For the US students of the MBA degree programs "General and International Management" at the College of Business in Florida, who attend the lectures "Advanced Managerial Economics" with Professor Richard Hawkins (UWF) (just like the German MBA students), a 10-day stay including a varied supporting program could take place again this year. In addition to the excursions, lectures were also held together with the current German cohorts of the MBA program.
The Spring School included an extensive excursion program, which took the participants to Heidelberg and Lucerne, among other places. The Spring School, which was attended by 18 students, two lecturers and one UWF employee, began with a visit to Schwetzingen after the Welcome Reception on May 2, 2024.
Schwetzingen
On the first day, a visit to Schwetzingen Palace Gardens was on the agenda. In glorious summer weather, the participants enjoyed the unique 18th century gardens. Around the palace, asparagus and strawberry stalls tempted them with culinary delights. After visiting the garden, the tour continued to the Welde brewery, which also looks back on a long tradition and combines traditional German brewing culture with modernity. After a guided tour of the production facility, the evening ended in the adjoining catering area with traditional German fare, among other things.
The exchange students together with Kathrin Paul in the palace gardens of Schwetzingen
Strasbourg
On May 9, the bus departed early in the morning for France. Our guests were able to explore Strasbourg, its history and the most important buildings on a boat tour. The tour ran along the river from the Petite France to the European Quarter.
To round off the cultural aspect, the group also visited Strasbourg Cathedral, which is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. This was followed by a tour of the city's historic center, which was a source of admiration for the participants and invited them to take photos against a picturesque backdrop.
The lunch break was enjoyed with typical French fare
Degree of the interesting day was free time to stroll through the alleyways, soak up the atmosphere and buy a souvenir or two before heading back to Germany.
TSG Hoffenheim Research Lab
On May 10, the group set off on an excursion to Zuzenhausen: the TSG Research Lab kindly opened its doors to us and introduced itself to the guests. The facility has set itself the goal of conducting science and research on future topics in sport and society. After the theoretical part, the participants were also able to put their sporting and cognitive skills to the test. The so-called "Helix" is the world's first machine that offers a training video game in a 360-degree environment and is designed to train the cognitive processes of athletes and improve the reaction times of players on the pitch.
Closing event at Edesheim Castle
On the last day, in addition to the lectures, some of the group took a guided tour of the BASF site. The impressive facilities and underlying facts left the students in awe.
In the evening, the closing event at Edesheim Castle was the highlight of the stay: in a pleasant atmosphere, they had dinner together with the German students, employees of the Transatlantic Institute and HWG as well as alumni of the MBA program. The focus was on getting to know each other and the exchange between former and current students and participants.
The highlight of the event was the awarding of certificates to the guest students by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab.
Kathrin Paul and Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab were also presented with greetings from the Mayor of the City of Pensacola on the 20th anniversary of the partnership between the College of Business at the University of West Florida and the Transatlantic Institute at HWG, as well as a certificate of honor.
The location played a decisive role here, as the foundation stone for the development of the MBA program as a cooperation between the Transatlantic Institute of HWG Ludwigshafen and the University of West Florida was laid at Edesheim Castle in 2002. We congratulate the UWF as the 20th cohort of the MBA program started this January.
We would like to thank all those involved in the series of events and look forward to the next Spring School together with UWF in spring 2025.
The next start of the MBA program of the Transatlantic Institute in cooperation with University of West Florida is in January 2025.
Applications will be accepted until the end of September 2024. If you are interested, please contact Ms. Kathrin Paul directly (kathrin.paul@hwg-lu.de, 0621-5203-440). Further information can be found at www.ti.hwg-lu.de/mba
Text & Images: Janina Steffens (TI)
