In the Honor of Alumni

Established in 1867, McDaniel College is one of the earliest co-educational institutions in the United States and the first situated on the southern side of the Mason-Dixon Line. Earlier, it was known as Western Maryland College, and later in 2002, it was renamed McDaniel College to honor its alumnus, professor, and trustee William Roberts McDaniel. The 160-acre campus with the nickname “The Hill” is located in Westminster, Maryland within close proximity to Baltimore and Washington D.C. It has a European campus in Budapest, Hungary as well.

Changing the Lives of Students

McDaniel currently enrolls 1,800 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students from over 30 states and 30 countries. The college is best known for its considerate faculty members that offer mentorship through which students get the freedom to forge their own paths. They can choose more than one major or minor or even self-design their own course based on their interest.

The community of McDaniel College is ignited with the mission of changing the lives of students with careful mentoring and attention to every individual. The college is committed to providing access to and affordability of education to every student enrolled in it. Being a student-centered community, it promises excellence in various sectors along with professional studies. It challenges students to develop their unique potential with reason, imagination, and human concern.

Developing Unique Aptitude

McDaniel College offers the ‘McDaniel Plan’, a customized and interdisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes experiential learning and student-faculty collaboration to develop a unique aptitude in every student. Launched in 2019, “The McDaniel Commitment” has four components—My Place, My Design, My Experience, and My Career. These components are embedded within the general education curriculum of the college. Students can enroll in first-year seminars and senior capstone projects. They can also take specially designed courses both on and off campus during the three-week Jan Term of McDaniel.

McDaniel offers distinctive courses based on Economic Issues and Policy, Small Business Management, International Finance, and Business Strategy and Policy. The college recently launched 11 new Major Programs in 2020, including Actuarial Science, International Business, and Marketing, among others. Additionally, the intermediate accounting courses prepare students for the CPA examinations.

Moreover, accounting majors at McDaniel also help to gain real-world experience through a vibrant internship program that leads to full-time job offers for students even before graduation. The college supports both the greater community and experiential student learning by providing free tax help to low and moderate-income taxpayers through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Exceptional Opportunities

Through flexible academic programs, collaborative and experiential learning, and global engagement, McDaniel prepares students for successful lives of leadership, service, and social responsibility. Following are the interesting opportunities for students at McDaniel:

• Center for Experience and Opportunity: It is a distinct one-stop shop that focuses on experiential learning and career development.
• Program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship: It allows students in any major to flourish in their entrepreneurial skills.
• Honors Program: It offers academic enrichment to students who become part of a community of scholars.
• Global Fellows:  It is an academic and co-curricular opportunity that empowers students to explore the world and create a global portfolio.
• National Security Fellows Program: It provides students with robust knowledge, skills, and experience in national security.
• Dorsey Scholars: It is the highest academic honor at McDaniel for students chosen from the Honors applicant pool, with proper four-year guidance.
• Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS): It assists all students with documented disabilities and works with each student on a case-by-case basis.
• The Green Terror Army ROTC Battalion: It is a tradition at the college since 1919 and is one of the oldest ROTC programs in the nation that gives students defense education.

Personality Development through Extracurricular

Along with the best academic courses, McDaniel arranges extracurricular programs for maximum student engagement. The college is a living-learning community with 85 percent of undergraduate students inhabiting the campus which provides scope for personality development through extracurricular activities. Students are involved in over 70 student organizations, intramural sports, and fraternities and sororities. Additionally, one-third of students compete in over 20 athletic teams in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference.

Directing the Leadership Efforts

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at McDaniel grants appropriate direction to college leadership efforts on behalf of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. It works to promote awareness about diversity and develops understanding within the larger campus, as well as fosters and advocates resources to students, faculty, and staff.

McDaniel is committed to access and affordability and takes seriously the responsibility of training a diverse student body. Around 40 percent of undergraduate students are from mixed backgrounds. The college has students with bicultural backgrounds who are part of Global Bridge. International students are supported by the International and Off-Campus Programs office of McDaniel.

