Villanova’s New EMBA Program Focuses on Change
Julie Mattock ‘01

Education has been slow to respond to the ever-growing and changing world we live in, but Villanova’s new Executive MBA program is becoming a new tradition in education that will meet the changing needs of the times with its theme-based curriculum approach and partnerships with business.

"This honestly is a very innovative program," said Dr. Thomas F. Monahan, dean of the College of Commerce and Finance. "We have looked at every EMBA program in the country in terms of examining their web site, their curriculum, etc., and we feel that our program is very innovative and different. We don’t think there’s another like it."

Villanova’s EMBA curriculum is based on the concept of systemic thinking, which focuses on applying key management techniques across a variety of functions within a firm. Different from the more traditional EMBA programs, instead of just teaching accounting, finance, marketing and management as separate courses, a theme is developed and the separate disciplines are integrated around that theme.

"Students benefit immensely from courses in systemic thinking," asserted Neil Sicherman, head of the EMBA program. "It is critical for EMBA students to not only understand the theory or philosophy of different disciplines, but to understand them as a system and create a way to make sound business decisions from a systemic thinking point of view, as well as how to apply it."

In addition to the non-traditional systemic thinking approach, Villanova’s EMBA program has partnered with corporations to team teach and develop courses directly related to topics that are applicable to the needs the corporate sponsors foresee for their employees in the coming years. Currently, there is an in-depth study on e-business and e-business solutions in the program, but according to Monahan, that could change sooner than one might anticipate.

"The business environment has changed so dramatically in the last decade, I think much more so than any other decade in history. We were able to basically take these changes into account in developing this program and in so doing, create a mind set within the corporate environment and within our faculty - that these courses are going to change too. The basic theme is one of change," Monahan explained.

Mostly it is a theme of what is really "hot" in business now; like e-business for example, that may be replaced by something else in two or three years. Certain aspects of this program, however, will never change, like basic communication and leadership skills. By combining the resources of Villanova’s faculty team teaching with people from industry in conjunction with a strong integration of disciplines around this thematic approach, the Villanova EMBA program offers opportunities for everyone to learn from one another.

After the first session of the EMBA program in August, Sicherman reported that the students felt the faculty exceeded their already high expectations, and the faculty felt the same. "There was a lot of interaction among the students. They shared their wisdom and background with each other, while the faculty facilitated. A lot of the faculty were even sitting in on classes they weren’t teaching, and the students really like that."

Presently, 23 men and women executives from a variety of notable firms across the region are enrolled in the Villanova EMBA program. The majority of these individuals were selected by their supervisors at their respective firms for the 21-month degree program. The EMBA program is a residential program which meets on alternate weekends from Friday morning through early Saturday evening. The students are housed in the new Villanova Conference Center in private guest rooms with high-speed Internet access available for use during the time they have free from class. In addition, the students have access to tennis courts as well as a fitness center.

"It’s been a phenomenal program so far," commented Monahan. "I’ve always said that the biggest disadvantage we had is we’re 15 years late. There have been EMBA programs around for 15 years, but, if we did it right, our biggest advantage would be that we’re 15 years late." Villanova’s new approach to business education may not only be more applicable to today’s changing business world, but also a step closer to a life-long learning program through executive education.