{"id":29478,"date":"2016-08-19T12:04:19","date_gmt":"2016-08-19T16:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=29478"},"modified":"2016-08-19T12:04:19","modified_gmt":"2016-08-19T16:04:19","slug":"collaborative-mba-programs-global-classroom-meets-week-long-residency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/collaborative-mba-programs-global-classroom-meets-week-long-residency\/","title":{"rendered":"Collaborative MBA program’s global classroom meets for week-long residency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aubrey Bauman, marking manager and sustainability lead at AMERIgreen Energy, enrolled in the Collaborative MBA<\/a> program for \u201cthe opportunity to learn with professors and classmates from across the country and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her experience in an Aug. 8-12 residency at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) didn\u2019t disappoint. A dozen students from six states and three countries took part, embarking on two years of study.<\/p>\n

\"20160809-Collaborative<\/a>
Graduate students Jesse Johnson\u00a0 and Aubrey Bauman during the week-long residency.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The cohort, the third since the program began in 2014, is the most international to date, with a third of the students coming from Africa. For most of the program, the students will participate in live video conference classes, but they come together for a face-to-face session at the beginning of the studies, midway through for an experiential learning trip to Costa Rica, and a brief wrap-up at the end.<\/p>\n

Ruben Dyck, pastor of youth in the Blumenau Mennonite Church in Chihuahua, Mexico, appreciates the vocational and cultural diversity of his classmates in this learning context, where he is especially interested in gaining knowledge related to \u201cleadership, administration and the way that organizations work, and to be able to apply this in my context of church leadership,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m also looking forward to learning more about sustainability and leadership for the common good, and applying this as I walk with many of our Christian businessmen in the midst of the challenging questions they face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Students\u2019 diverse professionals, cultures an asset<\/strong><\/p>\n

Students come from Nigeria, Kenya and Mexico, as well as from Indiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan, Kansas and Minnesota.<\/p>\n

David Brubaker<\/a>, assistant professor of organizational studies and coordinator of EMU\u2019s MBA program<\/a>, says the variety of backgrounds in the Collaborative MBA program should be an asset.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what has most impressed me about the cohort is the quality and diversity of the 12 participants,\u201d Brubaker says. \u201cFrom the previous two cohorts, we know that it\u2019s possible to develop a genuine collaborative learning community through this very limited residency model.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"20160811-Collaborative<\/a>
Fred Okello and Derek Tomek discuss points of Rick Stiffney’s lecture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The program structure itself is also unique, with four participating schools\u2014Bluffton (Ohio) University, Canadian Mennonite University (Winnipeg, Manitoba), EMU and Goshen (Indiana) College\u2014and a foundation of Anabaptist ethics and values. The administration of the program and the residency weeks rotate among the schools.<\/p>\n

Bluffton program head addresses complexities of leadership<\/strong><\/h3>\n

George Lehman<\/a>, holder of the Howard Raid Chair in Business and chair of the Division of Business Studies at Bluffton University, took over administrative responsibilities for the Collaborative MBA last month. Lehman says the program\u2019s distinctive framework matters immensely.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeadership is better in a richly textured life where lots of things fit together,\u201d Lehman says. \u201cYou can\u2019t separate one from the other very much. We try to think carefully about context and what it means for our values and the common good and sustainability. We bring a set of values to the course content that I think is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n

The opening residency, for example, included a day of presentations from Mennonite Health Services<\/a> president Rick Stiffney and discussion of books such as Robert Greenleaf\u2019s \u201cServant Leadership\u201d and Daniel Goleman<\/a>\u2019s \u201cEmotional Intelligence.\u201d Formal and informal opportunities for group-building were also provided.<\/p>\n

Faith-based approach celebrated by guest lecturer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"20160809-Collaborative<\/a>
Rick Stiffney, president of Mennonite Health Services, spent a day with the class. He earned a PhD in organizational management, with dissertation work exploring how executives of Mennonite\/Anabaptist nonprofit health and human service organizations view their role and work in shaping organizational identity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stiffney, a consultant with more than 25 years of leadership experience\u00a0in health and human services leadership (see his blog about leadership<\/a>), says he was deeply honored to be part of the week.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be invited to visit with young and aspiring leaders is an invitation to be in sacred space,\u201d Stiffney says. \u201cThis is a values-based, faith-infused approach to leadership development, and I believe in that. You can go to a lot of places and get secular executive training, but this asks how our leadership is aligned with creating the common good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stiffney, who shared about his personal leadership journey as well as broader perspectives, emphasized the concept of personal formation: How are leaders shaped and how do they grow? He says the Collaborative MBA format suits that approach well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea of cohort-based adult learning\u2014learning together\u2014is a really important construct that builds real human relationships and encourages feedback,\u201d Stiffney says. \u201cIt asks, \u2018How do our perspectives enrich each other?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Students take nine core courses\u2014with Bluffton, EMU and Goshen each providing three\u2014and three electives that permit specialization in several concentrations.<\/p>\n

The program graduated nine students in the first cohort in spring 2016. The 2017 cohort will hold its initial residency at Bluffton.<\/p>\n