In Brief 2

SBT Receives Grant for G-MBA Program

The School of Business and Technology has received a $169,000 Title VI-B grant to support the development of a Global MBA. The U.S. Department of Education grant will give the program a great "kick," says SBT lecturer and grant author Barrett Baebler. With matching funds from the University and in-kind support from partner companies, the grant’s total value comes to about $400,000 over a two-year period.

Dean Benjamin Akande says the grant will enable the University to leverage its international network for the benefit of students at all Webster campuses. "The grant will allow us to develop a Global MBA that is truly international in orientation and takes advantage of Webster’s worldwide presence," Akande says. "The G-MBA will be a unique degree that will solidify the School of Business & Technology’s quest toward defining itself as a global provider of business education."

Steve Hinson, associate Business professor and lead faculty coordinator for the grant, developed the initial framework for the G-MBA curriculum, which is designed for middle managers. The 36-credit program will build on the core components of finance, accounting, management and economics, with the addition of nine one-credit courses that will examine international issues in detail.

The new grant complements the two Title VI-A grants that the University received in 1995 and 1999 to establish an International Studies major. Like those grants, this one will involve faculty across disciplines and from other schools and campuses.

About 1,600 students are expected to enroll in the Global MBA program when it begins in 2004.

This story was condensed from a longer version that appeared in Inside Webster.