The Dean's List Interview - May, 2010
It was 7:15 pm in Amsterdam, and Slobodan Bogavac was putting his three- year- old daughter to bed. In a short while he would join us online on Skype to be interviewed, squeezing some time to fit us into what had already been a full day at work and home. Meanwhile, in Dresden, Armin Tilke was graciously taking time off during his vacation to connect with us on email. Both had just been informed by Robert Kennedy College that they had made the Dean’s List.
Slobodan Bogavac with his Family
Slobodan is a gifted, committed teacher and educator. Armin is an accomplished physicist and inventor. Both students bring to mind something more than merit in an academic sense alone. They have participated vibrantly in classroom discussions, and interacted thoughtfully and intensely in various college forums. Their contribution has enriched RKC’s growing online community.
The idea of being involved with an online community that embraces so much diversity comes with its own challenges. And both these students rose beautifully to the challenge. Both are readily available to the newest trial student who has difficulty navigating the campus. We feel that both Armin and Slobodan are people who will take this quality of engagement wherever they go.
Armin Tilke
Currently, they are in the initial stages of their dissertations. And it does seem that the research process has allowed for a degree of inwardness. They are both looking outward as well into the work-world that they will re-enter in some ways as different people (value added, as they say...) with greater skills and insights.
With their course nearing completion, what did they have to say about the college? It would be worthwhile to find out, because it is the student who can stand back to evaluate this experience.
“This is really amazing! Thanks for the honour,” Slobodan exclaimed when he came on, reacting to the news. Armin typed: “It’s an honour. I’m grateful for the privilege.”
As our first salvo, we couldn’t resist asking them why they had chosen RKC in the first place.
“I did some research about different online MBA programs - mostly in Europe - and found that the RKC system of mainly learning by case studies suited me best,” responded Armin. “Especially in this ‘American’ style MBA program, discussions with fellow students and the Professors is one key point.” Slobodan, too, had felt RKC would be a good fit. He was sure he didn’t want to study anymore in a conventional brick-and-mortar college with schedules and mandatory attendance. He didn’t want to be spoon fed. He wanted a more dynamic learning situation.
At the start of the course Armin knew the ‘brick and mortar’ class situation would have to somehow translate into an online environment, but he had his doubts that this could really pan out. “However, after a short period of time I was already almost addicted to online discussions via the online Campus. I doubt that I would have had as many fruitful discussions in a ‘conventional’ school.”
“I must admit that the concept has been really thought through at RKC," responded Slobodan, “and I liked the decisions they made. For instance the asynchronous study method is really convenient. You start and finish a module at the same time as the entire class but you log onto the online campus whenever it is convenient for you. The exams are announced well in advance so you can really plan your work and personal obligations around it. It was perfect!"
This was such a ringing endorsement, and just when we felt encouraged to fire away more questions at them, Armin said, ‘Nevertheless….” (Ah, so there was a ‘nevertheless’).
“Nevertheless,”, continued Armin, “I also recognized that not all students really contribute to the online discussions. During my studies there were situations where the online discussion were rather limited. That can certainly be somehow frustrating for students like me who want to learn and profit from these discussions. But I am sure RKC will manage to stimulate class discussions even stronger in future."
The online environment allows discussing with fellow students from all time zones and geographical locations. I hoped that I would find that diversity of students at RKC, since it makes discussions much more interesting than discussing with peers from your own cultural horizon alone –and thus I was pleasantly surprised and happy that this diversity really existed!”
Had Slobodan felt the same frustration when class participation wasn’t forthcoming…?
“But those were exactly the times I would involve myself more in the forums, and see if I could generate more discussion, more participation. If a student doesn’t participate, he or she is the loser. You can get the most out of e-learning when you’re interacting in classroom forums rigorously.”
Had it felt like being on an actual college campus?
“If by that you mean the friendships, assistance, cohesion of a group of people that are striving towards the same goal, then certainly yes,” said Slobodan. “I still have some close friends that I keep in contact with around the globe.” For Armin, who was pretty much used to social networks, the online classrooms were a source of stimulation and fun, and he felt sure that he would miss being on them after his studies.
Much has been said about how multicultural and diverse the students and classrooms at RKC are: did they experience this?
“Yes, definitely!” Slobodan said emphatically. “But I must also admit that I had my fair share of cultural clashes in class. It is really great how the very first course helps you prepare for this. Nonetheless it took me years (and I’m still working on it) to recognize my own biases and culturally determined responses and the unproductive effect they had on the interaction. Again, these “soft skills” were the biggest gain I got out of class, the theory I got from books. This combination makes for a potent MBA degree (holder).”
“What is perhaps also worth mentioning,” added Armin, “is the diversity of professors at the college. Also the Professors, who are from all over the world, with different backgrounds and beliefs. Sometimes this makes it harder to understand their respective expectations. On the other hand the possibility of widening one’s personal cultural horizon clearly outweighs this potential drawback.”
Do they feel RKC has a culture and character of its own?
