On August 23, ASB commenced its Immersion Week for the Full-Time MBA and MBA for Working Professionals programs. Designed as an intensive week of “drinking from the firehose”, Immersion Week is aimed at getting students acquainted with the life and culture at ASB, academically and beyond. ASB Dean and CEO Prof. Charles Fine and Co-Chair of ASB’s Board of Governors and former Malaysian central bank governor Dr. Zeti Azhar Aziz kicked off the week with their opening notes.
In her opening note, Dr. Zeti shared her inspiring vision for the school and the history behind Bank Negara Malaysia’s decision to partner with MIT Sloan to bring global management education to the country. Meanwhile, Prof. Fine encouraged the students to think about their journey as the start of an exciting quest for what ASB is calling the “MBA 4.0” – an action-oriented MBA, set in Asia, adaptive to pandemic challenges and rapid digitalization, and in collaboration with MIT Sloan.
During the week, ASB Senior Associate Dean and Faculty Director of Action Learning Prof. Loredana Padurean also gave the students a crash course in ASB’s action-oriented learning approach, emphasizing that “ASB is here to create transformative and principled leaders – that’s clear from Day One!”
The rest of the week covered important introductions to topics including the Smart X Sharp skills we aim to inculcate in ASB students, the curriculum, career development services, coaching and counselling services, and more.
The action-packed week led students to describe Immersion with words like “enlightening” “intense” “rollercoaster” “refreshing” and “unconventional” when they were polled on their Immersion experience. While the road ahead may seem daunting for many of the incoming students, “It’s always the darkest before the dawn,” as Senior Associate Dean Dr. Sean O. Ferguson reminded them during a career development session. “And we are here to help you connect the dots!” he added.
The week wrapped up with an exciting and emotional team-building session that combined role-playing and theatre, that culminated in an unexpectedly heart-warming ending and received rave reviews and feedback from students. In a year where rapid change and digitalization continues to be the norm, learning to adapt and thrive in uncertainty is a more valuable skill than ever.
And for the Class of 2023, their ASB MBA will be the perfect training ground to hone their skills, promising to be a transformative experience that will equip them to be Smart and Sharp future-ready leaders!