Newsmakers

EMBA programs meet market demands

By Robert Preer

Both the Cornell-Queens Executive MBA (CQEMBA) and Cornell Executive MBA (CEMBA) programs appeared in the press earlier this year.

Portafolio, the most highly circulated Colombian business and economics daily, ran a detailed Q&A piece featuring Dean Joe Thomas speaking about the CQEMBA’s entry into Colombia (Jan. 16). Thomas noted that extending access to the degree beyond North America directly supports the Global Education initiative in Johnson’s Strategic Plan.

The CEMBA program looked inward this past year and, after surveying its students and looking broadly across its competitive space, implemented a number of changes. Elizabeth Mannix, Johnson professor of management and CEMBA faculty director, led the curriculum review focused on best practices. The Wall Street Journal's B-School Bulletin (March 3) highlighted some of the changes, quoting Johnson Associate Dean Doug Stayman on specific ways the school has responded to executive students' need for flexibility, interest in additional electives in soft skill areas (such as critical thinking and enhancing personal marketability), and increased career guidance.