Developing Entrepreneurial Skills

Since entrepreneurship is the backbone of the finance and the future of business management, McDaniel trains students for creating employment opportunities for future generations. The Innovation and Entrepreneurship program helps students to develop core entrepreneurial skills. Through this program, students have access to the college’s entrepreneur-in-residence, alumni connections, mini-grants, etc. The annual events for entrepreneurial skill development introduce competition among students for receiving funds for startups and help them get the best finance. McDaniel students can also choose to minor in entrepreneurship, major, or minor in marketing.

Future Plans

McDaniel College is planning to launch a few academic courses by keeping the growth of students in mind. Its Board of Trustees endorsed a new five-year strategic plan that includes the introduction of new undergraduate programs in addition to graduate-level programs, such as a master’s degree in computer science.

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Also Read; The 10 Elite Business Schools of 2024

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Educational institutes need to incorporate flexibility in their curriculum to help students gain the advantage of learning at their own pace. A prime example of such an institution is International University of Sarajevo (IUS). At IUS, the flexible nature of the study program is the key advantage—making it one of the extensively recognized universities. The university envisions becoming an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. It strives to be a center of excellence and quality through the shared efforts of its founders, academic and administrative staff, students, and all stakeholders.

Proliferative Inception

Located in Sarajevo, IUS was founded by the Foundation for Education Development Sarajevo and was inaugurated in the academic year of 2004-2005. In its short yet intense history of 17 years, the university has grown from a meager beginning to hosting thousands of students and staff on the campus. It grew from merely 20 employees and 100 students to constituting over 200 staff serving the needs of close to 2000-degree seekers at all three cycles of education under five faculties and 28 programs, comprising an international student body coming from 45 countries. As a foundation university, IUS provides local students with various scholarship options since its inception.

Plethora of Study Opportunities

IUS constitutes the following faculties:

• Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS),
• Faculty of Business and Administration (FBA),
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS),
• Faculty of Law (FLW),
• Faculty of Education (FEDU).

The university offers study programs in Engineering, Business, Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, and Law. IUS’s flexible nature of study programs enables students to choose their own path to development through faculty, program, and free electives, comprising 40-60 % of each program’s curriculum. Therefore, two Finance graduates will have two different transcripts based on their personal choices. The university also provides students the option to choose a minor along with their major.

IUS uses English as the language of instruction and communication. For students without English proficiency, the university seeks them to attend a one-year intensive English Language Program organized by English Language School (ELS).

Incorporation of Diverse Techniques

IUS’s ECON Lab offers students the chance to model various programs in individual, group, and class simulations with fully licensed programs such as SPSS. The university incorporates information technologies into teaching methods for the finance and accounting field for focusing on in-class utilization of different software solutions. For instance, incorporation of technological stock market simulations in courses related to equity markets to allow students to have a better command of related software. Additionally, pursuing IUS’s Financial and Managerial accounting courses helps spark students’ interest in using other information technologies that would help them make better investment decisions. 

Spearheaded by Prodigious Minds

At the center of IUS, Zuhal Guvener spearheads the university as the International Relations Office Manager. Zuhal has been a part of IUS since its inception and harbors the privilege to see it grow into the burgeoning institution it is today. She was initially appointed as an English teacher at the university. Over time, she became a coordinator and later a vice-principal at the English language School. In 2016, Zuhal was promoted to the International Relations Office—where she first worked as an officer and has been serving as its manager for the past three years.

Cherishing Multicultural Environment

IUS welcomes students from all over the world. The university cherishes its international and multicultural environment. With students from 45 countries, it prioritizes providing equal opportunities for everyone and to make the students feel at home. The university mandates the exercise of its zero-tolerance policy on segregation and discrimination by the academicians and the institution as a whole. Moreover, all students are free to express their cultural or religious background either through their clothes, food, lifestyle, and other choices. For international students, IUS offers foreign language courses (Bosnian or Turkish) as part of its core course curricula that facilitate their acclimatization period in Sarajevo and at the university.

