On Friday, November 9, 2012, the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences held the graduation ceremony for the following graduate programs: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master’s in Human Resources Management, Certificate of Specialization in Human Resources, and Certificate of Specialization in Finance.
The Dean of the faculty, Dr. Gaston Labadie, and the Academic Secretary, Jaime Damiani, presented diplomas to the new graduates, after which two of their representatives spoke to mark the conclusion of a period of hard work and shared experiences.
Engineer Gonzalo Cuiñas Isola, speaking on behalf of the MBA graduates, described the experience as “unforgettable and transformative.” “People always say that pursuing an MBA changes your perspective, and today more than ever I can confirm that this is true. Far from marking the end of a chapter, I would like to quote Churchill in saying that this ceremony is merely the end of the beginning,” he said.
After thanking the faculty, university staff, and his family and friends, he highlighted a point that would later be mentioned by the Dean of the school himself: the new potential they had acquired. “We find ourselves today with the responsibility to transform our environment, our companies, and our country. We know that an MBA provides a broad perspective to positively influence corporate strategy, finance, marketing, and many other areas. But we also know that an MBA is a great catalyst for building teams and fostering entrepreneurship, and it will be our responsibility to encourage our people to improve and excel. Because we understand that to improve our society, each of its individual members must first improve themselves,” he concluded.
For her part, Cinthia Eliazer Kohen, on behalf of the graduates of the Specialization Diploma in Human Resources, highlighted the importance of gaining expertise in one of a company’s most valuable assets: its people. “We must ensure that everyone in their organization can think big, dream, and inspire others to become better workers every day, with each person charting their own path, seeking in every situation that arises in their companies an opportunity to improve and learn, to achieve goals, and to be efficient. Ultimately, to feel proud that everything we do, we do to become better people,” she stated.
“As part of globalized organizations that are constantly changing, we recognized the importance of pursuing specialized training that keeps pace with ongoing updates, equipping us with the tools to tackle new projects and challenges, and enabling us to help organizations achieve better results by identifying their competitive advantage,” he noted.
Finally, the Dean of the faculty, Gastón Labadie, took the floor and shared some good news about the faculty.
Labadie announced that the Graduate School of the Faculty of Administration and Social Sciences had been rated an"Excellent Business School" in the2012 Eduniversal Business Schools Ranking. This ranking is based on a survey of 1,000 deans from the world's top universities, who vote based on their experience. Furthermore, in this context, the MBA, Master’s in Economics, Master’s in Financial Management, Master’s in Human Resources Management, Specialization Diploma in Accounting, and Specialization Diploma in Marketing Management programs were ranked among the top 20 in Latin America and were the only ones from Uruguay in their respective specializations to be included in The Best 4000 Masters Worldwide, ranked across 30 specializations.
The dean concluded his speech with a message directed specifically at his students, in which he highlighted the caliber of professionals they have become. “Believe me, and believe in yourselves. You are part of an elite group in our country and in the region. And also believe that graduating from here is no easy feat. Your education meets competitive international standards at this level, and with that comes the responsibility of social leadership,” said the dean.