10 Questions

The University of New York in Prague celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. In addition to its four-year undergraduate programs, the school offers master’s degrees and an MBA program that has tried to offer a different sort of curriculum in the Czech Republic, according to General Manager Sotiris Foutsis. Foutsis talks to The Prague Post about the changing markets in both the Czech Republic and the world, as well as the adjustments MBA programs have made as a result.

? Both the global and Czech business markets have changed dramatically over the past decade. How has your program adapted?

Our MBA program changes almost year to year because it develops with the instructors we bring in; that’s how we add value to the program from one year to another. The instructors we bring in are from the private sector, so all these people are bringing their knowledge and experience, which gives us an advantage and helps local students broaden their horizons.

? How has the influx of multinational companies into the Czech Republic shaped your curriculum?

We’re living in the era of globalization, and I don’t think there’s any other way [to teach]. If you just think locally, you can’t do many things in the future — you’ve limited yourself. We’re trying to bring the best from all the countries. As you can imagine, we have students from all over the world, so it’s not only our instructors that add value with their experience in multicultural environments, but also the students because they’re bringing their experience. And when you have such an environment, everyone’s adding something and getting something from their colleagues in the classroom.

? As a private university, how do you differentiate yourself from Czech public universities, which are free for students?

There are some major differences: foremost, in the faculty that we’re bringing in from other countries. Secondly, we’re using a Western style of education and teaching methods that are very interactive and practical, which requires all students to participate. In that, we’re very different from public universities. Also, we have smaller class sizes. Our average class size is 21 students.

Just by measuring our growth year to year, I think there is absolute proof that students are willing to pay — maybe because they aren’t getting from the public universities what we offer.

? How has the growing global financial crisis affected your program, if at all?

I don’t think it’s been an influence from an operational point of view. Even so, when you want to have good instructors and keep the quality of standards, you have to pay the price. It might affect MBA programs in general if companies can no longer support the continuing education of employees. Unfortunately, one of the first parts of the budget that’s cut when a crisis situation exists is the training or education budget in companies. In that way, it affects not only us but all educational institutions.

? How would you argue against companies eliminating education and training budgets in order to cut costs?

Nowadays, it’s become a management philosophy that the best and most valuable asset of the company is the employees. The better you train and develop those employees, the better it is for your company. So training and education is the last part of the budget that should be cut, but it’s the easiest to cut. Companies shouldn’t think that way, but, on the other hand, it’s the easiest thing to do, so that’s why it’s happening.

? Have your students’ expectations of the program changed over the past decade?

Definitely. In the beginning, especially in the Czech Republic, MBAs were something they didn’t know too much about. Now, students who join our program are more educated about MBAs. They know what to expect and they know what they want to get out of it. It raises the bar for us because we have to improve continuously and change our standards day by day, month by month, year by year. It’s like paddling against a current. If you stop paddling, the river will take you back.

? What sort of collaborative opportunities have you had with Czech companies?

We have an executive training program for managers that varies from entry level all the way to the top. Usually, our training program academic team goes to the company and analyzes the situation — what the problem is, what they want to solve — and they sit down with the company to design a program based on their needs. Two-thirds of these companies are multinationals, but local Czech companies are becoming more and more interested in these sorts of programs.

? MBAs are becoming more of a requirement for career advancement as employees are increasingly educated. Has that been the case in the Czech Republic?

I think they are becoming more important. It’s not so much that it’s mandatory, but an MBA definitely gives the degree holder an advantage, and they succeed faster on the market. I think in the next couple of years it will become more of a must. I think, in general, Czechs who come here want to develop their career. And companies want their employees to develop to the next level, so they’re supporting them, and that’s where I see a trend.

? The business community is taking a harder look at better business practices and business ethics. Are MBA programs taking this more into consideration?

Our instructors come from the private sector with business backgrounds, so they understand this very well. We’re implementing it through case studies, through discussions and through practical cases they have to solve. On the market, it takes time to change some situations; it’s not something that changes from one year to another. This curriculum change is taking place in all universities nowadays, but it takes some time. I think we’ll start seeing results when the students who are learning these things take them out into the work force.

? What is the tradition of alumni associations and/or networks in the Czech Republic?

I don’t know if the local mentality supports alumni networks. That’s the feeling I’ve had so far. But we believe it’s important for all our graduates and we want to invest in that and make our graduates and students understand the benefits they will have from an alumni association. We’re working on it, and it’s one of our major plans this year to grow and strengthen our alumni network.

Want your manager to answer our 10 Questions? E-mail Claire Compton at ccompton@praguepost.com