Array of Extra-Curricular Activities

Along with providing beneficial academic opportunities, IUS offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities to the students. The university’s Students and Career Center organize various clubs. It includes the sports clubs such as volleyball and basketball which are played on campus basketball courts or indoor sports halls, a very popular trekking club on the nearby mountains and hills surrounding Sarajevo, and many more.

IUS Charity Club exerts efforts to provide humanitarian aid to those in need within the bounds of its possibilities and without discrimination against race, religion, or gender. For students of Psychology, Architecture, Visual Arts and Communication Design, Law, International Relations, the university hosts active clubs where the students promote activities of their study program and engage other students in a range of events. The university’s Research and Development Center is also available on campus for all students to do their practical classes and research be that in genetics and bioengineering labs or physics, mechatronics, or electrical engineering areas.

Grooming Future Prospects

The ever-changing finance industry can often intimidate students and discourage them from pursuing potential jobs or internship opportunities. To overcome this obstacle, IUS adopted several different teaching techniques. Some of the examples include: inviting guest lecturers from the real sector, sharing success stories of our alumni from the real industry, discussing current local and international news from the finance sector at the beginning of each class, providing contemporary examples, working on case studies, surveying the employers regularly to establish the list and prioritization of skills most in-demand, and adopting the syllabus in a way that would aid students in developing these skills. In addition, according to the curriculum, senior year students are obligated to complete the internship.

Steering Past Challenges

During the COVID-19 pandemic, IUS initiated a revolutionary step and introduced Cisco Webex Video Conference System. With its technical accomplishment, the university became the first higher education institution in the region performing at world standards in education and educational technologies. The Cisco Webex system turned distance learning application into a structure that nearly perfectly emulated face-to-face education and maximized communication between academicians, students, and administrative staff. Moreover, IUS became part of the Horizon 2020 COVIRNA project. Led by the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), the project aimed at fostering the development of a novel diagnostic test to predict COVID-19 outcomes for patients and improve cooperation between European research institutions to strengthen the response to the pandemic. Zuhal asserts that the period of Covid revealed the importance of a flexible mind—in both dealing with new challenges as they arise but also to remain resilient mentally and emotionally in a landscape of turmoil. She adds, “We expect this to be the lesson for the future, and try our best to impart in our students an awareness of developing mental and cognitive skills of flexibility and resilience.”

ALSO READ: The 10 Elite Accounting and Finance Colleges to watch in 2023

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Providing students with holistic education, Real Madrid Graduate School–Universidad Europea–aims to shape leaders and professionals prepared to respond to the demands of a global world. It also aims to empower its students to add value to their professional fields and contribute to social progress with their entrepreneurial spirit and ethical values. Real Madrid Graduate School–Universidad Europea–was established in 2006 as a joint venture between Real Madrid C.F. and Universidad Europea (biggest private university in Spain). The School originally started with its Sports Management MBA. It currently has over 30 programs in different deliveries and covers all areas from the Sports Industries (Business, Communication, Marketing, Training and Nutrition, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Sports Sciences, Sports Technologies, Law).

Real Madrid Graduate School-Universidad Europea has thousands of enrollments per year, collectively in the campus, online and international programs. The international view in the school is a key aspect developed during the years and currently, the school counts 70% of international students with diverse nationalities. Moreover, the school has developed international agreements with schools and universities from 10 different countries.

Comprehensive Academic Programs

Real Madrid Graduate School–Universidad Europea–offers the following range of academic programs.

• MBA Master’s Degree in Sports Management:

A unique program that provides you the broadest possible view of the most successful business models in the sports industry worldwide. Led by internationally renowned professionals to give you first-hand experience.

• Master’s Degree in Sports Marketing:

As the only official master’s program in its field in Spain, it thoroughly prepares students to become modern, creative professionals in the sports marketing industry by providing all the tools necessary to succeed.

