On June 10, the Walter Kissling Gam Campus in Costa Rica dressed up for the first graduation of the year, in which the 2019 Master in Business Administration, Executive Master in Business Administration and Executive Master in Business Analytics programs were awarded. A total of 229 graduates - 79 women and 150 men of 14 nationalities - completed their master's degrees from INCAE.
In addition, the 50th anniversary of the graduation of the first master's program of INCAE was commemorated with the participation of 10 graduates of this generation, including the only woman in the class. Also present were 25 graduates of the Master of Business Administration (MAE) XI - 1979, who were unable to celebrate their graduation ceremony in that year due to the Civil War in Nicaragua.
"Since that first graduation of 29 young people, INCAE has evolved into the institution you know today. Now with close to 9,000 graduates of our master's programs; being ranked number one in Latin America by the Financial Times; having a faculty whose experience matches its variety in both areas of expertise and gender; and with impact and research centers that address relevant issues in the region such as the Latin American center for competitiveness and sustainable development, the center for collaborative leadership, and the center for entrepreneurship," said Enrique Bolaños, Rector of INCAE, during his welcoming remarks.
During the graduation, the keynote speaker was Dr. Nitin Nohria, Dean of Harvard Business School (HBS), who mentioned: "Harvard Business School has had a close relationship with INCAE since the founding of this school. It is a privilege to celebrate this strong partnership," adding: "The mission of both schools is to educate leaders. This mission is more important than ever as the world faces a variety of challenges. These problems require leaders who demonstrate competence and character." Dean Nohria later received an honorary doctorate degree from Roberto Artavia, former President of INCAE and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the school.
During the activity, Valedictorian Priscilla Rodríguez Chaves of the MBA 2019 and Salutatorian José Leandro Gamboa of the Executive Masters in Business Analytics 2019 gave emotional words to those present.
While on November 14 of this same year, INCAE Business School held the second graduation ceremony of 218 new graduates Incaístas at the same Campus. The graduates, of 14 nationalities and 34% women, received their degrees from the following programs: Master in Business Administration, Executive Master in Business Administration, Executive Master in Operations and Technology, and Executive Master in Finance.
The keynote speaker on this occasion was Mr. Luis Alberto Moreno, President of Banco Interamericano Interamericano. Luis Alberto Moreno, President Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), who gave a few words to those present, emphasizing: "I want to celebrate very especially the ties that unite INCAE with the IDB for many years, as Don Enrique reminded us, many of its graduates work or have worked at the IDB and many of its Professors are and have been consultants in countless projects that the Bank supports throughout the region, but in addition to these institutional ties I feel a special affinity with all of you some decades ago, when I also graduated from an MBA Program, it was another time, without cell phones, internet or laptops."
During the event, Mr. Moreno was presented with the Doctor Honoris Causa degree, the highest honor conferred by the institution.
This graduation marks the closing of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the MBA program at INCAE, as well as the 55th anniversary of the first graduation of this institute in 1964, when 45 students graduated from the Senior Management Program (PAG), a program that today continues to be the flagship of our school.
Also on the podium were the president of the MBA Oath Club, Karyn Villegas Jones; Salutarorian Mauricio Alberto Retana Fernández; and Valedictorian Alberto Campos Navas.
The graduation ceremony was attended by members of the Founders Circle of INCAE, pioneers who decided to be part of a project whose purpose was to prepare executives to compete globally. On this occasion we were honored to have the presence of two graduates of the first generations of PAG: José Jorge Simán and José Mariano Novoa Flores, both from El Salvador.
From the Founders' Circle attended: James Hirsch, Christophe Venghiattis, Richard Beck, and Ricardo Mata, and members of the Founding Faculty were: Harry Strachan (also former Rector of INCAE), Kenneth Hoadley, Joseph Ganitsky, Francisco Leguizamón; as well as: John Ickis, Julio Sergio Ramírez, and Nicolás Marín (who continue to be part of the Faculty of INCAE).
