Apeldoorn social entrepreneur sees wonderful meeting of cultures

Wittenborg's Project Week SDG#3, 2022, on Good Health & Well-being concluded one month ago, so it is a good time for all participants to look back on these inspiring three days of lectures, workshops and a fantastic finale. Social entrepreneur Simon Boon moderated a panel discussion on the second day of Project Week. He led two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Students took part in this lively discussion that covered tough topics such as drug addiction, smoking, suicide and depression. How did Simon Boon participate in this project week? And how did he look back on this panel discussion and hear so many different voices from students and staff?

Simon Boon led the discussion at the Spoorstraat building of Wittenborg. Back where, as president of the Gelre Association International, he attended the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Days open event last September. "I thought it was a wonderful meeting of cultures. With so many different backgrounds," says Boon. "And we shared everyone's perspective on health and well-being. What it is like for us, how we can shape it and give it a place in our lives and how we can assist each other and how to create a healthy world." Boon emphasises the responsibility students are given during such a project week: "Students have to think about the mental health of themselves, their group members and society. They have to think about what the business model might be that makes their project plan work," he says. "They have to do a lot." Boon found it a wonderful experience and really enjoyed the project week: "It's a nice, surprising, three-day event with guest speakers and staff from Wittenborg," he concludes.

Wittenborg thanks Simon Boon for participating in the project week and sharing his knowledge with students, faculty and staff at Wittenborg.

WUP 26/01/2022
by Niels Otterman
©WUAS Press

Look back to EuroCHRIE 2022 in Apeldoorn

From 24 to 27 October 2022, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences had the pleasure of hosting the 2022 European Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE) at the ROC Aventus building in Apeldoorn. Around 170 delegates from more than 20 countries, including places like Japan, France, Morocco, Australia and Finland, came to the conference to network and share information.

Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng announced that she is standing down as Director of Conferencing and Networking at EuroCHRIE. She was elected to this position in 2019 and received great respect from the other board members for "leaving a fantastic legacy for future conference hosts" and for "establishing a EuroCHRIE Foundation."

Wittenborg thanks everyone for enriching this event with their presence and for making this possible. Enjoy this recap of the 2022 EuroCHRIE event in Apeldoorn.

WUP 25/01/2022
by Niels Otterman
©WUAS Press

Recognising institutional talent

In December, the 2022 AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards were held in London, UK, with a guest list of over 200 business school representatives and judges. The evening, filled with fun, friends and exclusive networking opportunities, was particularly special, as it was the first in-person awards show since 2020. Judges were made up of AMBA board members, business experts, education leaders and managers. A total of six institutions were recognised for their excellence in providing business education across seven countries.

Among the guests were Wittenborg President Peter Birdsall, Assurance of Learning Manager Kriszta Kaspers and former Vice President of Academic Affairs Ron Tuninga, who was recently appointed to the AACSB. WUAS had been nominated in the category of BGA Business School Impact Award 2022/23. During the evening, Wittenborg received official high commendations for the BGA Business School Impact Award, which is meant to reward schools with significant societal impact. According to the AMBA & BGA:

“This award is designed to offer a platform through which BGA member, validated, and accredited schools can demonstrate their stakeholder impact – encompassing students and graduates as well as the wider communities in which they operate. Such impact can be demonstrated through programme design, social outreach programmes, alumni relations, careers services and so on.”
 

Wittenborg's positive impact on the Apeldoorn region is especially pronounced, with its CEO Maggie Feng involved in initiatives such as LONKT, focusing on facilitating local entrepreneurship and borne from COVID-related logistical challenges to international trade. Meanwhile, initiatives such as the Tech Women MBA Scholarship in partnership with Women In Tech® Netherlands attracts women professionals from all over the world to obtain an MBA in business technology fields in the Netherlands, empowering them to take their education wherever they may go next. The school's commitment to lifelong learning, great alumni relations, sustainable economic education and continuous education are largely responsible for its nomination. The high commendations come as the school continues to grow and reach objectives not easily met by other private or public institutions, such as providing housing for incoming students and offering one of the most diverse environments in the Netherlands. The AMBA & BGA Awards shine light on an area of higher education where further growth is necessary, by praising institutions like Wittenborg who succeed in featuring societal impact as an integral portion of their strategic planning.

The award ceremony

The venue for the Excellence Awards Gala Dinner was located in the heart of London at the Biltmore Mayfair Hotel overlooking Grosvenor Square. The AMBA & BGA teams put a great effort into organising such a memorable event, with fine dining and a ceremony showcasing the great importance of business education achievements, recognition of leadership excellence and talents. Wittenborg was honoured to be counted among them and hopes to attend the next award ceremony.

“I very much enjoyed it all,” says Kaspers. “The atmosphere, the food, the networking moments and the good company. Our delegate group was joined by Martha Claflin, wife of Ron Tuninga, Mr Chris Pole, who is a member of our International Academic Advisory Board, and his wife Jacqueline Mannix. Of course, the most anticipated part of the evening was the announcement of the awards. Our moment came in the category of BGA Business School Impact Award. I was very happy that WUAS got officially highly commended by AMBA & BGA in this category. I could not stop smiling for the rest of the evening. Hopefully this is the first of the many prizes that WUAS will receive as a business school promoting excellence in teaching and learning, making a difference in the lives of students and staff and achieving great social impact.’’

