Alumni will be involved in this new programme from day one. | University of St.Gallen MBA

Alumni will be involved in this new programme from day one.

1 Apr 2022

Evelina Kramer, Senior Community Engagement Manager

An interview with Evelina Kramer, Senior Community Engagement Manager

A mini-blog series, by Daniel Cade

Many moons ago I worked as the MBA’s Alumni Relations Manager. So, you can imagine my curiosity when I was invited to speak to one of my successors, Evelina Kramer, the MBA’s Senior Community Engagement Manager. I heard that she has been part of the team driving the new full-time MBA redesign, and I was curious to know how, and why?

Evelina’s number one strength is ideation. “Put me in a room, give me a challenge, and I’ll come up with solutions for you. And that’s my favourite part of the day,” she told me enthusiastically. I realised that was my first clue.

My second was the very intentional change of job title, from “Alumni Relations” to “Community Engagement”. You see, for Evelina, alumni are very important, but they are not to be engaged with separately. “Alumni are part of a larger community, that also involves students, faculty, corporate partners, and the MBA team. Without this holistic view, the community cannot thrive,” she reasoned. 

My third was her passion for “building a new culture.” She explained, “It’s a culture of collaboration, where no one works in silos, and everyone in our community gets to be the best version of themselves.” I’d heard that phrase before (read my interview with Sander Markiet). “We work cross-departmentally, towards shared goals. It means that anything new, that we design, gets put under this culture lens first,” she explained.

One immediate expression of this new culture will be the four “Moments of Truth”, that Evelina has designed into the new programme. “These moments or touchpoints will really define the MBA experience,” she informed me, brimming with excitement, “They may almost be overwhelming for students, but in the best possible way!”

And yes, alumni will be involved in this new programme from day one. In fact, they will be very much part of the very first moment of truth. “I cannot reveal much more than that at this point!”, she says apologetically.

Well, that sealed it for me. Suddenly it all made perfect sense! I know exactly why Evelina is part of this team.