Join us in celebrating Robert Kennedy College and York St John 2019 graduates!

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Sandra, Ilse, Doris, Asha, Melanie, Lilian, Matthew, Alaine, Marlini, Wilfried, Boguslaw, Ebru, Graham, Dag, Karen, Julie, Tony, Jialei and Sandra – these are the names of the 2019 RKC/YSJ MA in Leading Innovation and Change graduates who made it to York, to what I *know* was a great delight! We know quite a few of you could not make it physically to graduation this year – your achievement is no less impressive though – well done!

Graduation 2019 – group 1 photo
Graduation 2019 – group 2 photo

Wednesday the 20th of November 2019 was the day about 20 of our own MALIC students experienced the graduation of a lifetime, in one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Europe – the York Minster. For all of you reading this at home and thinking that sounds awesome – know that it is, and I hope we’ll be able to hear from a few of them who were there to confirm this is not just my impression!

Graduation: I couldn’t recommend it more. 

By the time graduation comes around, you will have attended the residency either in Zürich or York, so you know (or discover) that travel is not easy, nor cheap, but despite all that, I wholeheartedly recommend attending Graduation too. I haven’t heard a single whisper in the past 7 years of someone being disappointed with the graduation.

Here’s a short video of our graduates, so you can judge for yourself the emotions and excitement of the moment. See if you can count how many of them forget about the photo opportunity with the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, in what was his last awards ceremony as York St John’s Chancellor. Next year’s graduates will be shaking hands with Reeta Chakrabarti.

A special shout out to Sandra Ahlers for the Dissertation prize, and to Ilse Baxter for the overall programme prize! Woohooo – amazing performance ladies – well done!

Finally, a huge CONGRATS! to all graduates alike, whether they’ve been able to walk the stage in York or had to stay at home (much like I did this year). Keep us in the loop with your professional exploits post graduation and help make this world a better place. Well done you all!

P.S. If you are wondering about the MA Leading Innovation and Change, know that it has smoothly transitioned into the MBA Leading Innovation and Change and next year we are likely to have the first batch of MBAs graduating in the Minster – are you one of them, or can you become one? Let us know in the comments!

RKC & York St John Graduation 2018

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It’s that time of the year again, when I get to travel to York and meet a bunch of our students who have made it all the way! Graduation is a special event, and more so when it takes place in the gigantic York Minster.

There is no way to really convey the feelings during such an event, even with photos and video, but short of having been there, you will have to try!

Congratulations George and Sarah for all your hard work getting the programme started, and Nigel, Amir, Ann, Rinnah, Sasha, Rula, Tim, Naomi, Joseph, Juliana, Misheck, Hannes, Tina, Mark, Leah, Nicole, Ryanhardt, Mufta’U, Wisdom, and sorry we missed you in the photo Patrick, Seth, Chris, Juan and Macaria – and even sorrier you could not be there Luis, Dawnia, Asuncion, Nicolas, Kourosh and Marilyn.

RKC Graduation 2018 @YorkStJohn

RKC Graduation 2018 @YorkStJohn

I am thoroughly excited about continuing this great event in the years to come with all of you now in the York MBA programmes! Looking forward to more smiley photos and silly videos! CONGRATS YOU ALL!

More photos from the day:

Group photo of RKC 2018 Graduation @YorkStJohn in the Quadrangle

Group photo of RKC 2018 Graduation @YorkStJohn in the Quadrangle

Group photo of RKC 2018 Graduation @YorkStJohn in the Quadrangle

Group photo of RKC 2018 Graduation @YorkStJohn in the Quadrangle

Group photo of RKC 2018 Graduation @YorkStJohn in the Quadrangle

RKC 2018 Graduation @YorkStJohn in the Quadrangle

P.S. stay tuned for some in-depth interviews with the graduates, sharing their challenges and tips and tricks for successful studies.

RKC Residency in Zürich – come prepared!

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It is an exciting week for us in RKC – next Monday 29th of Jan we are welcoming a group of almost 50 of our students in our premises in Zürich for a week filled with learning, fun, and camaraderie. We’re looking at a mini United Nations’ week, with three continents and not less than 30 countries represented – woohoo!

