470 | Einen Leckerbissen für Uni- und FH-Absolventen bietet die »School of Graduate Studies« der Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden an: Masterstudiengänge zur Weiterbildung, die sowohl einen FH-Masterabschluss als auch einen wissenschaftlichen Uni-Abschluss Master of Arts verleihen.

Diese einzigartige Kombination kann Stenden (früherer Name: CHN) in der friesischen Hauptstadt durch die langjährige Kooperation mit der London Metropolitan University in der englischen Hauptstadt verwirklichen. Die Absolventen erhalten daher zwei Mastertitel: einen von Stenden und einen von der LondonMet.

Die international ausgerichteten Studienprogramme dauern in der Vollzeitform 12 Monate und als Teilzeitangebot 24 Monate. Sie richten sich an künftige Manager in diesen Märkten: Hotelbranche (Hospitality Management), Freizeit und Tourismus (Leisure and Tourism Studies), Einzelhandel (Retail Management) und Dienstleistung (Service Management).

Die Variante Service Management deckt ca. 60 Prozent der westlichen Wirtschaftszweige ab. Dazu gehört natürlich auch die immer noch wachsende Medienbranche, denn Medien sind Service-Unternehmen: sie sorgen für Informationen und Unterhaltung. Wer also Medienwirtschaft, Medienökonomie bzw. Media Management studiert hat, kann mit dem Master of Arts International Service Management optimal seine Karriere als Führungskraft stärken.

Bei diesen Masterprogrammen geht es nicht darum, die im vorherigen ökonomischen Diplom- oder Bachelorstudium erlangte Wirtschaftskompetenz nochmals zu intensivieren, sondern insbesondere die Führungskompetenz zu stärken. Immer mehr zeigt sich, dass Wirtschaftswissen und auch Erfahrung mit Wirtschaftprozessen nicht ausreichen, um als Führungskraft Karriere zu machen. Persönliche Kompetenzen müssen entwickelt werden und sie müssen in die sich global verändernden Systeme der Unternehmen und des Marktes einbringen können.

Den vier Masterprogrammen gemeinsam sind Kernmodule, die dafür die Basis bilden: Funktionen der Dienstleistungsgesellschaft, persönliche Wertschöpfung, Werte der Märkte, Strategien der Nachhaltigkeit und Zukunftsfähigkeit, Forschungsdesign. Es gibt zudem Wahlmodule, marktspezifische Module und die Erstellung einer Masterthesis.

Auch in dieser kompetenzgerichteten Ausrichtung sind die Masterprogramme der Stenden University ein einzigartiges Angebot. Nicht nur die Studienprogramme, sondern auch die Dozenten und Standorte sind doppelt zertifiziert: durch das niederländische Akkreditierungssystem NVAO und die britische Validierung.

Masterstudiengänge im Web-TV

Mit ca. 1.680 Stunden Workload (60 ECTS) sind die Masterstudiengänge der Stenden University of Applied Sciences echte Herausforderungen. Aus allen Ländern der Welt melden sich daher die Teilnehmer für dieses anspruchsvolle Programm an.

Viele von ihnen kommen für ein Jahr in die friesische Hauptstadt Leeuwarden und wählen die Vollzeit-Variante.

Wer die zweijährige Part-Time-Form wählt, arbeitet in seinem Beruf und kommt zu den Lehrveranstaltungen, die ca. einmal in zwei Wochen nachmittags und abends stattfinden. Mancher arbeitet auch in einem der Lehrbetriebe der Hochschule mit: dem 4-Sterne-Hotel Wyswert, dem Veranstaltungsbüro Meeting-U oder dem Institut für Service Management.

Die Masterprogramme aus Leeuwarden werden in englischer Sprache durchgeführt. Dies sichert die tatsächlich weltweite Internationalität, die für die Teilnehmer immer wieder zu spannenden Austauschmöglichkeiten führt.

Einige Studienplätze sind für den Start Ende August noch zu vergeben.

Und wer gern berufsbegleitend dieses Masterstudium anpacken will, kann sich auch für einen Start im November am Partner-Standort Köln anmelden.

Weitere Informationen und Anmeldungen: School of Graduate Studies - http://www.Stenden-Master.nl

Schnelle Anfragen: Info@Stenden-Master.nl / Telefon 00 31 - 58 - 2 44 14 42.

465 | This sunday I met Prof. Dr. Cathy Hsu from Hongkong, Sjoerd Gehrels as the project manager of Stenden Rangsit University Bangkok, and two students of Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden.

Cathy is a member of the Advisory Board of our Stenden Rangsit University in Thailand. She joined the School of Hotel and Tourism Management of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in July 2001. Previously, she was a professor at Kansas State University. Earlier this sunday she conferred with Klaas Wybo van der Hoek, Executive Board Stenden Hogeschool, and Dr. Marc Antonius Jacobs, Dean of the Stenden International Hospitality Management School of Higher Education, Leeuwarden.

Sjoerd and I discussed with our guest the two types of Ph.D-programs at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where Cathy is working as Associate Director of Academic Affairs.

Master student of International Service Management, Mandy Wen, who took care for Prof. Dr. Hsu during her visit in the Netherlands, got valuable informations about the education system in Hong Kong; Bachelor student of Tourism Management, Stefanie Henneberg, informed about the further developments of our Stenden Rangsit University in Thailand, because she was there for 5 months following the Grand Tour® of Stenden and she would like to assist our fast growing university there in the future.

It was a nice, inspiring and intercultural meeting!

