The CEMS Student Board held its in-person meeting at Aalto University from September 11th to 15th, 2024. Hosted by Aalto University, it was the first time many of our new SBRs experienced an in-person gathering, making it an important opportunity for strengthening relationships and building connections within the CEMS Alliance.
Throughout the weekend, we discussed a wide variety of topics affecting CEMS both globally and locally.
There were many key elements to our discussions throughout the week, mainly featuring:
- Aalto & Global Office updates: We received a comprehensive overview of CEMS from the Aalto team, which covered their high-ranking practices and how these approaches can be applied at home universities. Additionally, the CEMS Global Office Team presented the latest updates on hot topics such as internships and languages.
- Student Engagement & Future Strategy: Discussions focused on increasing engagement within CEMS and celebrating our largest intake so far! A significant part of the discussion involved strategizing ways to further expand student involvement globally. We then saw presentations from the full student board on relevant topics such as Mental Health, GenAI in the CEMS curriculum and managing our graduate profile!
- Best Practices Sharing: We explored a series of common issues and scenarios faced by various CEMS schools. The opportunity for SBRs to discuss country-specific practices allowed for meaningful exchanges and deeper understanding of diverse approaches that SBRs could bring back to their own CEMS Clubs.
- Campus Tour and Cultural Engagement: The meeting wasn’t all business. SBRs had the opportunity to tour the Aalto campus, engage with the local CEMS club, attend a truly insightful workshop session with KONE and experience Finnish culture firsthand. A memorable moment was the island tour by boat, followed by an engaging dinner, where key takeaways from the day were discussed.
In addition to the main topics, we also had time to discuss upcoming ET elections and what our student leadership will look like in the coming year. Stay posted!
This September weekend flew by with a productive and inspirational energy shared by all SBRs. We left Helsinki feeling energized and ready to implement many new ideas and projects back at home. It’s back to work for now as our SBRs plan our upcoming CEMS Club Conference in UCD, Ireland!
