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On Saturday, among the more than 1,100 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh graduates will be a very tight-knit group made up of just 18.

Those 18 will be the first-ever graduates from UW Oshkosh’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program path. The EMBA path is specifically designed for executives and emerging business leaders using a cohort system of learning—meaning, every single student moves through the entire 16-month-long program together, and they all graduate with Master of Business Administration degrees.

The students will celebrate at a small, intimate celebration Friday and then again at the 2014 Midyear Commencement ceremony, which will be held at Kolf Sports Center Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

“This program path is really about taking bright, creative, upwardly mobile Wisconsin folks and helping them accelerate their careers,” said professor Dale Feinauer, who also has served as the faculty director/coordinator to the students in the first EMBA cohort.

Unlike more traditional MBA programs, the EMBA is structured so that students meet just about every Saturday for eight hours to learn for 16 months straight, which means business professionals enrolled in the program can continue working full-time. The program is designed to not only fit around a student’s career, but also to provide immediate applicability, allowing EMBA students to take lessons they learn straight from the classroom to the workplace.

Lisa Piikkila, owner and creative director of Coalesce Inc., a strategic marketing and design firm based in Appleton, is among the graduates in UW Oshkosh’s first EMBA cohort. She said coming to the conclusion of the intense program is exciting and even a little bit sad.

“There were some weeks that were just a lot, but you do find balance within it,” Piikkila said. “ I got a lot of inspiration every Saturday.”

During her time in the program, Piikkila said she brought many of the teachings from the program into her company; notably, she rewrote the employee manual for Coalesce using a lot of the knowledge she’d acquired in her classes. She said she also became a more well-rounded business professional, which was helpful to her because she previously had such a creative-focused background.

“I am really going to miss the exposure to so much information—it’s so much more than you get in everyday life,” she said. “And, you learn as much in the program as you do from the other people in your cohort; I will miss them, too.”

Charles Garris, who is the vice president of product development and engineering for the Appleton-based CMD Corporation, is also among the graduates in the first cohort. At first, Garris was not sure of the value he would get out of traveling through an MBA program in a cohort style, but he said he grew to really appreciate the style of learning.

“Before I went into the program, I was interested in better understanding business. I had heard that going into a program like this was a way to meet local leaders and improve my business and social network, but that was not really a driver for me,” Garris said. “I thought that being in engineering and product development that most people I’d interact with would have such a different role, that it couldn’t add a lot to me professionally. Now, having gone through the program, having traveled together, and having reflected on many things together— the cohort was one of the most valuable parts of the program. I grossly underestimated how valuable that would be.”

College of Business Professor and Associate Dean William Wresch said he believes learning within a cohort is key in a fast-paced, accelerated program path like the EMBA.

“The bonding that takes place really changes the atmosphere of the classroom. The students trust everyone and they know everyone well, which means they are more likely and willing to share more about themselves, their jobs and their companies,” he said. “Most of these folks are further into their careers and have more to talk about and apply. They have real authority in their companies.”

Beyond the lessons inside the classroom, the students participated in a study-abroad trip, which took the cohort to Germany and the Czech Republic in spring. While on the trip, students had the opportunity to connect with high-level leaders within several companies, Feinauer said.

“In other grad school programs you don’t get to know your classmates this well,” Garris said. “The regularity of the interactions with the same group of people and then the class trip is what ties it together for everybody what we have all been learning about. That is a powerful thing.”

“The connectedness and flow of our learning really amplified the value of the trip.”

Faculty perspective

Wresch began teaching at UW Oshkosh about 18 years ago. His participation with the EMBA program path a professor is among his last challenges at UWO before he moves onto his next venture in retirement.

“For me, this is an ending, but for the college, it’s a beginning,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to be a part of something that’s new right up until my last day on this campus.”

Wresch said he believes the advantages within the EMBA path to an MBA are many.

“You are doing this degree in a compressed amount of time, you are building a network of friends and peers and you are learning in a format of engagement and getting the best professors the University has to offer,” he said. “When you go into this as a professor, you really have to bring your A game. This caliber of students, they are good people working hard and they really expect you to bring the best to the classroom.”

Feinhauer agrees and said the faculty members are as committed to the program—and its pace—as the students are.

“You get an MBA done a whole lot faster—and as a student you get to start applying the knowledge immediately,” he said. “Being that focused, the consistency of thought, the constant engagement—you can’t duplicate that in small bites.”

First EMBA cohort officially graduates

After months of hard work, many hours studying in large and small groups, an international trip and finally a closing residency, the first 18 who make up the EMBA class will officially walk across the stage for commencement Dec. 13.

“I think all of us have talked about commencement here and there,” Garris said. “But also, a part of me doesn’t want to graduate because I’ve enjoyed this so much. A positive aspect of the program is it is fun to learn with both my colleagues and the faculty.”

And the professors are feeling it, too.

“Throughout the past 16 months, we’ve gotten to know these people well–who they are, about their careers and their families–these are people you get to know and you are proud of and care about; they are folks you want to stay connected with,” Feinauer said.

In between small moments of sadness, there is a huge sense of pride and accomplishment.

“Commencement is a point of pride for us as much as it is for our students,” Wresch said.

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