Haskayne honoured

By Raksha Vasudevan

In its annual ranking of the top executive MBA programs in the world, London’s the Financial Times named the Alberta/Haskayne EMBA 28th overall. Last year, the program–which is offered jointly by the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta–was in 46th place.

“This international recognition is a clear demonstration of the outstanding quality of the Alberta/Haskayne EMBA program,” said Haskayne School of Business’ interim dean Dr. Vernon Jones.

Both the average alumni salary and percentage increase in graduates’ salary from before the EMBA to currently, count for 40 per cent of the total score assigned to each program.

“There aren’t many employers that can even begin to compete with the salary increases being offered in Calgary,” said Hewitt Associates senior compensation consultant Keri Humber. HA is a global human resources outsourcing and consulting firm.

According to the HA’ 29th annual “Canada salary increase survey,” Calgarian workers obtained a salary increase of 5.3 per cent in 2006, significantly above the national average of 3.6 per cent.

The U of A’s School of Business dean Mike Percy did note the province’s booming economy was a major contributor to the EMBA program’s success, but ins- isted that it wasn’t the only one.

“The ranking speaks to the quality of both the students and the faculty of the program,” he said.

Calgary Co-op vice-president of finance and administration Barry Heinrich–a graduate of the EMBA program–attested to the value of the program.

“It really broadens your perspective and gets rid of the ‘tunnel vision’ that you find in many trades,” he said.

Jones explained he was especially pleased with the program’s placement in the 22nd spot in the “aims achieved” category.

The “aims achieved” criterion assesses the degree to which the school has enabled respondents to fulfill their goals or reasons for doing an EMBA.

The Alberta/Haskayne EMBA is a 20-month program offered to 80 students annually, featuring an executive speaker series and an international study trip.

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