Thunderbird's D.C. Program Graduates First Class

from Thunderbird Magazine Spring 2021 issue

by thunderbird1946

How Thunderbird Innovated during COVID-19

LEAVING THE WORLD BETTER THAN THEY FOUND IT

Today’s world needs future-ready global leaders and managers more than ever and our Executive Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management (EMAGAM) was designed with that in mind. The EMAGAM provides students a digital global mindset and a unique combination of 21st-century hard and soft skills that will prepare them for the complexities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. During the year-long program, students build expertise in leading systems and new enterprises, managing complexity, disruptive innovation, digital transformation, and collaborative problem-solving.

Bringing the EMAGAM program to Washington, D.C. at the beginning of 2020 was an exciting milestone for us. Since our founding, many people have come to Thunderbird from the Washington, D.C. area to advance their career or transition to a career in a new sector.

“Our goal with the EMAGAM was to design a truly unique, 21st-century degree program at the intersection of global affairs, policy and business – and make it accessible for working professionals in the D.C. area,” said Thunderbird Director General and Dean, Sanjeev Khagram.

Then COVID-19 hit. But rather than slowing things down, the pandemic highlighted how necessary the program is. “We designed the EMAGAM to empower students to master and manage the complexities of the 21st century,” said Thunderbird Clinical Professor and EMAGAM Co-director Ann Florini. “Little did we suspect how urgently this revamped curriculum would be needed, as the pandemic exploded just weeks after the program launched.”

“This period has been incredibly disruptive as the world is facing some of the biggest crises of modern times. It adds an unexpected new level of relevance and practical application to the curriculum,” echoed Landry Signé, Thunderbird Professor and EMAGAM Co-director.

STEPPING UP TO THE CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC

Despite the major disruption, students and faculty adjusted and adapted quite seamlessly. They pivoted with resilience and agile use of the technological resources within Thunderbird’s D.C. hub, which allowed students and faculty to stay safe and maintain the communication and connection that is central to the EMAGAM program. Another key factor was the Thunderbird spirit, which students and faculty said not only underpinned adaptability but motivated them to step up to the challenges of the pandemic.

“The EMAGAM students were all so eager to learn and make a contribution to the world,” said Jennifer Betancur, EMAGAM Program Manager. “Though they all have diverse backgrounds, experiences and goals, they share the idea that they can leave the world better than they found it.”

Signé said, “It was amazing to see the students making a difference in the world while still enrolled in the program.”

For instance, Julia Goldstein ʹ20, Events and Marketing Manager at Aldrin Family Foundation, worked with Khagram and Signé “to propose options on how to use the emerging and evolving technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to fight COVID-19 around the world,” as Signé described. “These options were presented during the United Nations General Assembly week at the UN Global Compact event, and welcomed by leaders involved in the COVID-19 fight.”

Mamadou Diallo ʹ20, Economic Counselor at the Embassy of Guinea in the United States, “drew on the EMAGAM’s global affairs, complexity and networks courses to help design Guinea-Conakry’s COVID response, with great success,” explained Florini. Diallo’s predictive model even earned him praise from the Office of the President of Guinea. “The EMAGAM gave me the tools to analyze complex problems and provide appropriate solutions,” he said.

Another student, Tarek Ben Youssef ʹ20, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. African Union Mission in the United States, temporarily took the place of the African Union Ambassador (representing 55 countries) while completing the program. “The knowledge and tools that I acquired have already enabled me to contribute to building a more capable, responsive, accountable and agile institution,” Youssef said. “One that would meet the expectations of its citizens for a more inclusive system of governance and a tangible impact on their wellbeing.”

“IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THESTUDENTS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD WHILE STILL ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM.

- LANDRY SIGNÉ, CO-DIRECTOR OF EMAGAM ANDTHUNDERBIRD PROFESSOR

“I was awestruck watching the final capstone presentations, in which the cohort drew together all of the EMAGAM’s varied frameworks and tools to describe, concretely and compellingly, how to make meaningful progress on some of the world’s great challenges,” Florini said. “It’s hard to imagine a better time to do exactly that.”

MORE NEW PROGRAMS ON TAP IN 2021

The Mandarin Immersive Online Master of Applied Learning and Management (MALM) is the first program of its kind not only at Thunderbird but at any other business school in the United States. You can read more about it in How Thunderbird Innovated Through COVID-19 on page 28.

The Master of Global Affairs and Management in the Creative Industries (MGCI) program will be held in Los Angeles at the newly acquired and fully renovated Herald Examiner building. You can read more about the MGCI, and the new Thunderbird L.A. Center of Excellence, in Expanding Thunderbird’s Global Presence on page 46.