Commencement Ceremony Barcelona 2011
European University Barcelona’s 2011 Commencement Ceremony honored 102 graduates. In total, over 700 students from 110 different nationalities are graduating from EU campuses across Europe and Asia this year.
The ceremony was hosted by EU MBA Director Dr. Cristina Tomás i Pérez who welcomed the commencement procession. In attendance were EU President Dr. Dirk Craen; Professor Gilbert Lenssen, President of the Academy of Business in Society (EABIS); Mr. Hans Van Kasteren, General Manager of Team Telenet-Fidea; and Dr. Ivo Matser, CEO TSM Business School.
Professor Lenssen focused his commencement address on the need for a shift to sustainable enterprise and outlined recommendations for an innovative European strategy to create a new type of sustainable business model known as ‘shared value’ which calls into question both the shareholder model as well as traditional corporate social responsibility, and refocuses capitalism in a way that sustains society and business reciprocally.
Quoting Professor James Fleck's 2009 article in the Financial Times, Professor Lenssen underscored the importance of innovative business schools like EU who recognize corporate social responsibility as part of the solution:
“Business schools need an injection of new and alternative thinking. Without fresh ideas schools may face further crises and increasing irrelevance.”
By making a substantial investment in knowledge and resources, he added, Europe has the opportunity to create wealth benefiting all companies, stakeholders and society.