From left to right: Sjoerd Gehrels (Stenden Leeuwarden / Stenden Rangsit University Bangkok); Prof. Dr. Cathy Hsu (Associate Director of Academic Affairs, Hong Kong Polytechnic University); Prof. Dr. Martin Gertler (Director of Academic Affairs, Stenden University of Applied Sciences, Leeuwarden); Stefanie Henneberg (Bachelor student Tourism Management, Leeuwarden); Mandy Wen (Master student International Service Management, Leeuwarden).

462 | The conference on developing sustainable tourism in the North Sea Region was organised by the lead partner, the Christian Albrechts University Kiel, at the island of Sylt, Northern Germany, from 19 to 20 June 2008. Participants were also colleagues of our Stenden University of Applied Sciences.

Tourism destinations around the North Sea Coast face similar challenges in building up or improving their tourism business. For almost two years, the To Learn project has researched and analysed the situation of sustainable tourism in the North Sea region. Well-known research institutions in close cooperation with experienced tourism managers entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders have elaborated strategies to improve tourism sustainability.

In particular, promising initiatives that have proved to be successful in finding sustainable ways of tourism development have been identified.

Read the whole story…

461 | Caroline van der Roest and Maaike van Althuis, two students in the Master of International Leisure and Tourism Studies at our Stenden School of Graduate Studies, will go to Indonesia for a month (July) to participate in two development projects: Panta Ashi and Talenta.

Together with 20 students from Leeuwarden they hope to be able to contribute to the Indonesian society. The students will stay in Yogjakarta in Java.

Panta Ashi is a home for people with limited intellectual faculties. The students will coach sporty and creative activities (see www.stichting-camelia.nl). Talenta is an organisation focussing on projects in small villages, called Dessa’s. The students will assist in the general development of these dessa’s, for instance by helping the residents how to get on with their cattle, and the establishment of houses and schools.

Read the whole story…

458 | Twice a year, our Stenden School of Graduate Studies (SGS) is being visited by some professors from the UK. They are coming for a shared Assessment Board, checking our procedures and grading system - and giving advice to us.

Many assignments are to deliver in the four master trajects. The assessors took random inspections of all the pieces and reflected with us on contents and weights.

From left to right: Prof. Dr. Grete Birtwistle, external examiner, Glasgow Caledonian University; Klaes Eringa, academic teacher Master of International Service Management, SGS; Sjoerd Gehrels, course leader Master of International Hospitality Management, SGS; Tony Curson, Liaison course tutor of London Metropolitan University; David Tye, Manager Assessment, London Metropolitan University; Albert Postma, course leader Master of International Leisure and Tourism Studies, SGS; Marlies Böckenhauer, management assistant, SGS.

We discussed not only the assessments of the modules like Market Value Creation, Principles of Service Management, Strategic Hospitality Management, Sustainable Value Creation, Finance & Accounting; but also reviewed the incoming dissertations (Master Thesis).

During an useful fundamental dialogue about the rules of examining the Master Thesis: Prof. Dr. Grete Birtwistle, external examiner, and Prof. Dr. Martin Gertler, director SGS.

Discussing the additional work students have to deliver for the additional »Master of Arts« degree, provided by London Metropolitan Business School (LMBS): Sjoerd Gehrels, SGS, and Tony Curson, LMBS.

After finishing the Board, Tony Curson, Liaison course tutor of London Metropolitan University (left), Klaas Wybo van der Hoek, Executive Board Stenden University of Applied Sciences (right), and I reflected on some common future plans for both universities.

For the Stenden School of Graduate Studies, the Assessment Boards are always important as an additional Quality Assurance act, also the recently renewed validation of our Dutch Master programmes by the London Metropolitan Business School, one of the biggest Business Schools in the UK.

Thank you very much, Tony and all your colleagues, for all your alertness and patronage in the last 16 years of cooperation!

454 | London Metropolitan Business School and the School of Graduate Studies, Stenden University of Applied Sciences Leeuwarden, proudly announce the successful validation of Master of Arts in International Events Management.

The validation took place in April in London. The validation panel consisted of senior academics from both Stenden University (formerly CHN) and London Metropolitan University, in addition to Nicoline van Straten.

Nicoline represented the industry in her capacity as Managing Director of The Live House, an events and communications agency, and as a principle of IDEA, the Independent Dutch Event Marketing Association; she is said to be very proud of the new programme.

“This is another innovative first for London Metropolitan University”, says Justin Lance, who conceived the curriculum and shall lead the delivery of the course. His comments relate to the launch in 2006 of MA Events Marketing Management, which has grown in two short years to become significant in terms of student recruitment. Early indications suggest that MA International Events Management shall follow a similar trend.

“We are recruiting for programme entry this September. At this early stage we have already made five confirmed offers of places to applicants from the UK, mainland Europe, and further a field; we even have interest from Australia.”

Although there are in excess of ten academic institutions in the UK offering a programme at this level, the launch of this curriculum represents a first for the Netherlands. Justin Lance is confident that the programme shall compete successfully. He is swift to point out how this truly international programme differentiates.

“Students spend their first semester of study in the Netherlands, at the Leeuwarden campus of Stenden University; they are taught in English. At the end of the semester, students are provided with an opportunity to visit Qatar on a ten-day field trip; then they travel to London for their second semester. Students can also undertake an internship within industry as part of their studies.”

The course is intended for those who have ambitions for a senior, strategic position within the events industry. The core curriculum concepts of Integrated Events Management and Events Experience Management shall develop the skills of future managers to deliver creative, innovative, sustainable business solutions.

Applications have been received from current students studying at Stenden University, recent graduates wishing to augment their training, and individuals who have experience within the events industry wishing to enhance their career opportunities.

For further information about the programme, or how to apply, contact Albert Postma, Programme Coordinator (Netherlands), Tel.: +31 - 58 - 244 1353. See also the website of the School of Graduate Studies.