The FINANCIAL — The Caucasus School of Business (CSB), founded in 1998 by the Robinson College of Business, top ten business schools in the United States, is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
“For the Robinson College of Business, a school that specializes in helping with the educational efforts of transitional economies, there is no better example of success than the Caucasus program,” explained Bijan Fazlollahi, Professor and Director (Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
“If it stays on its current path CSB will become one of the top business schools in the territory of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe I have mentioned that The J. Mack Robinson College of Business of GSU is among the top ten business schools in the United States,” stated Fazlollahi
CSB was established in 1998 .It was cofounded by the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Seven years after the dissolution of the USSR, to help Georgia make the transition from a planned to a market economy.
“We have been one of the main founders and supporters of CSB over the years and we are going to further continue our cooperation with Caucasus University. The diplomas CSB graduates received are internationally accredited. I invite all graduates to apply to Georgia State University in Atlanta for the Masters Program ,” said Bijan Fazlollahi .
The largest business school in the South and part of a major research institution, the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University is located in Atlanta, an epicenter of business and a gateway to the world. With programs on four continents and students from 150 countries, the College is both worldwide and world class. Its part-time MBA program is ranked number five in the nation and has been in the top 10 for 13 consecutive years. The College has 200 faculty, 7,400 students and 65,000 alumni. Noted for an emphasis on educating leaders, the Robinson College and Georgia State have produced more of Georgia's top executives with graduate degrees than any other school in the nation.
“Although the school faced a number of challenges at the start, raising money through tuition in a country where education was traditionally free and attracting a minimum class size of 80 students were just two .In 2001, three years after its inception, CSB hit the 80-student mark, enrolling its first full complement of students .Things slowly began to turn.“
Fazlollahi, who is director of Robinson’s Center for Business Development in Transitional Economies and a professor in the Institute of International Business, obtained a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Eurasia Foundation. Two years later, the Caucasus School of Business opened its doors.
Since then, enrollment at the Caucasus School of Business has grown to approximately 2,000 students. Starting off with an MBA program, the school now offers both an MBA and Bachelor’s of Business Administration. CSB also has a “two-plus-two” program in which participants study two years each in Tbilisi and at the Robinson College of Business in Atlanta. Robinson also has obtained a second grant which provides for a doctorate. Although the program is in its infancy, three doctoral students are enrolled. Additionally, there is an ongoing student exchange program between the two schools.
Robinson staff and faculty not only teach at the Caucasus School of Business, they also: Work with the school’s faculty and administrators to develop new programs; Serve as dissertation advisors in the CSB doctoral program; Mentor Caucasus staff members when they spend a semester at the Robinson College
Robinson, supported by multiple grants from US government, has collaborated with CSB on a women’s leadership program, a management development program and helped the school purchase textbooks; subscribe to an online business library; support faculty research activities, and achieve accreditation by the Central and East European Management Development Association (CEEMAN).
On 14 October, 54 students officially graduated from Caucasus School of Business. 53 of the graduates received Bachelor’s degrees while only one Master’s degree student received an MBA diploma this year. The Graduation Ceremony was held at the Kote Marjanishvili State Academic Theatre.
According to Fazlollahi, currently eight students and three teachers from CSB are at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Written By Levan Lomtadze
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