Presidential Recognition Award goes to MBA Coordinator Grace McCourt

By Dr. Tina Saksida, EMBA Program Director and Dr. Don Wagner, MBA-GL Program Director

ON APRIL 30, 2019, Grace McCourt was presented with a UPEI Presidential Recognition Award of Merit for Support of Student Success. The award was a result of her exceptional performance as the Coordinator of UPEI’s MBA programs since 2008.

As the coordinator for both programs, Grace is the primary contact person for our MBA students before, during, and after their MBA studies. Early on, when individuals are still contemplating whether to apply to one of our MBA programs—Executive MBA (EMBA) or MBA in Global Leadership (MBA-GL)—she meets with them, sometimes multiple times, guides them through the decision-making process, and advises them on what is involved and required. She excels at building relationships with our applicants, and by the time they begin their first classes, the students already know that Grace is available for helpful guidance and encouragement. Grace’s tireless work during student recruitment and onboarding is truly essential to our programs’ success in attracting and retaining exceptional candidates. Once students have begun the EMBA or MBA program, Grace remains in close contact with them throughout their studies. She has proven to be an invaluable mentor to many of our students; when they encounter issues, Grace is their go-to person. For example, students go to her if they are struggling in the program, if they are facing tensions within their student groups, if they are having administrative or financial issues, or if they are having issues with their instructors. The students are comfortable meeting with Grace and confiding in her, and they respect the advice they get from her. Grace approaches these situations with a great deal of compassion, sound judgment based on years of experience, and respect for student privacy. After students have graduated, Grace stays in touch with them, so that our alumni can remain connected to the program and to UPEI. As a result, our graduates are regularly more than willing to help Grace out at recruiting events, and are always happy to contribute to our newsletter, attend our alumni events, and volunteer their time to speak or serve as panelists in our courses. It would be hard to exaggerate how much appreciation and respect our MBA students and alumni have for Grace. We consistently hear from students about how incredibly helpful Grace has been in their MBA journey. In many ways, Grace really is the face and the heart of our MBA programs. The nomination for this award was supported by enthusiastic letters of endorsement by the students and graduates of both MBA programs. Rebecca Gill (Class President of the 2013 cohort of EMBA students) coordinated a letter of support from all the EMBA Class Presidents from 2008 to the present. Meanwhile, Brent Andrews (current MBA-GL student) led the drafting of a letter of support that was signed by all of the students in the MBA-GL program. Our MBA graduates and current students now number well over 200, and we are confident that virtually all of them would emphatically assert that Grace enhanced their student experience, and that she is more than deserving of this award. As MBA Program Directors, we share this sentiment and extend Grace our warmest congratulations.

(L-R) Don Wagner, Jurgen Krause, Andrew Carrothers, Sophie Yao, Grace McCourt, Brenda MacLean, Tina Saksida, Blake Jelly, Tarek Mady.