 

Now, most of you are already seasoned travelers, so I will not talk about bringing your passport along, or appropriate clothing for Swiss winter, but talking to our team they thought it would be useful to have a quick post on the most important things to bring with you to Zürich in order to make the most of the week. So here goes, in no particular order:

  • an open mind – you will meet colleagues from all over the world, some of which you may know from the online classes – be ready to take advantage of the face to face setting but remember to be respectful of our differences of opinion 🙂
  • a travel adapter for your electronics – you will undoubtedly bring your phone, computer (you need to keep on top of those class forums, don’t you?), but remember the Swiss have a very peculiar type of electrical outlets
  • an alarm clock – classes start early, and while they do not finish too late, after hours tend to be long when you’re in a group of like-minded people – get yourself a “buddy” on the first day, someone who will know how and where to find you should you be missing in class

That’s it, really. The week will focus on research skills, and preparing you for the dissertation, but if you think you are not there yet, don’t worry – the knowledge gained from this week is applicable to your regular online modules too, as it teaches you focus, approaching writing with a critical perspective, understanding different research methods and philosophies (which comes handy when you read someone else’s articles with a critical eye) and helps you think about the future subject of your dissertation with a pragmatic view.

 

The week concludes with small-group discussions of proposal/dissertation ideas – 5 or 6 of you and one of us tutors get together and poke holes in your idea – all in a friendly and constructive manner. For my part, I am roaring to go, and I hope you are too. I will see you on Friday morning for the small-group discussion on your proposal ideas!

P.S. Some of you reading this will undoubtedly have already attended one of our residencies in Zürich and may probably have even better advice to offer to your colleagues – please feel free to let us know what they are in the comments and I will make sure to update the post as needed!

MALIC Graduation 2016 – a great success for RKC, YSJ, and all of you, our students!

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17th November 2016 – amazing graduation in York

It’s that time of the year again – graduation time! I’ve set out from Switzerland on Tuesday 15th, eager to meet with our newest graduates and my friends from YSJ. Graduation is really a time of celebration, and you can feel it in the air – everyone is excited.

Somewhat relieved that my ePassport still granted me access to the UK (sorry, could not help it, but I promise this is the first and last #Brexit reference), I rushed towards York and eagerly waited for Wednesday’s ceremony.

As luck would have it, I missed the “unofficial official” photo in the Quad, a tradition for MALIC graduates and the teaching team – I was promised I would be photoshopped in but until that version is produced, here’s the real one!

MALIC Graduates 2016

A few people missing from the photo – but look at those smiles!

Graduation in the Minster cannot really be described – and although video does a better job than just words, it still does not fully allow you to make an idea of the atmosphere, unless you have been there and lived it – in which case, you are working with memory rather than imagination. Here are our brave MALICs on center stage – really really well done guys!

So sorry for those who could not make it this year, and in particular our MALIC programme prize AND dissertation prize winner, Jelly Offereins!

What an occasion! The frames of the Minster, all gowns and hats, in an wonderful mix with the British warm humor. A special thank you to Radu, Irene, George and all the others at MALIC; it has been a journey of hard work, ups-and-downs, a great learning experience, an academic journey and a practical study indeed, so many good tools to use in the daily work. To all of you; thank you for these years! ~ Else

Graduation day was special, many thanks. It has been an interesting journey, and well worth it! ~ Etienne

Looking for the future MALIC graduates!

The MALIC teams on both sides of the channel are extremely excited to be able to accent new applicants again. We would love it for you to have a look around the programme website and see whether you could fit MALIC in your life – you will not regret it. Frank, a MALIC Alumni, recently wrote to a prospective student who wanted to get some first-hand feedback on MALIC:

I can only say that the course is wonderful and what makes it meaningful is that you can apply each course module to the work environment you are currently working in or another of your choice which simply makes the course far more interesting and relevant from the outset. As I said I did not do the course for further advancement in my career as I was already at a senior level within my profession as an election management adviser and considering I am a freelance consultant I was not looking for further advancement. What I can tell you is that this course gives you the skills to look at situations within any work environment with objectivity and clarity and allows you to analyse situations in a much clearer and structured manner. That is not to say that the course participants do not already have these skills only that MALIC fine tunes them and improves them enormously. ~ Frank

What are you waiting for? Applications are open!

