New program director at the MCI

2014-07-15

Belachew Gebrewold as new Program Director for Social Work at the MCI

The Entrepreneurial School® with a new Program Director for Social Work, Social Policy & Management – Strengthened solution competence, R&D and internationality

A more than ten-year success story

The Social Work Department, which runs a Bachelor in Social Work and a Master in Social Work, Social Policy & Management, has been a part of the success story at Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) for more than ten years now.

Established in 2003, the department is highly popular with students, much esteemed on the employment market and enjoys a high standing in social, scientific and political circles – at a time when professional social work and related solution competence are seen as social cement in a variety of fields:

childhood | youth | the family | the elderly
education | profession | personal development
crime | delinquency | rehabilitation
health care | disabilities | addiction | psychosomatic & chronic problems
basic material security | services of general interest
migration | integration

MCI established as a clearing house for social questions

From 2003, the Department of Social Work was headed by Program Director Dr. Michael Klassen. He and his team did an excellent job of building up the department and were generally very successful. As the first head of department, he focussed on promoting a professional approach to social work, establishing the subject as a recognized scientific discipline, positioning the MCI as a clearing house and competence center for social questions, and producing fully qualified graduates for work in the above fields.

With Dr. Klassen’s recent move to the Rhine-Main University in Wiesbaden, it became necessary to recruit a successor as head of department and program director at the MCI.

New program director to continue the policy of international networking

A highly competent successor was finally found in the person of Dr. Belachew Gebrewold. After graduating in philosophy in Addis Ababa / Ethiopia, Belachew Gebrewold studied Theology, International Politics and Peace Studies in Hamburg and Innsbruck, obtaining a postdoctoral qualification in Political Science and International Relations in 2010. With his numerous scientific publications and projects, his proven expertise in the fields of migration and development and security policy, and his extensive international contacts, he is the right person to further develop the MCI’s successful study programs in Social Work at an international level.

Belachew Gebrewold has been an MCI faculty member since 2012, with teaching and research duties in the field of the welfare state, ethics, human rights, global governance and international organizations. In a multistage selection process, he was chosen by the appointment committee from more than twenty candidates.

Intensification of collaboration with stakeholders

For his future work, Dr. Gebrewold is placing a priority on intensified cooperation with other study programs, the MCI’s supporting bodies, civil society organizations at home and abroad, and the MCI’s many partner universities. “The objective of social work as a form of service to society can be best achieved where there is a continuous constructive exchange with stakeholders,” says the new Program Director. “We develop solutions, shape the future and assume responsibility for society and yet remain learners at the same time.”

The MCI would like to thank Michael Klassen for his excellent performance in building up the department and to wish his successor joy and success with his new responsibilities.

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Pressekontakt und Rückfragen:
Mag. (FH) Ulrike Fuchs
Leiterin
Marketing & Communication
+43 512 2070-1510
ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu

Jubilee event at the MCI’s alumni club

250th platform session with leading speakers at the Entrepreneurial School® - The MCI success story with its academic lecture series continuesMCI Alumni & Friends recently celebrated a special jubilee: The talk given by H.E. Sergey Nechayev, the Russian Federation’s Ambassador to Austria, was the 250th platform event – with international speakers from the worlds of business, academia, politics and the arts – organized by the Entrepreneurial School®.These unique events deliver a useful stimulus, promote the exchange of knowledge and experience and help students, faculty, partners and visitors to the MCI build up their networks.The list of speakers is as varied as it is impressive and includes such famous names as President Vaclav Klaus, President Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Commissioners Franz Fischler, Benita Ferrero Waldner and Johannes Hahn, numerous ministers and undersecretaries from Austria and many other countries, and the CEOs of international corporations like Daniel Vasella (Novartis), Stefan Sommer (ZF), Michel Wurth (Arcelor Mittal), Helmut Maucher (Nestlé), Brigitte Ederer (Siemens), Helmut Rothenberger (Rothenberger), Peter Bettermann (Freudenberg), Martin Kind (Kind Group, Hannover 96), Mario Moretti Polegato (Geox) and Hap Klopp (The North Face) and of leading Austrian companies like Georg Kapsch (Kapsch), Niki Lauda (FlyNiki), Christian Kern (ÖBB) and Sabine Herlitschka (Infineon).And that is far from the end of the story: For the next few years, the MCI has succeeded in booking the prestigious speakers needed for such a high-powered program: preview“Along with the other offerings, our international lecture series puts our program in a class of its own,” says Bettina Stichauner, Director of MCI Alumni & Friends, and she continues, “which goes to show that it does matter which university you attend!”The MCI’s Rector Andreas Altmann has this to say about the MCI’s alumni club: “A lively service platform, MCI Alumni & Friends offers support in terms of contacts, careers and personal development and contributes to the international standing of the Entrepreneurial School®. The winners are our graduates and our common university and business location.”{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=921}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=18}

Strategic Management in the Tourism & Leisure Industries

The part-time MCI Executive Certificate course in Destination & Leadership is targeted at Entrepreneurs, managers and decision makers in the tourism and leisure industries, especially those responsible for destination management and development.The tourism, leisure and tourism-related service industry is one of the biggest industries worldwide and still has enormous potential for growth. Fascinating opportunities for destination development and international marketing call for managers with professional training. The special focus of the course on strategic destination management and a sound theoretical basis combined with practical applications, including study tours to selected destinations, are the key to long-term success in the field of destination development and an effective way to strengthen one’s own position within the industry.With this 14-day course in Destination & Leadership, MCI Management Center Innsbruck is offering its first executive education course explicitly designed for managers in the tourism industry. The course is being taught by highly qualified lecturers and trainers and organized in association with the Austrian Hoteliers Federation and in cooperation with the Federation of Austrian Tourism Managers and the Federation of Tyrolean Tourism Associations.The course starts on April 15, 2015 with a schedule tailored to the needs of the target group. The number of places on the course is limited.More Information:Registration & CounselingVictoria Lettenbichler+43 512 2070 2102victoria.lettenbichler@mci.edu{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=923}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

2014 Science Award for MCI graduate Marco Rückl

Science Award of the Chamber of Commerce for innovative Master’s thesis in the field of Mechatronics-Mechanical EngineeringThe Mechatronics Department at the MCI has something to celebrate: professional recognition for the Master’s thesis submitted by Marco Rückl, BSc, MSc. In his work in the field of control engineering, he developed a dynamic and efficient position controller for geared drives. In comparison with conventional controller designs, the new solution offers faster error convergence and long-term stability and has great potential for use in a wide range of drive systems.The Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce first announced the Science Award in 1997. Since then the prize has been awarded on an annual basis for outstanding Diploma and Master’s theses and dissertations which display a high degree of innovation and have practical applicability for Tyrolean SMEs. For Dr. Jürgen Bodenseer as President of the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce, the presentation ceremony for the Science Award is a special event signaling support for the young people and the future of the Tyrol.At the ceremony, the MCI’s Rector Andreas Altmann said, “I am particularly grateful to the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce and President Jürgen Bodenseer for making this award. It is so important to build bridges between the academic and business communities. Academic research is a pillar of the economy in that the findings generate innovation. And innovation needs to be applied in trade and industry so that it can develop its potential and contribute to prosperity.”The other winners of the Science Award were Mag. Johannes Ager (LFU), Mag. Lukas Fischer (LFU), Magdalena Posch, M.A. (FH Kufstein), Irene Riccabona, MSc (LFU) and Dipl. Ing. Martin Peter Schwarz, MSc (LFU).Congratulations to all the prizewinners!{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=922}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}