Release date: July 24, 2003

Contact: Terri Thornton, 404-932-4347 or territhornton@mindspring.com

KSU’s MBA for Experienced Professionals Program Forges Agreement with Romanian Institution

Coles College of Business Students and Romanian Executive MBA Candidates Work in Virtual Teams over the Internet

The MBA for Experienced Professionals program at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University has forged a long-term agreement with the Institute for Business and Public Administration (ASEBUSS) in Bucharest, Romania. The two institutions will establish an academic alliance to enhance professional opportunities for students and faculty in their respective executive-format MBA programs.

“The students, who work full-time, will use technology to work hand-in-hand with their international colleagues,” says Rodney Alsup, Senior Associate Dean of the Coles College of Business. “The learning experience will emulate the way international business is done today,” he adds.

As part of the agreement, associates in KSU’s MBA-EP program will work in virtual teams over the Internet with their Romanian counterparts on common projects with a global, regional or national perspective. They will also travel to Romania to meet their colleagues in person, and visit businesses there. The first such trip took place earlier this year before the agreement was finalized. Romania is petitioning for entry into the European Union, so the academic exchange will give KSU students the experience of observing and participating in the nation’s developing economy.

Firsthand experience with international business is a hallmark of KSU’s MBA-EP program. Previous classes have studied in virtual teams and traveled to countries including Finland and Singapore.
“Business Week counts the Coles College among the ‘Best of the Best’ in Teaming and e-Business,” adds Coles College Dean Tim Mescon. “Innovative programs such as this are among the reasons for such positive attention.”

This is the second recent major agreement forged by the business school this year. Representatives of the Coles College have also signed a formal agreement with Kazak American University in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan.

The MBA for Experienced Professionals program is the largest executive-format MBA program in the Southeast. It is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. In addition to global travel, associates in the program meet once a month for weekend class sessions at KSU’s state of the art Executive Development Center.

For information about KSU’s MBA-EP program, contact Daniel L. Pickholtz, Manager of Recruiting for Graduate Programs at (770) 420-4465 or Dan_Pickholtz@coles2.kennesaw.edu.

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Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of 15,600 from 123 countries. The fourth largest state university out of 34 institutions in the University System of Georgia, KSU offers more than 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.