5 scale is determined at 3,5). Next, a schedule of evaluations of individual schools for the period of 2010-15 was presented, and the activities of the CEMS Faculty Groups were evaluated. The Executive Board unanimously supported the idea of the necessity of stressing social responsibility in teaching of special courses.
The Executive Board approved by majority vote the enlargement of CEMS for the following new schools: the Canadian Richard Ivey School of Business, at the University of Western Ontario, and Koç University, located in Turkey. Thus students admitted next year to the International Management programme will have the opportunity to study for one semester in as many as 24 countries.
The Executive Board also discussed cooperation with corporate partners in the severe times of economic crisis. In the end, a budget for the period of 2009/2010 was approved, and members of the Executive Board heard a presentation regarding new projects of CEMS graduates.