In Suzhou, 214 students from eight different programmes (Master in Management, BBA, ESDHEM, and masters of science) returned to campus on August 21st, warmly welcomed by Matthieu Dumont (director of the Suzhou campus), Lin Hua (campus academic director), and the entire SKEMA Suzhou team. After a convivial breakfast, welcome speeches, a comprehensive presentation of the campus, and a presentation of the specific rules of conduct to be followed in China, given by Suzhou’s public authorities, there were many activities on the agenda: a first taste of Chinese culture, a discussion on professional advice in China, a visit to the Suzhou canal and gardens, and more. These presentations helped students adapt quickly to their new environment.
Watch the Suzhou opening week video.
On the USA, Raleigh campus, 189 students from five different programmes (Master in Management, BBA, ESDHEM, MSc IB, and MSc FMI) started on August 21 at the Hunt Library, and on August 22 at the NCSU Talley Center. Welcomed by Mohamed Desoky (campus academic director), Gisa Rollin (director of development), the entire SKEMA US team, and local academic and professional partners, they discovered their new academic and living environment on the SKEMA and NCSU campuses.
The SKEMA US campus has expanded its MSc Financial Markets & Investments this year by opening its doors to the first official Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) cohort. This group is composed of two brilliant MSc, and Master in Management students from around the world who are seeking the coveted Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) licence. The official launch of the CFA coursework took place August 29 with stakeholders from the CFA Institute of North Carolina coming to support the professors and monitor the students. SKEMA Ventures was also presented at this event. This system will be very successful in Raleigh, where there is a large, lively community of startups and entrepreneurs. The partnership with HQ Raleigh will support this dynamic. SKEMA Ventures will be managed by Mitchell Weisberg, adjunct professor.
August 16 and 17, the Raleigh campus hosted the year-start for the 40 MSc Global Luxury & Management students, which was attended by two of the programme’s joint leaders: Michaela Merck (SKEMA) and Kristie McGowan. Laura Sclafani (SKEMA Corporate Relations and Career Services manager) was present to give advice about the campus’s careers centre services.
See the video.
In Belo Horizonte, Welcome Week took place from August 27 to 31, inaugurating the course period for approximately one hundred students. This week of activities was designed to encourage interactions. This year's students are of nine different nationalities, and are enrolled in the following programmes: MSc International Business, MSc Corporate Financial Management, MSc International Marketing & Business Development, MSc Project and Programme Management & Business Development, MSc Luxury & Fashion Management, and the Master in Management. They were welcomed by Geneviève Poulingue, campus director, the whole SKEMA Brazil team, and the entire faculty, which consists of high level Brazilian professors.
Alongside the academic presentations, they received information on local habits and laws: safety, health, and sports were among the topics discussed. Students Pauline Cheyrouze and Océane Soupey discussed the humanitarian mission Hope in Belo Horizonte with their classmates. Jussara Machado and Rayssa Damásio from ACMinas, a SKEMA partner, presented students with the opportunity to volunteer in local company projects. Finally, the students enjoyed their first cultural immersion though a capoeira presentation and by tasting the classic, delicious cuisine of Minas Gerais.
On the campuses of Lille, Paris and Sophia Antipolis, the school start took place every day from 3 to 7 September. Each programme (ESDHEM, BBA, Master in Management, exchange students, MSc and Two-Year MSc) attended an inaugural lesson in an all-SKEMA-campuses-worldwide video conference, during which Alice Guilhon, Patrice Houdayer and the directors spoke to welcome them to SKEMA, congratulate them for their success in integrating our ever more selective programmes, and give them some key messages for the continuation of their training. International campuses were also connected and campus directors, along with professors and students, gave these newcomer students a taste of their globalised experience in their new school.