By Jennifer Edgerly

Global residencies provide comprehensive integrated learning experience

As many Americans are searching for relief in an uncertain financial market, George Mason University Executive MBA (EMBA) students headed straight to Wall Street for an inside perspective on the current economic crisis during the second of three global residencies.

A hallmark of Mason’s School of Management (SOM) EMBA program, required global residencies in Asia, the United Kingdom and New York provide an important experiential learning opportunity.

“At a time when our business interactions are becoming increasingly global, it is imperative that universities extend learning beyond the classroom to the global stage by integrating these types of residencies,” says Jorge Haddock, dean of SOM. “The importance of understanding how the U.S. economy affects the rest of the world is all too evident from this most recent global financial crisis. It’s our duty as educators to prepare these students and their companies to effectively weather this storm and learn to lead in the new economy.”

For their first global residency, these students spent 10 days in May in Bangkok, Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam studying global markets, competition, business strategy and international business opportunities from the Asian perspective. In March 2010, they will also participate in a one-week residency at Oxford University’s Mansfield College examining financial practices in the European Union and exploring regulation and the variety of European cultures and approaches to doing business.

The New York residency presents an opportunity for students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the intersection of financial markets and regulation. From Oct. 12-15, students spent time in the heart of Wall Street meeting with influential decision makers including:
• Charlie Gasparino, on-air editor, CNBC
• Glenn Eckert, senior vice president, Moody’s Investors Services (also a George Mason University School of Management alumnus)
• John Succo, co-founder and partner, Vicis Capital
• Michael Lipper, president, Lipper Advisory Services
• Mickey Levy, chief economist, Bank of America

Other meetings and site visits took place at, or with officials from, the New York Stock Exchange, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Reserve Bank of New York. EMBA students experienced first-hand the inner workings of financial institutions and regulatory agencies. Also on the agenda was a trip to the NASDAQ opening ceremony where they witnessed an IPO go live.

“The New York residency is the culmination of the financial markets course and focuses on contemporary economic developments,” says Karen Hallows, SOM’s EMBA academic director. “Our time on Wall Street has always focused on recent events in the financial world. This year we will examine the financial crisis with new eyes and study the various proposals for ensuring it does not happen again.”