Tag: residency



In March, Chinese students gathered in Beijing and Shanghai for two weeklong residency programs. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the residencies were the first time many of the students met in person.

Members of the Weston Career Center team in both the US and China designed the programs, and undergraduate, MBA and specialized masters students attended.

Each day’s activities centered on one of Olin’s pillars of excellence: values-based, data-driven decision making; global experiences; entrepreneurial spirit; and experiential learning. The week culminated with an experiential learning project to solve a real-world business problem for the athletic footwear company New Balance.

Throughout the week, students interacted with classmates, engaged with alumni, listened to industry leaders and met with their career coaches.

The human connection

The opportunity to meet her peers face to face stood out to Ruxin (Andrea) Zeng, MSBA ’22. She’d met her cohort through Zoom, but the residency gave her opportunities to interact with her peers in a casual environment.

Learning from industry leaders

Wenxin (Hugo) Xue, MSCA ’22, enjoyed the opportunity to listen to industry leaders. As a business analytics student, he was excited to learn more about the future of big data and how it could affect his career.

Endless opportunities in business

Similarly, Yang Shen, MSBA ’22, found it helpful to learn more about different opportunities in business, whether he networked with employers or listened to various distinguished alumni.

The WCC team planned excursions for students to enjoy during breaks from their coursework. The Beijing students took a day trip to the Great Wall of China, while the Shanghai students took a night cruise down the Huangpu River.




The Executive MBA program’s Washington, DC, residency is a unique immersion experience into policy making, regulations, appropriation and budget processes, and legislative action—and how each impacts business.

Washington University’s exclusive relationships with the Brookings Institution, one of the world’s most respected and quoted think tanks, provides a level of access to legislators, administrators, and power brokers that is unique to our DC residency.

So naturally, when the Executive MBA program reintroduced “The Business of Policy” back into the curriculum last year, there was a lot of interest.

“When our alums learned about the new residency, we knew we had to give them a chance to experience this priceless opportunity,” says Meg Shuff, assistant dean of Executive MBA Admissions.

In October, alumni were invited to a mini-residency at Brookings, where they were literally rubbing elbows with key legislative decision makers and some of the leading scholars at Brookings who are working to solve important global issues—essentially, the primary players who keep the engine of our Nation’s capital running. It was a packed two days, with topics ranging from the vital relationship between business, government, and the regulatory process, to combating poverty and the role of media in public policy.

The mock residency sold out quickly, with 24 alumni from eight different cohorts across the country—traveling from St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix, Tampa, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. At the end of two action-packed days, the group had established high-level contacts with influencers in their respective industries, and felt confident in the science of policy entrepreneurship and the art of determining where, when, and how to advance their own interests.

“The Brookings experience was a fantastic way to learn about the intersection of business and policy, which complemented the education I gained at WashU during the EMBA program,” says Executive MBA alum Craig Armstrong, CEO at Loquient. “This residency is a true differentiator that really sets the WashU curriculum apart from the rest.”




“When we met with members of the Council of Economic Advisers to the White House, Congressional staffers and Congressional members, it really impressed me that they need  input from industry.” That was one of many takeaways Patti Williams, a member of Olin’s Executive MBA (EMBA) cohort shared after their DC Residency – a deep dive into government regulations and policy – in Washington, DC with Olin partner, the Brookings Institution.

Williams who is Vice President and General Counsel of Peabody Energy completed the EMBA program in May of this year and was featured in a recent article on Olin’s unique DC Residency program published by the Poets & Quants for Executives website.

The four-day DC residency with Olin’s partner the Brookings Institution provides students the opportunity to talk face-to-face with government decision makers including legislators, administrators and power brokers who influence policy behind the scenes. During the residency, students complete two courses: Business and Government, and Business and Society. They engage with speakers from current and former members of Congress to US governors, White House advisors and administrators from organizations such as the Federal Reserve and the Office of Management and Budget.

Olin EMBA graduate, Chris Hawkins, Vice President of operations at Multiply, a St. Louis-based fan engagement platform, says the DC Residency provided an insider’s view of the complexity of the legislative process.

Hawkins told Poets & Quants, the DC Residency was a non-stop learning experience. “There wasn’t any time where you thought, ‘OK, this is where I’m going to step outside and take this call for work.’ You felt like you couldn’t miss anything.”  Hawkins added “It really addressed a hole I had as [business] related to public policy.”

According to Poets & Quants, “One of the biggest takeaways for many…participants was the importance and impact business leaders can have within society as a whole. [Patti Williams] left feeling more optimistic about the interactions between business, society, and government.”

Link to Poets & Quants article, “Olin Mixes Policy and Business in DC”




Three Executive MBA students from Olin’s joint program with Fudan University in Shanghai spent a week in St. Louis this month to attend the EMBA Leadership Residency with students from the St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver cohorts. Grace Zhou, Class 11, is Head of Reward and Benefits – Asia Pacific at Johnson Matthey in Shanghai; Thomas Cheong, Class 10, Vice President, Asia North Principal International in Hong Kong; and Michelle Cheng, Class 7, HR Business Partner GN Store Nord, based in Ballerup, Denmark.

Executive MBA students are required to attend four week-long “residencies” during their program that focus on different topics. The Leadership Residency – which occurs midway through the program – includes modules on formal and informal leadership.

Shanghai emba in STL

Michelle Cheng visits the Ding, a gift from the EMBA-Shanghai Class 1.

A section on creative thinking enhances your ability to generate strong ideas, the building blocks of innovation, growth, and entrepreneurship. Classmates brainstorm concepts for new companies, products, and services in preparation for an innovation project.

The EMBA program provides one of the most academically comprehensive curricula in the country, with 60 credit hours required for graduation. Courses, themes, and residencies focus on leadership development.

The Executive MBA curriculum includes four required residencies: the GO! Week Residency; the Business of Policy: DC Immersion; the Leadership Residency; and the International Management Residency in Beijing and Shanghai.

 

 

 




EMBA 45 students in China

Above: EMBA 45 students Jen Barton, Jared Hoover,  and Carson Pollastro watch as Logan Jones and Patrick Smith touch frozen, compressed CO2 harvested from the carbon capture process. 

EMBA students at power plant in China

EMBA 45 students Doug Fluchel and Carson Pollastro in the Shidongkou No. 2 Power Plant turpine room. Photo: Cory Barron

EMBA 45 explored fish markets, tea shops, power plants, and the Shanghai Stock Exchange trading floor during the group’s field study day in China. Eight teams fanned out around Shanghai with the assignment to visit three assigned markets, comparing and contrasting products, packaging, marketing, and store concepts.

Twelve 45s who work in the energy sector enjoyed a special tour of the Shindongkou No. 2 Power Plant north of Shanghai. This plant has a super-efficient carbon capture technology that was of high interest to the EMBAs.

On Saturday morning the teams presented their findings. Then, Lee Konczak led a discussion centered on the EMBAs impressions of business in China. After the morning session, everyone went shopping.

Guest blogger: Cory Barron, Student Services Manager, EMBA team