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RSM welcomes MBA 2013 cohort

RSM welcomes MBA 2013 cohort

Rotterdam, January 2012 --- This month, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) welcomed a new cohort to its International Full-time MBA programme. When they graduate in a year’s time, this class – remarkable because of its huge international diversity and the relatively large number of female students – will become known as RSM’s MBA class of '13.
 
Dianne Bevelander, Associate Dean of MBA Programmes: "We are very much looking forward to working with this group of students on campus. The make-up of the class, as far as average age and years' work experience is concerned, is not much different from the past few years, but we are happy with the 33% female population in the class as well as the fact that we once more have a very international class – 95% of our students come from abroad with 36 nationalities. Together the class can speak 54 different languages." 
 
 Dr Bevelander continues: "RSM's MBA programme transforms careers, and lives. Ours in particular attracts a distinctive group of individuals. This year they average 29 years old, and have around six years of work experience. Some students join because they seek a career transformation; others are already undergoing transformation and use the MBA to give them the tools they need to complete the process." 
 
 The students have started their programme with an orientation week, consisting of staff introductions, presentations and workshops – and workshops, such as Djembe drumming sessions, which are aimed at getting to know each other better. This week, the students will begin building a strong foundation in business fundamentals, with an emphasis on developing analytical and critical decision-making skills. The first two semesters of the programme examine the fundamentals of global business knowledge in depth. 
 

Steef van de Velde, Dean of RSM: "At RSM, we educate our MBAs to be big picture thinkers, and global players. These are the leaders sought after by international companies today. We believe that effective leadership in global business is not just an intellectual pursuit but requires experience. Our MBA programme provides unparalleled opportunities to learn in practice the impact of culture on business relations and how to handle these in future negotiations. At the end of their programme, these students will be both informed, and transformed in how they manage themselves and others. We wish all of them lots of success."
 
 Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 business schools in Europe. It is located in the international port city of Rotterdam where core Dutch values of openness, flexibility and acceptance of diversity have attracted businesses on a global scale. Our emphasis is on ground-breaking research and practices relevant to business; our primary focus is on developing business leaders who carry their innovative ideas into a sustainable future. Our portfolio includes a broad array of bachelor, master, doctoral, MBA and executive education programmes.
 
 For more information on RSM or on this release, please contact Marianne Schouten, Media & Public Relations Manager for RSM, on +31 10 408 2877 or by email at mschouten@rsm.nl.