• Master’s Degree in Sports Journalism and Communications:

A comprehensive master’s degree that fully immerses students into sports journalism and helps them discover how it constantly adapts to the current media environment. All students will work closely from the day with Real Madrid C. F.’s Communication Department, assisting to all kinds of Sport events organized by the Club and learning how a professional sports entity Communication Dept works daily.

• International Master in Sports Law, LLM:

Pioneering Master in Sports Law in Spain, it offers students a solid knowledge of the organization of sports, their rules and regulations, and their dispute resolution mechanisms.

• Master in Sports Technologies and Digital Transformation:

This pioneering and unique master provides students with practical and in-depth knowledge of how to work with and make the most of the latest technologies used in sport while taking into account the importance of applying the right strategies to obtain the best possible performance from them, answering the need of professionals that the Sports Industry has nowadays.

• International Master in Football Coaching and Management

It is the first professional football program that teaches the Spanish training methodology completely in English. It is one of the most comprehensive programs for professionals in the football industry and provides students with a 360º view of all key areas necessary to increase football players’ performances and, above all, make their projects successful.

• Master’s Degree in Sports Training and Nutrition

It is the only official Master that covers training and sports nutrition in Spain and is designed to provide students with specialized knowledge of state-of-the-art training methods, trends in sports nutrition and aids for improving sports performance.

• Master in Exercise and Sports Physiotherapy

It aims to provide physiotherapists with the skills and resources necessary to prevent and treat injuries as well as achieve rapid recoveries in injured athletes, all while being part of a multidisciplinary team.

• Online Specialist Courses

It enables students to become an expert and lead the digital transformation in the sports sector.

Most of these programs are available in Spanish or English languages via in-class or online classes.

Pivoting Important Aspects

At the helm of Real Madrid Graduate School-Universidad Europea, Marisa Luisa Saenz Bravo spearheads the Chair as the Executive Director Real Madrid Graduate School – Universidad Europea. Marisa is an experienced MBA Director and is skilled in multicultural environments, sports management, and event management. She also upholds a demonstrated history of working in the global education management industry. Since the beginning, Marisa has been contributing to the profound growth and development of the university. She is entrusted with several important responsibilities.

Encouraging Sports Participation

Since the beginning, Real Madrid Graduate School-Universidad Europea is providing exposure to working for sports entities by allowing the students to work on real projects with real clients such as sports entities and high-performance athletes. They are subjected to executives and professionals from the industry that trains them to assume a real job position from the day they graduate. The school also has over 200 professional agreements for professional internships under which students are allowed to sign internship agreements till six months after finishing their master’s so they can leverage several opportunities.

Real Madrid Graduate School-Universidad Europea encourages its students to participate in various extra-curricular activities in several ways. Students are invited to participate in several professional events and forums. The school organizes its White Week where several top executives from top-tier sports entities along with professional athletes are invited to the school for sharing their experiences and knowledge with the students.

Throughout the year, Real Madrid Graduate School-Universidad Europea also encourages its students to participate in events and forums where they can meet professionals from their field and improve their professional work. The school also has agreements with various platforms where students can seek job positions after graduation. Most essentially, the school is also approached by various sports entities’ future professionals providing them exclusive professional opportunities.

Promoting Diversity on Campus

Along with comprehensive education and career opportunities, Real Madrid Graduate School-Universidad Europea vastly promotes diversity on its campus and its curriculum. The school is composed 70% of international students. Amongst the students and professors, the school constitutes more than 50 nationalities in its classes. This international entourage enables the students’ professional as well as personal growth. Moreover, various programs of Real Madrid Graduate School propose international field trips to the students where they can meet professionals and executives from top-tier sports entities such as NBA, NFL, FIFA, UEFA, and others.

Incorporating New Technologies

Real Madrid Graduate School–Universidad Europea–is supported by two of the most innovative institutions in their fields. Named as the second most innovative Football Club by Forbes in 2021, the school’s Football Club is one of the most transformed clubs worldwide. It allows students to work directly with the latest technologies and trends and learn from professionals working with cutting-edge technologies. Moreover, the Universidad Europea has cutting-edge facilities that provide new technologies in various fields, from finance to sports sciences, to all the students. These include a fully renewed Sports complex with fields, gym, labs, and others with the latest technologies.

