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Dear MBA students, geachte MBA studenten,

Welcome to the MSM MBA program in cooperation with the FHR Lim-A-Po Institute. I am sorry that I cannot be with all of you to celebrate the opening of the program. We are delighted that so many very qualified candidates will start with this special MBA in Accounting and Auditing. You have chosen one of only 10 programs in South America with the prestigious Association of MBAs (AMBA) accreditation.

I want all of you to know that we are proud to work together on the MBA program in Suriname with the FHR Lim A. Po Institute. We strongly belief that bringing people together helps create a better understanding among people from different cultures and helps us to build stronger societies and more socially responsible businesses.

Today you have not only joined the MSM MBA program in cooperation with the FHR Institute but also the worldwide MSM community of MBA students. In your journey during the next two years all of you will sometimes feel pressured to finish all the exams, assignments, cases and your readings. At times you might even think that you can not do it. I am sure, however, that if you give 100% and help your colleagues in the program you will gain not only a lot of knowledge from your courses and have interesting discussion with your fellow students but you will also build a network for life.

The Maastricht School of Management is one of the oldest and in the last decade fastest growing business schools in the Netherlands. Created in 1952 as the Institute of Management Science at the Technical University Delft in 1989 we moved to the city of Maastricht. Since 1993 we are known as the Maastricht School of Management and today we have more than 2000 students participating in post-graduate business degree programs worldwide.

The Maastricht School of Management is not just a traditional business school. Our global presence stems from a strong belief that knowledge about management of organizations, whether profit or non-profit, is essential for economic growth. It explains why in the typical course work subjects as international environment, the firm and its institutional surroundings, the cross-cultural differences and all aspects of governance receive more emphasis than in traditional business school programs.

Our mission is: “to provide state-of-the-art international management education to students across the world and to contribute to excellence in global management education and practice”. That excellence has been nourished by practical management expertise coming from business, training and research projects and privileged access to a worldwide network of affiliated institutes.

Furthermore, our faculty brings a unique set of experiences to the MBA program that you are about to start. To provide State-of-the-Art international management education by teaching in more than 20 countries around the globe is a tremendous effort of our faculty. Each and every single faculty member at MSM brings current teaching experience in at least three continents to their courses in the various programs. This global dimension is unparalleled in the world of management education.

The strategy of the Maastricht School of Management in the coming years will be to further develop the school as “The Globally Networked Management School: A Unique Cross-Cultural Partnership”. This means that students, alumni and faculty should benefit not only from the bilateral relations we have with many schools around the world but from the whole network. Together we will build a global community of business knowledge for the benefit of participants and their connected businesses.

One of the examples of the globally networked management school is that three of students I met at the graduation ceremony in Suriname will be presenting articles based on their Master Thesis at the 16^th World Business Congress in Maastricht. It will be great to see them here in July presenting to an audience of more than a 150 scholars from business schools and universities from all over the world. MSM is working with The FHR Lim A Po Institute to bring this prestigious conference in 2008 to Suriname.

As Henry Ward Beecher stated: “It is not going out of port, but the coming in that determines the success of a voyage”. The coming years will not always be easy but with determination you will achieve your goal and that is going to be very important and enriching for your professional lives.

I am sure that the MBA voyage which will bring you a lot of knowledge and skills will help you to understand much better a rapidly changing world, this will better prepare you to function better in your organizations and to make a contribution to your country. Staying ahead of the competition is both important and essential. With the knowledge and skills you will acquire you will not only benefit yourself but also help your country to become even more competitive in world markets.

I would have liked to be with on this special and significant day for you. I am very fond of your beautiful country and especially of the warmth of the people. The reception I received last December for the graduation was wonderful and I will cherish that experience for the rest of my life.

I wish all of the new MBA students success on their journey. I am convinced that all of you in working together with the dedicated faculty and the staff will be very successful. Furthermore, I would like to thank the Lim A. Po Foundation for working so closely together with us on this program and in particular Director Hans Lim A. Po for his leadership at the Institute and his vision that programs like the MBA are very important to help the country.

Thank you for choosing the Maastricht School of Management MBA at the FHR Institute in Suriname. Veel succes en tot ziens in Maastricht of in Paramaribo!!!

Prof. Dr. Ronald S.J. Tuninga
Director Dean
Maastricht School of Management