Last weekend, Franklin welcomed new candidates of the Executive MBA in China (a continuing education degree), their families, and members of the  Abundance International Education Institute (AIEI) team to Lugano for  their commencement ceremony. 

On Thursday, May 25, Chairman of the Board  of Trustees Kim Hildebrant joined the arriving AIEI team and students on  the President’s Lawn on the Kaletsch campus for congratulatory speeches  followed by a tour of Franklin’s beautiful campuses. On Friday morning,  the guests had the opportunity to visit Swiss companies, including  Audemars SA, Moncucchetto, Associazione Nassa & Gubelin, and Mikron.  

In the afternoon, an Executive Conference was held in which the  Municipal Councilor of Lugano and the HE Ambassador from the Chinese  Embassy in Bern shared remarks about the incredible collaboration  between Switzerland and China in this program. Professor Claudio Boër,  Honorable Chairman of the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce Ticino Chapter, and Mr. Alberto Stival, Director of Educational Development in  Swiss Sustainable Finance, gave presentations relevant to the students  and their MBA studies. 

Three students’ projects were presented, followed  by a Q&A session. In the evening, visiting students enjoyed an  excursion to Monte San Salvatore, the picturesque pinnacle of Ticinese  beauty.

On Saturday, the graduation ceremony was held in the Nielsen  Auditorium, where students received their caps and gowns and experienced  a traditionally American-style ritual, in which students received their  diplomas. Posed for a personalized photograph on stage highlighting  their individual projects, each student stood between two screens, one representing Franklin University Switzerland and the other their Chinese  institutional affiliation. Two valedictorians, one from each of the two  China-based locations of AIEI in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, gave  inspirational speeches, one speaking English and the other Chinese. 

Both  languages were used in the proceedings, with translation available. The  bilingual ceremony supported the theme of bridgebuilding between  Switzerland and China referenced throughout the weekend. 

Following the  ceremony, the new graduates gathered on the lawn, where they threw their caps in the air, joyfully celebrating their well-deserved  accomplishments. This moment created a core memory that will not soon be  forgotten. In the afternoon, the FUS EMBA China graduates embarked on a  boat tour of Lake Lugano and punctuated their day with a graduation  dinner at the grand Hotel Splendide Royal on the lakeside. 

The Taylor Institute at Franklin University Switzerland is exceptionally proud of the EMBA China (a continuing education degree) graduates of 2023.  Congratulations!

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