February 5, 1998
Contact: Lew Harris
(615) 322-2706
| |
February 5, 1998 Contact: Lew Harris (615) 322-2706 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Global managers in Vanderbilt University's International Executive MBA program (IEMBA), the only executive MBA program in the world that focuses on inter-American trade, are in Middle Tennessee this week to visit local manufacturing facilities and attend classes at the Owen Graduate School of Management on the Vanderbilt campus.
Launched one year ago in a collaboration between Vanderbilt and the University of Florida, the program is a pioneering effort to offer a Master of Business Administration degree. Classes are held in Miami, the natural venue for a program that attracts mid-to-senior level managers from throughout North America, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
The unique format, calendar and location in Miami provide a much-needed answer for Latin American executives looking for an MBA degree from a leading U.S. business school, according to Lorraine Sciadini, director of the program. IEMBA graduates receive the Master of Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt.
With the third of four terms nearing completion, the group is now focusing on international operations, the Latin American business environment and international law. "Visits this week to the Saturn, Nissan, Whirlpool, and Vintec plants give the students an opportunity to see the principles we've discussed in class brought to life," said Professor Joe Blackburn. "In class, the students have read cases and carried out exercises on timed-based competition, total quality management, and just-in-time supply systems. The plant visits demonstrate how these practices are implemented both within the factory and with their supply-chain partners."
IEMBA Uno, as the first class calls itself, is a colorful group of executives from a wide range of industries who meet once a month in Miami for four-day sessions with Vanderbilt and University of Florida faculty. The 17-member class, which looks forward to graduation in September, represents large Latin American family-owned corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, and leading multinationals including Citibank, Tropicana-Dole, Nortel, Siemens-Nixdorf, and Eastman Kodak.
Outside of the monthly face-to-face meetings, students rely heavily on Internet-based electronic communication to consult with each other and with the faculty as they work on assignments.
"Although I have not been on the Vanderbilt campus in 11 months, the Owen faculty and staff have made my MBA experience immensely rewarding through our monthly meetings in Miami and the use of Internet-based technology", said Jose Fuster, vice president of the Miami/Latin American Regional Office of Barclays Bank.
Nortel's George Boue, Senior Manager for Caribbean and Latin American Business Ethics, plans to combine his trip with company business at the company's headquarters in Nashville. Scott Prince of Siemens-Nixdorf, who did his undergraduate work at Vanderbilt, is enjoying returning to his alma mater.
In June, as the executives study global strategy and marketing, capital markets, and international finance, the class will travel to South America and spend a week in Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina visiting companies and consulting with leaders from academic, private sector, and government institutions.
Last month, Vanderbilt's IEMBA program was granted a full license to operate in the state of Florida by the State Board of Independent Colleges and Universities in Tallahassee.
The program's second class, known as IEMBA Dos, begins in March. Sciadini is optimistic about the new class. "The number and quality of applications has exceeded our expectations," she said. "We look forward to welcoming an outstanding new group of executives in March. It is really exciting to see how news about the program is spreading in the international business world."
-VU-
Vanderbilt University is a private research university of approximately
5,900 undergraduates and 4,300 graduate and professional students. Founded
in 1873, the University comprises 10 schools, a public policy institute,
a distinguished medical center and The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center.
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of graduate and professional degrees.
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