MALIC Residency April 2016 in York #malic #malic2016

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It seems that every time I write a blog post I am either on a plane, a train, or other means of transport, but somehow this is the best time to write about and reflect upon the recent events. Reflective thinking is important not only for our students, as an invaluable tool for learning, but for everyone really, whether a MALIC student or not.

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Cross-cultural exchanges

At the end of a week charged with exchanges and thoughtful discussion, I am coming to terms with the fact that these 20 brilliant individuals I finally got to meet in the flesh after one or two years of online interactions are now going back their own separate ways, richer in experience, friends, and understanding of what the next stage, the dissertation, requires them to do. We have ended the week in a round-table discussion of their initial thoughts on the dissertation – some have a clear idea already, some are still looking for it. Sure, there are leadership, innovation and change issues everywhere, from government agencies to pharmaceutical commercialisation companies, and although their heart tells them what they’d like to do, we also need them to be pragmatic about it.
The group is a great mixture of geographical locations, from Colombia to New Zealand and Japan, and Zambia to … Glasgow, all in all 15 countries. But above all, an amazing variety of backgrounds, with school directors, health and safety professionals, IT security consultants, creative directors, and healthcare professionals to name just a few. at the risk of repeating myself, just an amazing group.

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Impressions from the MALIC residency

We have used this time together to collect some of their thoughts on the programme, on their experiences both online and on the residency, and we will be posting some of their thoughts as soon as the videos are ready.

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In the meanwhile, catch-up with the atmosphere via Twitter from the students directly – thanks for contributing guys and gals.

Stay tuned for the interviews, and as Erich says, see you in the Minster in 2017!

MALIC: Renewed partnership between YSJU and RKC

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Perhaps you have already heard of the York St John MA Leading Innovation and Change (MALIC). One of your business contacts may be a MALIC, or perhaps you are one yourself. There are many MALICs out there – a network of more than 600 professionals who all have one thing in common – they have obtained their degree from York St John University, online. To be more precise, in a blended-learning delivery, with a one week residency in York or Zürich, by virtue of our exclusive partnership with YSJU.

Partnership agreement between YSJ and RKC continues

I am very excited to report that we expect an increase in the number of MALICs: true to their common mission, YSJ and RKC have recently met at the highest level in order to renew their commitment to deliver MALIC at a global level, reaching people all over the world and allowing them to study while continuing their (most often full-time) jobs. Professor Karen Stanton, Vice Chancellor of York St John University, and David Chesser, Chief Operating Officer, met with Prof David Costa, Dean of Robert Kennedy College, Stefano Costa, CFO, and Prof David Duffill, Deputy Dean, and officially signed the agreement.

YSJ - RKC - MALIC Signing

With graduates in over 100 countries, MALIC is one of the largest global Master programmes, and we are very excited about being able to increase these numbers and thus do our little bit in improving the overall quality of leadership in the work place.

Reflection session

Reflection session during the September 2015 residency in York

Whether it is at one of our York or Zürich residencies, or at graduation in the most impressive York Minster, it is always humbling to meet our students in the flesh – CEOs, senior managers, junior managers, serial entrepreneurs, vice-presidents – and yet they all went back to school, with a deep desire to improve and learn. For that, hat off!

YSJ Graduation Day with RKC students

Why MALIC?