Other winners

Two graduates of the MBA and Executive MBA Programme at Audencia, Wittenborg's future partner in Nantes, France, took home the award for MBA Entrepreneur and MBA Startup of the Year awards at the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2022/23. Wittenborg commends these graduates of its partner institution and wishes them the greatest success in the future. TBS Education, also based in France, took home the Best Innovation Strategy. This was thanks to its initiative called ‘The Blind Search,’ which sees students pitch research projects to judges who are not able to physically see the student. The method serves as an entertaining way for professionals to demonstrate their skills without prejudice or judgement based on appearance.

The American University of Cairo's School of Business earned the best Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative Award for its programme targeting women professionals' preparedness for high positions. Meanwhile, the School of Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China took home the award for Best CSR and Sustainability Initiative for Training Global Talent with CSR Competency and a Sense of Sustainability. Another Dutch school, the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University, took home the Best Business School Partnership award for its partnership with the Dutch Brazilian Chambers.

The full list of recognised schools and winners may be found here.

WUP 22/01/2022
by Olivia Nelson
©WUAS Press

Understanding the needs of alumni

In Q4 2023, the European Foundation for Management Development, along with the UK-based market consultancy group CarringtonCrisp, released the findings of their ‘Alumni Matters’ study on the needs and potential of graduates. According to CarringtonCrisp, “Schools miss out on opportunities not just to build fundraising, but to better engage corporates, to support their recruitment of new students and to attract alumni to return for further study, to create potential providers of internships and guest speakers and much more.” As such, the Alumni Matters survey, which will be conducted again in August, seeks to elaborate on what alumni desire from a school with the purpose of creating recommendations for plans of action to better appeal to this demographic. As Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences is continuing to develop its lifelong learning opportunities, the study provides important insight and takeaways for all business schools looking to serve former students.

The latest Alumni Matters survey collected answers from 2,489 alumni across 82 countries. The vast majority of alumni (88%) are proud to be associated with their schools, while 87% have positive feelings toward their former schools – Wittenborg knows its family members easily fall into this category. Despite this, just over half (54%) said they were still connected to their schools, and 49% considered themselves part of an alumni community. In the report, it is noted that when alumni are not sufficiently engaged nor made to feel they are part of a school's success following graduation, they are more likely to seek opportunities outside the school's network to grow their careers. The survey found that nearly half (48%) of alumni would like their alma mater to offer further learning opportunities following graduation.

CarringtonCrisp's co-founder and author of the study, Andrew Crisp, explains in an interview that this may have to do with the fact that alumni may trust their former school, thus making it an ideal place for further learning, reskilling or upskilling opportunities. Interestingly, despite the desire for continued learning, 51% of respondents said they are currently unaware of the opportunities available to them. This means that many schools are not engaging with alumni or marketing post-graduation opportunities sufficiently. Furthermore, 42% agreed that lifelong learning amongst alumni is a big opportunity for business schools. The report recommends that institutions increase access to resources and networks among alumni to create more mutual value between alumni and themselves.

Supporting alumni pays back

Importantly, one in five alumni stated they had supported their former schools in some way within the previous 12 months, up to November 2022 when the report was created. That could be financially, but also by promoting their school to recruiters and prospective students, offering internships, volunteering or providing student mentoring. Around 65% expressed interest in mentoring students, and 55% said they may provide internships, projects or paid work experience for current students. This means that investing in increasing opportunities for alumni can benefit business schools and even current students in the long run.

Of the ways in which an institution can support alumni, 70% responded that business schools should create lifelong learning programmes for alumni and 69% wanted online access to lectures and other content made by faculty, with the report indicated that some might be willing to pay for such materials. A further 53% thought alumni should get preferential rates for future studies or programmes at their alma mater. Respondents expressed a ‘strong preference’ (57%) for short, non-degree executive programmes. Novel qualifications are also becoming more popular, with 21% interested in digital badges, and another 18% looking for ‘microcredentials’.

The survey found that 53% of alumni say they want easier means to connect with other alumni, while 47% said that alumni should be offered more opportunities to take advantage of alumni networks. The study also highlights that alumni are interested not just in their careers, but also increasing the reputation of the schools which they are associated with; these aims have a mutually positive effect on one another. Interestingly for institutions such as Wittenborg, situated in a country whose cabinet is taking measures to reduce international study opportunities for public institutions, 34% responded that they want to grow global activities for alumni. The study reports that this is, “increasingly important as international student cohorts become ever more significant for business schools”.

“Engaged international alumni will be key to growing awareness, recognition and consideration of an institution among prospective students,” Alumni Matters 2022 reports.

WUP 16/01/2022
by Olivia Nelson
©WUAS Press