BCBusiness

S p e c i a l F e a t u r e M B A / E X E C U T I V E E D U C A T I O N S p e c i a l F e a t u r e focus on getting groups of students out of the class and into the working world to gain knowledge." Unsurprisingly, Beedie's Graduate Diploma in Business Education, rst unveiled 18 years ago, is online: the diploma is ideal for those wanting a graduate qualication, looking for a pathway into the right MBA, or just needing a solid grounding in business fundamentals. Beedie's Graduate Certicate in Science and Technolo…y Commercialization is another example of the institution's keen awareness of growing trends in the business/industrial sectors. This is a 12-month, part-time program to provide research scientists and engineers with the theory, frameworks and skills to commer- cialize their inventions and contribute to new-product development and commer- cialization in industry. Elicia Maine, professor in innovation and entrepreneurship and academic director, science and technolo…y commer- cialization, points out: "Eighty per cent of PhD students in science and engineering in Canada won't go into a career in academia. However, small and medium-sized enterprises would employ our scientists but require them to know something about new product development. That's what we aim to do with this program."' Despite Beedie's lofty status in the business education world, its faculty continues to adjust existing programs and create new ones, well aware that students must continuously be engaged; otherwise, "they can easily go to their smart phones and learn from the Internet, which may be useful but is hardly a complete educational experience," says Gemino. "The education we provide will always be inspired by research, and grounded in practice." Immersing adult learners in real- life interaction with professors and students is very much the raison d'etre of CityUniversity of Seattle, and that mandate applies to the CityUniversity of Seattle in Canada campuses in Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria and downtown Vancouver (the latter being just minutes from the Waterfront SkyTrain station). At CityU in Canada, all instructors are practitioners with teaching experience and scholarly achievements, conveying the experience of professional practice supported by the latest thinking and research. "We bring to the table extensive real-life experience, and we combine this with a curriculum that emphasizes social justice, sustainability and ethics: elements that are so important in today's working world," says Arden Henley, vice-president of Canadian programs. He adds: "Also, community building is a huge part of our educational o˜erings, given the global business climate in which everyone increasingly works." Earlier this year, CityU in Canada launched a two-year program leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Management ( BAM) degree, with a special focus on socially and environmentally responsible manage- ment. "This two-year program is very much in keeping with our operating philosophy, and it allows students with a two-year diploma or two years of under- graduate courses to nish their degrees," says BAM program director Tom Culham. As is the case with UVic, CityU Canada understands that many students have full-time jobs and family commitments— which is why the institution o˜ers classes on weekday evenings. "In that sense, we o˜er the šexibility of online but the advantage of face-to-face learning, in small classes that are people-friendly—meaning, quality time with professors," says Culham, adding that his institution "rešects our participation in the larger community of practice by bringing in guest lecturers and local and international prominent practitioners."' Consistent with the mission and values of City University of Seattle as a whole, CityU Canada's conviction is that universi- ties, and especially city universities, have a responsibility to contribute toward building communities of practice, serving the broader community in which they are located, and be responsive to the pressing issues of the times. "CityU Canada's stated mission is to transform society through relevant and accessible post-secondary education," says Culham. Although BAM is new in the world of business and management learning, it is already earning strong feedback from graduates, such as Stephanie Yu,'who says that in addition to learning management, research, communication and conšict- resolution skills, she also learned about what "virtue ethics means today in our modern world—not just in business, but in our lives as human beings."' Instagrammer Yu goes on to note: "I nd it extremely diœcult to listen to others and not think about my reply or analyze what they're saying through my lens; so practis- ing listening to others without speaking, interrupting or having to reply [a compo- nent of BAM learning] was diœcult but so rewarding: that skill alone has denitely helped with my business meetings." Just as learning šexibility is crucial to attracting professionals, so too is the The University of Victoria's MBA program takes its cue from responsible management and has earned its reputa- tion for being among Canada's best COUR T ESY OF UNI V ERSIT Y OF V IC TORIA

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