MCI intensifies cooperation with Seton Hall University

Joint course "Organizational Behavior," signing of the "Certificate in Destination & Event Management" and visit of the Military Unit Tyrol

After the successful premiere in summer 2022, the course "Organizational Behavior" took place for the second time this year in cooperation with our partner institution Seton Hall University from New Jersey, USA.

In this course, which was led by Prof. Karen Boroff together with her Seton Hall colleague Prof. Michael Gordon and Lieutenant Colonel & Professor Shari Bowen from the West Point Military Academy, MCI students were able to work together with 22 students from Seton Hall University and two cadets from the renowned West Point Military Academy. The theoretical input on various fields of organizational behavior could be directly applied in two business simulations conducted in international teams.

A student’s voice about the course: “Working on teams from so many cultures was remarkable.  I found the American students had so much energy on the team, and I also learned how to vary my style with so many cultures.”

Seton Hall’s visit at the Entrepreneurial School^® brought also the opportunity to finalize a new cooperation program between the Seton Hall University Stillman School of Business and the MCI's Department of Tourism & Leisure Management. Thus, the introduction of the "Certificate in Destination & Event Management" could be officially signed by all parties. Seton Hall students can now earn this certificate by completing pre-defined courses at both institutions.

Prof. Karen Hall about the new certificate: “MCI has been a valued partner of Seton Hall since 2016.  The certificate in Destination and Event Management gives our Seton Hall students an important academic credential at MCI, one of the outstanding tourism schools in Europe.  That our students can structure a full semester abroad while earning that certificate advances our students’ competence to be more internationally adept, with a larger business focus.  We look forward to fashioning other collaborative academic credentials, thereby increasing the learning environment for the betterment of all students.”

Another highlight of the stay of our US-American guests was the visit to the Military Unit Tyrol. It was interesting for the members of the West Point Military Academy to get an insight into the organization of the Austrian Armed Forces and a guided tour through the premises of the Military Unit Tyrol in Innsbruck including a visit of the sihpolAssE Control Center. In particular, the differences to the US military, as the Austrian Armed Forces have many other tasks besides national defense, e.g. disaster control, and work closely together with the police and fire department perked interest. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Colonel of the General Staff Ingo Gstrein and Colonel Martin Heinrich for their informative presentations and the guided tour.

This visit was eye-opening for the students: “Austria is in the EU but is a neutral country.  I had never thought through the complexities of world politics before.” and “We hear about migrants in the US all the time.  The visit to the Barracks opened my eyes to the world-wide issue this is.  As a business professional, I can see how this issue can matter for the world economy.” 

Thanks also to Prof. Karen Boroff, for the initiative to further deepen the cooperation between our institutions. All participants enjoyed their stay in Innsbruck at the MCI very much and we look forward to the next group in 2024.