Sejong-Syracuse MBA program gets boost from AACSB

Sejong-Syracuse MBA program gets boost from AACSBAugust 14, 2007Amy Schmitzaemehrin@syr.edu

Prospective MBA students in Korea, longing for an international experience with English-language instruction, need look no further than the Sejong-Syracuse Global MBA. Established as a joint undertaking between the Graduate School of Business Administration at Sejong University, Korea, and the Olivia and Walter Kiebach Center for International Business Studies in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, the program claims a student body that is among the most diverse in the world.

“The MBA program connects internationally experienced professors with students from all over the world to give them a global perspective and experiential learning through working in one of the world’s most dynamic economies,” says Peter Koveos, director of the Kiebach Center of International Business Studies at the Whitman School.

The Sejong-Syracuse MBA program has seen many positive changes recently. At the top of the list is the program’s recent accreditation by AACSB International — one of only four business schools in Korea to have earned AACSB accreditation. The school also has had an exterior facelift, developing a new business school facility filled with resources and technology needed for success. In 2006, a group of Sejong-Syracuse MBA students also launched the SSMBA Students’ Union to advance education experiences, serve as a channel for communication with Sejong and Syracuse universities and coordinate a number of professional development activities, including a lecture series.

In existence for seven years, the Sejong-Syracuse MBA program emphasizes the Whitman School’s international priority. Each year, four to six Whitman faculty teach in Sejong for four-week intervals, which exposes them to a different type of business culture and community and helps them develop new research horizons.

“Having a presence in Korea helps the Whitman School build and maintain relationships with prospective students and alumni in that part of the world,” says Koveos. “And faculty and senior administrators from Whitman have the added advantage of making connections with businesses operating in a fast growing economy.”

As the program continues, both Sejong and the Kiebach Center within Whitman are exploring ways of expanding the relationship, including the possibility of offering international experiences to SU students.

“The Sejong-Syracuse MBA program is such an amazing opportunity because it brings together so many different students from various backgrounds,” says Ryan Skrobar, former president of the Students’ Union.