Sometimes I ask my students, when they start their first module, what made them join the programme. For many it was the desire to understand why projects fail, how to be a better leader, how to deal with a difficult boss, or simply because they never had the time to go to school before life took over! And one of the most rewarding experiences is to receive, every now and again, an email that talks about life after MALIC (although sometimes it is also about life during MALIC).
“One of my critical learning points was the MALIC program was instantly transferable and immediately relevant, the course has had a dramatic impact on how I operate within different cultures. My appreciation and awareness of how people respond, react and need empathetic leadership styles in varying cultures has been tremendous.” – Simon
“Besides being a farmer I teach in AICAT (Arava International Centre for Agricultural Training). We bring 700 agricultural students from the Asian countries over for a 10-month, hands-on experience. I teach Agro-economics and Agro-entrepreneurship and from day one of my studies [in MALIC] I began using my newly gained knowledge, such as Schein’s Cultural Understandings and Kotter’s Eight Stages of Leading Change. The best part of the online experience was the interaction with other students. Same books, same articles, same questions but such diverse answers and understandings from fellow students; culture galore on the RKC forums.” – Eyal
 “My study at RKC has deepened my insight into the different antecedents of innovation and successful change that need to be strengthened in my work and working environment. It has boosted my concern for people. It has enabled me to respect others’ perspectives, even seek contrary or novel views and value the contributions people can make no matter what their status in the organisation.” – Pius
Don’t think it is all milk and honey though – studying online is challenging, albeit rewarding. You need strong time management skills and discipline, but with proper support achieving an academic degree while working is doable. You get support from us, as academics, and from our amazing StudentCare team, but we found that, perhaps most importantly, the best support comes from your peers, your colleagues who are experiencing the same challenges and conversations. Eyal and Pius, above, have met at the residency in York after taking a few classes online together, and I’ve never seen a bigger hug than these two big guys shared.

So, one might say we have done well so far – we will strive to do even better, and perhaps, who knows, if you are not a MALIC yourself, the time has come to become one! With a new, modular approach, in which you can build your programme in a module by module approach, there has never been a better time to learn! If you want to learn more about MALIC, have a look at our MALIC website and request a catalogue – our admissions team will also be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Graduation in York

Are you ready to write a Masters’ dissertation?

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It’s Sunday afternoon, and as I sit on the train taking me to Geneva airport, I run through a mental list of things to do during the week. I am headed to York, and more precisely, to York St John University.
I am not the only one headed there – thirty more individuals, from all corners of the world (South Africa, South Sudan, Nigeria, UK, Australia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ecuador, Chile, Malaysia, Croatia, UAE, the Netherlands, US, to name just a few) are headed the same way. They are all students in the MA Leadership, Innovation and Change, affectionately known as MALIC, that we at Robert Kennedy College have been running with our partners York St John University so successfully over the past 4 years. One of the RKC students arriving in York this time around is the 600th one to do so since 2011!
Monday morning, 9am – hellos and good mornings all around – recognising some faces from the online profiles – being surprised by others, who are bigger, smaller, younger, older, funnier or more serious than their online personas led me to think.

Monday morning hellos

A week of exchanges and meeting new people

They all have one thing in common though: they are here to learn, and to achieve what for many of them is still a dream for now: a British Master while keeping down their full time jobs in their countries. They are here to work on their dream – the team of lecturers from YSJ are going to take them on a learning journey throughout the week, from the very basic to the very complex issues, with a focus on developing their dissertations. One can see, and sense, a certain anxiety in the air – it is the uneasiness of dealing with the unknown, of not knowing what we do not know. By Friday that will be replaced by a different type of feeling, perhaps expectation and perhaps slight apprehension, for by then they will know more about what they do not know, and realise there is much more to learn still!
Thursday afternoon, 4:30pm – a short debriefing session – the team had shared on Monday their hopes and fears – how many of those have been realised or avoided? …and we are almost through.

Hopes and fears

Hopes and fears

There have been four days of learning, discussions, group work, group fun, and group interaction. Interviews, facilitation, data analysis, coding, socialising and after-hours – these guys (and gals) have spent 4 days that have brought them so much closer than any online experience could. Some speak about that – it feels alone studying online – we want more video conferencing, more interaction – we want more real! Yet they also agree that we have to work within the contraints of what our lives allow us to do while keeping an income and taking care of a family. Perhaps as technology evolves, we will be able to make online education even better – but that is for another day.

Friday morning discussions

Friday morning discussions

Friday morning – we have been building up towards this. Around each table a group of students and a tutor discuss their dissertation ideas, looking for that all elusive “perfect research question”. There is no such thing in reality, and each idea is different. “Our role, both as tutors and peers, is to expose any hidden assumptions and risks that you may not have seen,” I tell them. We keep coming back to our mantra “focus, focus, focus” – “be pragmatic, pick something that is doable, even though you may not be able to save the world” – that too is for another day!
As always, the week has passed by in a haze of ideas, questions, emotions and names and faces that have become more familiar now. I’ll be recognising them as they pass across the stage in the York Minster on graduation day, looking all proud and excited in their graduation gowns. Until then, I have graduation 2015 to look forward to, with 120+ students set to come – how exciting!

