Jack Welch MBA Graduates Come from Near and Far To Reflect, Connect — And Celebrate

Traveling from every corner of the country, buoyed by excitement, and accompanied by supportive family members and friends, the first graduating class of The Jack Welch Management Institute gathered on Mother's Day in Cleveland, Ohio to accept their diplomas, celebrate their achievements, and herald JWMI's important academic milestone.

"Today, we recognize the extraordinary professionals who make up the first graduating class of the Jack Welch Management Institute," President Daugherty remarked after the ceremonies. "They work in every industry. Some are experienced leaders, others are new managers, and still others are entrepreneurs building companies from scratch. But all of them share a passion for business and continuous learning. It's an honor to share JWMI's first anniversary with them."

President Daugherty also thanked the Institute's academic leaders, the renowned scholars Steve Kerr and Trish Gorman, for overseeing the program's unique, high-impact curriculum. "There is no online MBA as rigorous or as immediately applicable as the Jack Welch MBA," he said, "and that's because our administration and faculty understand that business education has to be meaningful from the first day in class."

Graduates echoed his sentiments. "I've already been able to apply a lot of the principles I learned in class at work. The individual courses have been very helpful to me in my current position and they also position me for promotions within my company," said Sandra Tucker, a Contract Manager from North Carolina, who drove to Cleveland with her family for commencement.

Like every JWMI student, Zelda Vincent's final course in the MBA program was the Capstone, an advanced simulation of the CEO experience organized around virtual teams. "The Capstone was a great life-learning experience for me," she said. "It gave me more understanding of leadership is really about in a major corporation."

Zelda also lauded the Jack Welch videos and readings in the curriculum and the interaction with her fellow students as program highlights. But, she added, "I loved being mentored by my favorite instructors. I got a complete education. I am so excited about graduating with my MBA and I'm ready to take on the next level of my career."

For Rob Harrison, a newly wed financial analyst at a roofing manufacturer who drove to graduation from New Jersey with his wife, the JWMI experience was about quality — and flexibility. "My MBA took me a little over a year to complete — quick, but a great education," he said. "It allowed me to continue working while I was going to school, which was perfect for me and my family." (does not have kids)

Ramakrishna Narahari, a GE employee in Chicago who also attended graduation with his family, expanded on the program's career impact. "The program helped me grow. I recommend it for management leaders, not just locally, but globally. This degree is for an individual who wants to become a global leader."

Kubweba Bugase concurred. A mother of four, she was attending the MBA program at Delaware State when she wrote a class report about Jack Welch. During her research into Jack's career, she discovered JWMI, and was so impressed with the program's approach that she quickly transferred. "The curriculum at JWMI definitely exceeded anything I have previously encountered," she said. "Now I'm ready to compete in the global economy with other MBAs across the globe."

Like Kubweba, George Myer juggled work and family as he studied for his MBA at JWMI. "It's not the easiest thing to do," George noted after the ceremonies. But the reward that came with each class, he said, was well worth the challenge. "My People Management class was great with helping me understand how to manage people, and understanding the type of manager I am... it teaches you how to manage your boss, how to manage your peers, how to manage the people that work for you." His favorite class, he added, was Organizational Behavior and Development. It coincided, he recalled, with a major organizational challenge he was facing at work, and the cases, lectures, and assignments lectures helped out immensely. "I take a different view into what I am doing now than what I did two years ago," he said. "It's not just about showing up to work and managing some tasks anymore, it's so much bigger than that." George will be relocating to the West Coast soon for a promotion that he received while he was matriculating.

Mansur Akram also received a promotion while getting his degree at JWMI. The program "helped me become more of a leader," he said. "I learned a lot from my classmates. So many of them brought different backgrounds and experience to the table. It was exciting." Perhaps Samantha Young, an HR manager from Cleveland, summed up the sentiments of many graduates best when, diploma in hand, she talked about the program's deep connection with the challenges she faces every day. "This program is real -- that's the best way to say it," she said. " Every step of the way, it kept me involved and engaged. It was relevant."

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