Besides providing technology to its students, Real Madrid Graduate School- Universidad Europea is also regularly developing new programs based on the new technologies applied to the sports industry. These include the school’s Master in Sport Technologies and Digital Transformation to all the new specialization courses based on new technologies such as AI applied to Physiotherapy or Sports Business.

Encompassing through Hurdles

The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on the education sector. However, Real Madrid Graduate School- Universidad Europea adapted fast to the changes—within a couple of weeks after the closing of the whole country—and offered remote courses to its students. The school installed a system that allows students to follow courses from home with a classroom experience.

Real Madrid Graduate School-Universidad Europea successfully encompassed the challenges induced by the global pandemic and strives for a proliferative future. Currently, the school is surpassing its enrollment record and has also witnessed an exceptional growth of its online programs.

ALSO READ: The 10 Best Universities in Europe for International Students, 2023

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Choosing the ‘right’ institute is therefore important for students seeking a lucrative career in accounting and finance. While the choice of the institute depends upon what the students want from their qualification and study experience, they also have to consider several aspects like specialties, research focus, teaching quality, graduate outcome, graduate satisfaction, etc. Amid numerous colleges offering accounting and finance education today, Westford University College (WUC) distinguishes itself with its internationally accredited and globally recognized undergraduate and graduate programs along with professional certificates in different areas.

Humble Beginnings

Westford University College was founded as Westford School of Management in 2009, with a humble beginning of three employees and one program from Pearson. The institute is a result of the vision of its young founders who were educational enthusiasts, with an entrepreneurial mindset. As part of the founding vision, they believed in providing graduates with experiences and opportunities that will make them ‘corporate ready’.

From the beginning, WUC’s strength has been providing executive education to professionals looking for career enhancement. Hence, it focused on executive education and developed an educational curriculum that is different from any other institutes in the region. The college aims to be student-oriented, providing a 360-degree perspective of the business, its working environment, and the community it operates in. Furthermore, it retains a multicultural environment conducive to learning as students from all around the world enroll at the college for their career advancement.

A Plethora of Academic Programs

The programs and curriculums provided by WUC are designed to bridge the gap between industry and academia. The college focuses on being the region’s leading provider of certified industry-relevant skills, offering programs like the L3 foundation program, HND, BABM, MBA, DBA, and other professional courses.

For the undergraduate aspirants, WUC offers a three-year bachelor’s program with a unique blend of qualifications from Liverpool John Moore’s University (LMJU)—which is ranked in the top 50 universities in the UK, Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) UK, and a Higher National Diploma from one of the most renowned awarding body—Pearson. The MBA aspirants are offered a “Triple Crown MBA” which focuses on professional networking and practitioner training besides academic qualifications that come from reputed universities in the UK and Spain namely—Cardiff Metropolitan University UK, UCAM Spain, CCCU UK, and Girne American University Cyprus.

The newly launched Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from UCAM, Spain is a prestigious addition to WUC’s existing portfolio. DBA is one of the highest academic degrees tailor-made for practitioners. It paves the way for progress in career paths both as a practitioner as well as a scholar. The college has also collaborated with the University of California, Los Angeles Extension (UCLA Extension) to provide an outstanding online “Leadership & Management Development Program” for the industry players of today.

Industry-relevant and Practical Education

WUC’s curriculums are designed as per UK Academic (Pearson) and Scottish Qualification Authority standards which offer in-depth, contextual, rigorous, and concept-based insights on key aspects. These aspects include financial reporting, risk management, cost, management & financial accounting, budgeting, and forecasting. This is necessary to evaluate business performance and deliver investor-centric data-driven job skills, to combine critical thinking, analytical capabilities as much sought-after qualities in an extremely competitive and volatile environment.