Graduation in York

Graduation in York

YSJ’s graduation ceremony must be (and I’m trying to be objective here) one of the most memorable experiences ever – I’ve lived a couple of them so far from the tutors’ “bench” – I can’t begin to imagine what it feels like as a graduate! I may just have to do a degree with YSJ myself just to get that side of the story too!

Graduation in the Minster

Graduation in the Minster

It’s Saturday, and I’m back on the plane towards Geneva, finishing writing up my week’s journal – reflection, as they’ve all been told during this week (and told, and told, and told again), is a crucial part of learning – some have promised to take up the habit of reflecting and journaling – we’ll check on that at graduation. They have come here from all over the world, thirty individuals, and they are leaving York as a group, richer in friends and knowledge and motivation. Are they ready to write a Master’s dissertation? Time will tell, but we are confident they are.
See you at graduation guys!

Master of Leading Innovation and Change Graduations in York Minster, 2013

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Graduation 2013 - photo courtesy of York St John University

Graduation 2013 – photo courtesy of York St John University

Fervent readers of this blog will have noticed the relatively long silence from yours truly – no good excuses really, but here I am, back with news from York, where this year’s graduation saw the second batch of the Master of Leading Innovation and Change graduating in the absolutely impressive setting of the York Minster. More than 40 graduates from Robert Kennedy College have attended this year’s graduation, from all over the world, and have been cheered on by hundreds in attendance as their dreams to have a Master’s degree have come true.

Seeing all of you walk on that platform and shaking hands with the Vice Chancellor of York St John University, Professor David Fleming, I was getting goose bumps: such an accomplishment for you, but equally for us, and boy are we proud of you. Let me say that again. We are immensely proud of all of you, and to be honest I am already rubbing my hands in anticipation for next year’s graduation!

Here are some more photos from the graduation ceremony, and I am hoping to be able to post a short clip soon too.

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Congratulations to you all, and we hope to hear of even greater things from you in the future. Hats-off to our new Master of Leading Innovation and Change graduates !

Graduation 2013, hats off! - photo courtesy of York St John University

Graduation 2013, hats off! – photo courtesy of York St John University

 

September 2013 MALIC Residency in York

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Almost two weeks have passed, but memories are still fresh!

September 9th, 2013 – a day like any other really, except I got to meet for the first time “in the flesh” 49 extraordinary people, all on the same day, and all in a single room! Granted, the room was not too big, but the energy and excitement as we got to know each other, shaking hands or finally pulling those virtual hugs into the real universe, was unbelievable.

These forty-nine “students”, seasoned managers, board-room veterans, serial or aspiring entrepreneurs, from all walks of life, were representing all five continents (sorry Antarctica, we’re still waiting for your representative!), and a staggering thirty (30!) countries. It is difficult to describe in words, and even more difficult to imagine, the richness of the interaction and the dynamics of such a special group. A biased population, for sure, driven by the desire to grow better.

MALIC Sep 2013 York from Dr.David Costa on Vimeo.

As the week progressed and we delved deeper into matters pertaining to research ethics, and quality of research, we also took great care to nourish and develop social relations, in places traditionally suitable for debate, such as pubs, restaurants and cafés, and to be honest, for me this is almost without exception the most interesting part of such a residency – discovering the people. As big a supporter of online education as I am (being actively involved in it!), the added value of face-to-face interaction, for even the briefest of times, to me is invaluable. And Tim agrees!

Students for students: Tim's advice for the residency from Dr.David Costa on Vimeo.

For more advice from current and past students, visit:

https://blog.college.ch/tag/students4students/

It would not be fair to leave out the exceptional team from our partner York St John University, who have done an amazing job of catering to all our needs, academic or logistic, and have done so with style. George and Irene, Sarah, Leanne and Natalie, thank you!

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