From February 5-9, 2025, the Transatlantic Institute (TI) at Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (HWG) hosted the kick-off for the accreditation of the University of West Florida (UWF) by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is a major accrediting organization in the USA responsible for the accreditation of universities in the southern United States.
The cooperative MBA program in General and International Management plays a central role in this accreditation process. This program, which has been offered for over 20 years in cooperation between the TI of HWG and the College of Business of UWF and has over 220 graduates, was selected by SACSCOC as the first point of contact for the entire accreditation process of UWF.
A total of eight representatives from UWF and SACSCOC took part in the accreditation process in Ludwigshafen from February 5 to 9, 2025. These included the Vice President of SCASCOC and the Vice Provost of the UWF.
The program during the visit and the assessment consisted of a tour of the campus, during which the guests were able to get a comprehensive picture of the modern infrastructure and teaching conditions of the new HWG building, in addition to personal exchanges with those involved in the program. In addition, discussions with representatives of SACSCOC, the UWF, the Transatlantic Institute team, represented by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab, Kathrin Paul and Janina Steffens, as well as Prof. Dr. Edith Rüger-Muck, in her function as Vice President for International Affairs, formed the framework of the program. Alumni and current students from the two current student groups also accepted the invitation and were happy to talk about their personal experiences and successes. The alumni (e.g. BASF, Daimler, SAP) proudly reported on the career steps that the MBA program had helped them to take. Current students feel that they have received excellent support, appreciate the international exchange and see the MBA degree as a valuable opportunity to join global companies.
As part of the reaccreditation, the lectures "Management and Organizational Behavior" by Prof. Dr. Maggie Davis (UWF) took place in the premises of HWG Ludwigshafen, attended by the 19 students of the group that started in January. The guests used this opportunity to gain an insight into the content and methodology of the course and to discuss management-related topics with the students as part of a panel. Like all other face-to-face courses on the MBA program, the event took place on Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The reaccreditation week was rounded off with an excursions to Heidelberg, where the guests explored the historic old town. There, the US guests were personally welcomed and accompanied by a group of former students. Together they went on a guided tour of Heidelberg Castle, followed by a visit to the Heiliggeistkirche. The participants then enjoyed lunch in a traditional brewery before rounding off the day with a walk through Heidelberg's old town.
The grand finale was a joint dinner with the participants from the USA and the Transatlantic Institute at Edesheim Castle, which rounded off the international exchange in a special atmosphere.
Overall, it can be said that the kick-off event of the accreditation process in Ludwigshafen was concluded with extremely positive impressions and a high level of approval from all participants. The key to the success certainly lies in the long-standing, personal and trusting cooperation between the College of Business at UWF and the Transatlantic Institute at HWG. All those involved will be following the further course of the reaccreditation at UWF with great interest and are confident about the upcoming assessment.
The Transatlantic Institute would like to thank everyone involved for their commitment and looks forward to continuing its successful collaboration with its partners.
Further information on the MBA program can be found at https://ti.hwg-lu.de/mba
Interested parties can apply now for the program starting in January 2026.