Throughout the learning process, students are exposed to real-world case studies. This is followed by inviting a broad spectrum of industry leaders through Webinars who share their challenging and exciting experiences that add transformational knowledge experience which enables WUC’s students to outperform and stay ahead in life. “Additionally, through our Westford Internship Program, students can apply for short-term or long-term internship opportunities that are available to Westfordians because of our strong corporate tie-up with various companies in the UAE,” says Hanil Das (Co-founder and Executive Director at the Westford Education Group).

A Passionate Educator

As one of the co-founders of the Westford Education Group and the Executive Director of the Westford University College, Hanil’s role is vital in all aspects of strategic planning, operations, and business development. He believes that education should equip students with application-based skills and competencies, and the Western Higher Education system fulfills that to a great extent.

“I believe this system provides a holistic learning experience for students in today’s time and age. Being in the education industry is not just a profession but also a passion of mine. I find it extremely rewarding and humbling to be able to dedicate myself to the education sector,” adds Hanil.

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion

The student body at WUC comprises students from 116 different countries. Students can learn from people from varied origins and upbringings through culturally diverse classroom and social interactions, resulting in improved innovation and collaboration. The faculty members not only have a wide range of knowledge but also come from varied backgrounds. This provides learners with the opportunity to see and experience diverse leadership styles. For youngsters, it is a chance to see someone from their community whom they can emulate.

Furthermore, WUC works hard to ensure that every student—local or international—feels at home. Every team in the classroom is represented by a member of a different country. The college encourages industry leaders to further involve them in its setting, immediately benefitting students to increase their intellectual engagement, personal motivation, cultural engagement, and critical thinking—making them better scholars, thinkers, and citizens. Moreover, to maintain its diversified and vibrant student community, WUC ensures that each country’s National and Independence Day is honored through its communications.

Opportunities beyond the Classroom

WUC believes in educating students beyond the classroom and on campus and therefore organizes a variety of experiences and excursions to bridge the gap between academic and personal growth. It offers initiatives like the Day with CEO, We Connect, and We Talk which aim to connect with C-suite business leaders, CEOs, and professionals to learn about their success stories, cutting-edge ideas, and leadership styles. The college also actively participates in Toastmasters International through its Westford Toastmasters Club which was established to help students develop their public speaking and leadership abilities.

Alongside academic understanding, interacting with the industry is also vital. At WUC, students are allowed to interact with staff and receive first-hand insight into how corporations operate through the visits. Additionally, the college offers a monthly newsletter, international immersion programs, soft skills training, career development and business etiquette workshops, programs on corporate competencies, and sports management to students to engage and develop their holistic approach to their career or life in general.

Coping with the Change

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, business schools around the world were forced to close and completely shift learning into a virtual or hybrid environment. Another significant change was the shift away from the lectures. The use of classroom lectures as a teaching method has been replaced with more engaging and enhanced tools and software. Moreover, strengthening the student community has also been a challenging task faced by business schools. However, Zoom-based socials and streaming activities have become prevalent, aiding business schools with their attempt to replicate the extracurricular activities that make in-person classes appealing.

WUC has its indigenous and innovative Learning Management System that caters to all its geographically dispersed learners around the globe. It uses the Westford interactive classrooms as a delivery platform integrated within its learning management framework. Alongside the infrastructure and facilities, the learners at Westford have access to a wide range of academic journals, textbooks, and other contemporary and relevant learning materials through e-libraries and other e-learning platforms.

Commitments for the Future

2020 has been the most challenging year for everyone around the world. WUC expects 2021 to be rebounding from the COVID-19 crisis. Last year came as an opportunity for many to reskill and upskill. This year, WUC wishes to emphasize its commitment to inclusion for every person without exception, take accountability for the cultures it creates and how the leaders it creates, as well as think of humanity.

The college aims to include more substantive co-curricular programs. It expects to be bold and take major strides towards using new technologies and initiatives to create more accessible, flexible, and personalized models of education. “Online technology will play a major role and it is incumbent upon all of us to explore its full potential,” concludes Hanil.

ALSO READ: The 10 Elite Accounting and Finance Colleges of 2023

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