Slobodan: Absolutely! For me that is the amazing delivery of a “private education” experience for a “public education” price. This shows itself in the character of the school in every way. Dean David Costa and Prof. David Duffill are really able to stimulate students into participating. I’m also appreciative of Dean Costa getting such a diverse faculty together. The group complements each other’s skill. The cohesion this creates is really amazing…
Armin: I agree! The role of Dean Costa, for instance - I can hardly imagine another dean who is so active in responding to questions from us students. Another point worth mentioning is the pace at which RKC is gaining the interest of prospective students. Currently, RKC is one of the newest, but at the same time the fastest growing online MBA program I know of. For sure this gives the college a special spirit. I guess we students are all very proud of this success. However, the college must take care that this fast growth doesn’t affect its high standards.
For several months students at RKC interact with students and professors solely online and then get to meet them at the residency. What had the residency experience been like for them?
“The friends I mentioned earlier came out of the residency,” responded Slobodan. “The mistake I made here was that I stayed with family during that week and I would really like to advise everybody to book at one of the three hotels across the street from the campus and leave the family at home. The week is so intense that really submerging yourself in the entire experience really pays itself back in the quality you receive out of the residency.”
“In my case,’ Armin said, “maybe because I took my residential course quite early in the program, I didn’t know many fellow students. For me it was more important to know some fellow students personally after the residency. This certainly made many online discussions more tangible, but did not really change my participation in the MBA itself. I had the pleasure of meeting Prof. Duffill who I had met online in Financial Management. Both online and in-class, I was highly impressed by his knowledge and teaching skills. However, it was indeed an unexpected pleasure to experience his warmth as well during the residential course.”
Armin, you’re an R&D scientist with a PhD, so why an MBA?
“As a physicist, at least when you have done your studies in Germany, you are a technical expert but know very little about market requirements, customization etc. and all the things that are needed to make a technically superior product successful on the market. What I learned during my professional career is that it is useless to develop a superior product if the market doesn’t accept it. On the other hand, it is very unsatisfying for a physicist like me to sell inferior products just by marketing efforts. So for me, my PhD in physics and my MBA are complementing each other in many respects.”
Slobodan, you have a passion for education. In what ways did you think an MBA would be beneficial?
“One of the things I do at my job is to facilitate teachers. So that’s something that is bound to be enriched with my skills and training from the programme. I’d like also to consult at a strategic level with education departments. In one such meeting, I told our Secretary of Education for the Liberal Party that lot of money was being squandered on management layers. They had four and could easily make do with just two! He was very surprised at this because most people come to these meetings to ask more money for education. I told him we should spend less. Focus on the quality of education, the underlying worth of it.”
In what ways did they think this MBA would expand the scope of their careers?
Armin felt it would be little naive to expect a major and sudden career step upwards after many years of professional experience by completing an online MBA. However, what he’d wanted out of the programme was something quite different: the chance to develop himself into much newer and wider directions. “For me, as an R&D engineer, this would be technical marketing or technical program management with an international scope. Especially in the semiconductor industry, having different professional options available to broaden one’s knowledge and skills base in order to look at other industries is also important. To illustrate this, my last employer, a huge German semiconductor company, went bankrupt during the financial crisis. There are now only about three major European semiconductor manufacturers left.”
“Happily”, remarked Slobodan, “for me, this career boost has already happened! I have advanced from programme manager to consultant (including a “nice” pay raise :-)), and I am now orienting myself in the direction of one of the greatest consultancy firms in the world with whom I had the pleasure of collaborating with accidentally during one of my classes at RKC. Actually it’s a nice anecdote: I was studying for one of the courses and came across a Harvard Business Press article referring to a website. When I checked the website I noticed a discrepancy and contacted the co-author of the article and the partner & managing director of the consultancy firm regarding this. After we have exchanged ideas on the subject, he actually changed the content of the web site. This was a really cool experience and thank you RKC for this!”
What kind of pace had they set themselves to complete their studies at RKC?
Armin: I wanted to find a compromise between the best learning experience by a slow pace and fast programme completion by a fast pace. Therefore I did two courses in a parallel fashion during two terms, and the remaining four courses alone in one term. I have to admit that with two parallel courses the workload was quite tough, and I certainly spent one hour every day of the week, and at least one full day at the weekend, for my studies during that time.
Slobodan: This was really simple arithmetic for me. Since I have a family and career but at the same time I wanted to learn the most I could out of the courses, I chose to do one course per term. This meant I could only pass three courses a year. Since the MBA consists of eight courses this would take me two-and-two-third of a year. Add to that half a year for the dissertation and you come to the total of three years and four months. And I must admit that this proved to be quite challenging, especially with one child being born during these years and one child on its way DV –God willing. (We’ve just received an email from Slobodan saying: “Our daughter Anastasia has just been born. Mother and child are doing great!”).
Would they recommend RKC, and why?
Armin: What was most important for me in the MBA program I choose was the possibility to do the final thesis with an almost free choice in specializing, e.g. in technological innovation. Most professors in my modules were excellent. And for sure the accreditation of the University of Wales is a crucial factor for the program. So, yes, I would absolutely recommend RKC to everybody with similar needs like I have. If you – like me – are already in your profession for some years and mainly want to broaden your professional horizon besides speeding up your career, an online MBA is the better choice. And to such a student I would certainly recommend RKC!
Slobodan: The faculty! They all stand out in their own way and they all have one thing in common: top notch! RKC really has got “them all”: successful entrepreneurs (get it from the “horse’s mouth”), Harvard graduates (teaching Harvard courses) Marketing Managers from the world’s greatest firms (Phillips, TomTom), ex-rocket-science-project-managers, and really, really involved and caring teachers and human beings.
