Unisa online - SBL and Swiss Management Centre signs MoU

Ms Cristal Peterson, Mr Sakaria Kone, Mr André Marrian, Ms Martina Ulrich, Prof David Abdulai, Mr Michael Schmelczer & Ms Miliswa Zungu

The Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) hosted a two-member delegation from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) on 1 June 2010. The delegation was led by the Chief Executive Officer of the SMC, Mr Michael Schmelczer, and was accompanied by Mrs Martina Ulrich, Assistant Manager of the Swiss Management Centre in Vienna, Austria.

The SMC was founded in 1985 as an executive training provider. In 2001, however, the centre evolved into an internationally acclaimed university offering flexible distance learning master’s and doctoral programmes. With approximately 1 700 students in more than 100 countries, the SMC has become a truly global organisation, supported by centres in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Latin America.

The objective of the visit to the SBL was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions. There is interest from both parties to establish a strategic partnership for the joint delivery of academic programmes, joint research and staff exchange.

The signing ceremony was hosted at the SBL and was attended by the Executive Director and CEO of the SBL, Prof David Abdulai; Marketing and Communications Manager, Ms Cristal Peterson; ICT and Logistics Manager, Mr André Marrian; Finance Manager, Ms Miliswa Zungu; and Internationalisation and Institutional Collaborations Officer, Mr Sakaria Kone of the SBL.

A number of colleagues made presentations to introduce the guests to the SBL and to create an understanding of the strategic and operational intent of the school. During these presentations, very significant commonalities were identified between the two organisations. One such example is the use of very similar tuition models and more specifically the use of technology in the delivery of programmes to working professionals.

According to Prof Abdulai, “Partnerships are crucial in our effort to continuously expand on and increase our knowledge base in a highly competitive environment. I look forward to the prospects of a partnership with SMC that shares the vision of the SBL strives to become a leading global business school.”

It is expected that the SMC will forward a draft Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) subsequent to the signing of the MoU, followed by a delegation from the SBL who will visit the SMC to sign the MoA once the terms and conditions have been agreed upon.