FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 26, 2009

Post-Recession World Prep Takes Student from Missouri River to Blue Danube

ST. LOUIS, June 26, 2009 - Kansas City was hit hard by the recession last month according to reports just released by the U.S. Department of Labor.  Both Missouri and Kansas saw increases in mass layoffs and claims for unemployment insurance.  But Kansas City’s Theresa Maier is battling back against the country’s economic downturn with a plan that has taken her beyond the banks of the Missouri to the Danube River in Vienna.  

For the past year, Maier has lived and learned her way across Europe and Asia as part of Webster University’s Global MBA program.   Each day meant waking up far from her Kansas City home and in a different international city, immersed in a different international culture. Since May and until mid-July when she graduates with her MBA, Maier has been living and studying full-time in Austria.

“The international aspect of the program has given me a new perspective gained from living in so many countries for extended periods of time,” says Maier.  “It is an experience and knowledge most Americans don’t have and something I can now bring to the table of any company where I work.”

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and literature from the University of Kansas, the Omaha, Nebraska, native worked in a law office and considered pursuing a law degree.  She soon realized that in tough economic times, building and maintaining relationships are crucial for businesses and something she excels in.  But with more businesses expanding their reach internationally, Maier knew she needed to expand her knowledge as well.   Now with an MBA earned while living and studying in Geneva, Switzerland; Leiden, the Netherlands; London, England; Shanghai, China; and Vienna, Austria; she has honed her competencies in marketing and communication to help a future employer flourish.

“The Webster Global MBA program has afforded me a higher level of self-awareness than I thought possible,” Maier reveals.  “It has given me the new understanding that I can do more than function in a company structure.  I can really excel.”

With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is a worldwide institution committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence. Founded in 1915, Webster offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs through five schools and colleges, and a global network of more than 100 campuses. Its 20,000-plus student population represents almost 150 nationalities. The University’s core values include excellence in teaching, joining theory and practice, small class sizes, and educating students to be lifelong independent learners, fully prepared to participate in an increasingly international society.

Since opening its first campus overseas in Geneva in 1978, Webster has become a recognized leader and innovator in global education, with an international presence that now includes campuses in London; Vienna; Amsterdam and Leiden, the Netherlands; Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu, China; and Bangkok and Cha-am, Thailand. Webster also has educational partnerships with universities in Mexico and Japan.

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A video profiling Theresa Maier is available at www.webster.edu/sbt/theresamaier. More information on the Webster University Global MBA program can be found at www.webster.edu/globalmba.